Managing the Order of Machining Operations

You can reorder machining operations, for example after reversing the machining conditions.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
Adding a User Parameter

Invert the Order of a Group of Machining Operations

You can invert the order of a group of machining operations.

  1. In the Activities Process Tree, select a group of machining operations.
  2. Click Reorder Operations .
    The order of the operations of the group is inverted from top to bottom.

Specify the Sequencing Rules

You can specify the rules used by Auto Sequence.

Before you begin:
  • In Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Machining > NC Machining Apps Common Services > Program, select the Access to Sequencing Rules check box.
  • Click {...} and select a sequencing rule set from the Rule Set Selection panel.
    Tip: A sample rule set is available in \Startup\Manufacturing\Samples\AutoSequence ( found in the installation path). Import and open the 3dxml file.
  1. From the Programming section of the action bar, click Rules Manager .
    The Sequencing Rules Options dialog box opens. If any error occur after you have selected the Rules Manager, the Sequencing Rules Options dialog box remains unavailable.
  2. Click ... to visualize and define the sequencing priority between machining operations.
  3. Click OK to validate and revert to the Sequencing Rules Options dialog box.
  4. Select the rules and define the sequencing priority for auto sequencing.
  5. Click OK.
    The selected rules appear in Auto Sequence dialog box.
    • Sort by operation type
    • Sort by increasing tool diameter
    • Sort by decreasing tool diameter
    • Sort by increasing tool cutting length
    • Sort by tool number
    • Sort by table angle
    • Sort by distance
    • Sort by decreasing top plane
    • Sort with respect to machining quality
    • Minimize tool change

Auto-Sequence Machining Operations

You can order automatically a sequence of machining operations according to the rules manager.

  1. Click Auto Sequence .
    The Auto Sequence dialog box opens.
  2. Place pointer in Selection and select a manufacturing program or machining operations in the Activities Process Tree.
  3. Place the pointer in Insertion Point and select the activity under which the auto-sequenced machining operations or manufacturing program are inserted.
  4. Alternatively, click Select all to select all the manufacturing program and machining operations. (an insertion point is not required).
  5. Optional: Click Reset to reset the selection.
  6. Click Apply.
    The selected manufacturing program or machining operations are sequenced according to the Rules Manager, and inserted below the selected activity, if relevant.
  7. Click Select all to select all the manufacturing program and machining operations.
  8. Click OK.

Reorder Machining Operations Based on Their Parameters

You can reorder machining operations based on their parameters, such as machining feedrate, spindle speed, resource name or distance between paths.

  1. From the Activities Process Tree, right-click a manufacturing program and select Reordering Activities.


  2. In the Activities Reordering dialog box that appears, right-click any column and do one of the following:
      1. To reorder machining operations based on an existing parameter, select Column Management and in the Columns Customization dialog box, select the check box of a parameter from the list.
      2. Click Close when done.
      1. To reorder machining operations based on a user parameter, select Create new column and type a name in the Column name and Parameter name boxes.
      2. Click OK when done.
    A new column with the parameter name appears in the Activities Reordering dialog box and displays the parameter values for each operation.
  3. Click the new column to reorder the machining operations based on the parameter values.


  4. Select one or more operations and click the right arrow to reorder them in the right area of the dialog box.


  5. Click OK to save the new order.

Tool change operations are automatically updated with new ones. Check the tool path and synchronization to make sure they correspond to the new order of operations.



Tip: To remove the added column, right-click it and select Delete selected column.

Define Precedence Constraints

You can define a precedence constraint between two machining operations.

  1. From the Programming section of the action bar, click Precedence Management .
  2. In the All Activities list, select the operation that requires the precedence constraint.
  3. In the Available Activities list, select one or more operations you want to serve as precedents, and click the right arrow.
  4. Optional: Select the Strong Precedence check box to force the last operation of the Precedence Activities list to precede the selected one.

Tip: Use the left arrow to remove an operation from the Precedence Activities list.