Repeating a Tool Path

When you have a part with several identical geometries, you can define a machining operation for one geometry and duplicate its tool path to all the other identical geometries by creating tool path repetitions. This allows you to reduce the number of operations, size of output files and to gain in productivity.

Repetitions are available for milling operations only.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: Create a milling operation such as a pocketing operation and compute its tool path.
See Also
Differences between TRACUT Operator Instruction, COPY Operator Instruction, Copy-Transformation Instructions and Tool Path Repetition
PP Tables and Word Syntaxes - NC Commands
PP Tables and Word Syntaxes - NC Instructions

Quickly Repeat the Tool Path of One Geometry to Other Identical Geometries

You can use Create new repetition by Axis and Create new repetition by Translation to quickly duplicate the tool path of one geometry to other identical geometries of the same part.

  1. Open a part similar to the one below:

  2. In the Activities Process Tree, right-click one or more operations which tool path you want to repeat and select Define Repetition.

    The Repetition dialog box appears. It shows the list of repetitions already created.
  3. In the Repetition dialog box, click Create new repetition by Axis .
    The Machining Repetition by Axis dialog box appears.
  4. In the work area, select the axes of the geometries to be duplicated. To select multiple axes:
    • Press Ctrl and click on the desired axes one by one. Once all axes are selected, select Finish from the Tools Palette context toolbar.
    • Select multiple axes at once using selection by trap. For more information, see Select with the Selection Traps.
    Context toolbars appear next to the axes position, with a number indicating the machining order.

    The context toolbars let you manage the position as follows:
    • The check box specifies if you want this position to be machined.
    • Move left : switches the position with the previous one.
    • Move right : switches the position with the next one.
    • Reference axis : when selected, makes this axis position the reference one. The reference position is the position where the operation is defined.
  5. In the Machining Repetition by Axis dialog box, click OK.

    The duplicated tool paths appear on the selected geometries. The tool path of the reference position is colored green.
  6. In the Repetition dialog box, click Add new local repetition to repeat the duplicated tool paths on the other geometries above, then Create new repetition by Translation .
  7. In the Machining Repetition by Translation dialog box that appears, do the following:

    1. Select an existing axis or create a machining axis using Create Machining Axis System .
    2. To define the translation along the axes, enter values in the Dx, Dy and Dz boxes.

      For more information, see Transformation Types.

    3. To define the number of translations, enter a value in the Number box.
    4. Click OK when done.


    The duplicated tool paths appear on all the other identical geometries.

The repetition feature appears in the Manufacturing View and the operations associated with it appear under the feature.

Repeat a Tool Path by Pattern

You can use Create new repetition by Pattern to select all the geometries that belong to the same pattern.

  1. In the Activities Process Tree, right-click a pocketing operation which tool path you want to repeat and select Define Repetition.
    The Repetition dialog box appears. It shows the list of repetitions already created.
  2. In the Repetition dialog box, click Create new repetition by Pattern .
  3. In the tree, select a geometric pattern.


    Context toolbars appear next to each pattern instance, with a number indicating the machining order. The context toolbars let you manage the repetition as follows:
    • The check box specifies if you want this position to be machined.
    • Move left : switches the position with the previous one.
    • Move right : switches the position with the next one.
    • Reference axis : makes this axis position the reference one. The reference position is the position where the operation is defined.
  4. In the Repetition dialog box, click OK to create the repetition.

    You can also manage all the pattern positions in one shot as follows:

    • Activate all repetitions : selects all the positions to be machined.
    • Deactivate all repetitions : unselects all the positions to be machined.
    • Invert all repetitions : modifies the order of the positions from top to bottom.
    • Move to left all repetitions : moves the last position at the top of the list.
    • Move to right all repetitions : moves the first position at the end of the list.
    • Add new local repetition : assigns another repetition to the same operation.

    The repetition feature appears in the Manufacturing View and the operation associated with it appears under the feature.



Tips:
  • To edit a repetition, double-click a repetition in the Manufacturing View and modify the parameters as desired.

    Alternatively, you can double-click an operation with a repetition assigned in the Activities Process Tree and click Tool Path Repetition in the dialog box that appears.

  • To unassign a repetition from an operation, right-click the operation then select the repetition in the dialog box that appears and click Remove local repetition.