Simulating Milling Machines with Interchangeable Heads

You can simulate milling operations, which have an inclined tool path/tool axis, on a universal milling center by attaching interchangeable heads to the tool mount point of the machine. A master or universal milling head is coupled with a variety of individual milling heads for different machining purposes. This allows you to choose an optimal milling head for a particular machining operation. The individual milling heads is a part of the machine itself. Simulation of milling machines with interchangeable heads enables you to verify NC tool paths for travel limits, collisions and modify, if necessary.

Before you begin:

A machine with at least one head must be assigned to the Manufacturing Cell. See Creating a Generic Machine and Managing Its Parameters for more information.

  1. Define a Head Change Position and a Head Mount Point on the master/universal milling head, and a Head Base Point on the individual milling heads, in Device Building.
    See Device Building User's Guide: Defining Head Change Position and Defining Mount Points.
  2. Define a Head Change activity in Programming action bar.

    This allows you to choose a particular interchangeable milling head to simulate the subsequent machining operations. During simulation, the sequence of milling operations defined after these activities can use the corresponding milling heads defined in the Head Change activities.

    See Inserting Head Changes.

  3. Mount the job on the table with Workpiece Automatic Mount in Setup.

    See Importing Machines and Tool Assemblies

  4. Launch simulation.

    Note: Only one milling head is attached to the milling machine at a particular time during simulation.

    During simulation, the interchangeable head is equipped to the head mount point of the master/universal milling machine at the head change position. The orientation of the attached milling head depends on its head base point and the head mount point of the master milling head. Also, when an interchangeable head is equipped to the master milling head, the tool is mounted at the tool mount point of the attached milling head.