Creating a Profile Contouring Operation

You can create a Profile Contouring operation with the modes: Between Two Planes, Between Two Curves, Between Curve and Surfaces, By Flank Contouring, or Trim Between Curves and Surfaces.

See Also
Profile Contouring
Selecting Guiding and Relimiting Elements
Defining a Virtual Bottom Plane
  1. Click Profile Contouring from the Prismatic Machining section of the action bar, .

    The Profile Contouring workflow appears in the work area.

  2. In the Tool Search dialog box that appears:
    1. Select the tool type.
    2. Select the required tool or tool assembly and click one of the following:
    OptionDescription
    Select in Session Select an existing tool or tool assembly from the Resource Configuration View.
    Search in Database Select a tool or a tool assembly from the database.
    Look Into Catalog Browse for a tool or a tool assembly in the catalog.
  3. Optional: Close the Tool Search dialog box by pressing Esc. Then, click Search Tool to research a tool in the database.
  4. Follow the workflow instructions to create a profile contouring operation.

    A Profile Contouring entity is added to the Manufacturing Program.

    The Profile Contouring dialog box appears directly in the Geometry tab .

  5. Click in the title bar of the dialog box to edit the name of the manufacturing pattern, such as ProfileContouring.x.
  6. Select a Contouring Mode:
    OptionDescription
    Between Two Planes The tool follows a contour between top and bottom planes while respecting user-defined geometry limitations and machining strategy parameters.
    Between Two Curves The tool follows a trajectory defined by the guide contour and auxiliary guide contour while respecting user-defined geometry limitations and machining strategy parameters.
    Between Curve and Surfaces The tool follows a trajectory defined by a top guide curve and bottom surfaces while respecting user-defined geometry limitations and machining strategy parameters.
    By Flank Contouring The tool flank machines a vertical part surface while respecting user-defined geometry limitations and machining strategy parameters.
    Trim Between Curves and Surfaces Allows you to machine the trimming tool (the surface defined at the machining operation level) with the upper section of the T-Slotter tool. This mode is only available with a T-Slotter tool.
  7. Optional: Click New Feature to apply a machining area feature, or click Create Feature to create a new one.

    Note: You can export a feature by clicking Export Feature .

  8. In the Mandatory section, verify the mandatory input parameters.

    Note: The following icons are used to describe the status of a parameter:
    Icon Description
    Parameter defined.
    Mandatory parameter not defined.
    Optional parameter not defined.
    Parameter not up to date.
    Broken link.

  9. Optional: Do any of the following:
    1. Click to remove the input parameter.
    2. Click to display additional information on the parameter in the work area.
    3. Click to display the parameter's context menu.
  10. In the Optional section, verify the optional input parameters.
  11. In the Parameters section, verify additional parameter inputs.
  12. Verify the parameters in the following tabs:

    • Tool: Select a tool.
    • Strategy: Select a Tool path style.
    • Feeds and Speeds: Specify the feedrates and spindle speed.
    • Macros: Specify transition paths.

  13. Optional: In the Actions section, click any of the following:
    OptionDescription
    Compute and display input stock.
    Ignore input stock.
    Ignore output stock.
    Update and display output stock.
  14. Click Edit Cycle to edit or choose output syntaxes.
  15. Click Compute to compute the tool path with the specified parameters.
  16. Click OK to validate and exit the dialog box.
  17. Click Cancel to exit the dialog box without saving.

The profile contouring operation is created as ProfileContouring.x. It is visible in the Activities Process Tree.