Manufacturing > Milling > Trajectory Milling > Milling Parameters Specific to 2-Axis Trajectory Milling
  
Milling Parameters Specific to 2-Axis Trajectory Milling
In addition to the common milling parameters, the following parameters control the tool path generated by a 2-Axis Trajectory milling NC sequence:
WALL_FINISH_CUT
Controls whether the tool makes multiple cutting passes when machining along walls. By default (AT_EACH_DEPTH), the finish passes are made at each cutting depth, that is, the last slice machining the walls contains the same number of passes as any other slice. If set to LAST_CUT_DEPTH, then the last slice contains only one cutting pass made at final depth.
The following group of parameters controls the number of cutting passes of the tool, offset in the vertical (z-axis) direction from the final tool trajectory, and the offsets between the passes. You can have two groups of passes, with different offset values. This way, for example, you can specify a bigger offset value for the first group of rough cutting passes, and then decrease the depth of the finishing passes at the end.
CONNECT_OPTIMIZE
Controls the tool movement between two consecutive passes. You can specify the value for CONNECT_OPTIMIZE as Yes or No. By default (No) the tool retracts to the retract plane after a pass before the next pass. If set to Yes, the tool motion between consecutive passes are as follows:
If the two curves are in the same plane, at the end of the first tool path, the tool retracts PULLOUT_DISTANCE (if specified). The tool then rapids in the plane defined by the CLEAR_DISTANCE to the start of the next curve toolpath and executes the next toolpath.
If the first curve plane is higher than the second curve plane, at the end of the first tool path the tool retracts PULLOUT_DISTANCE (if specified). The tool then rapids in this plane up to the start of the next curve toolpath, plunges rapidly to the CLEAR_DISTANCE and executes the second toolpath.
If the first curve plane is lower than the second curve plane, at the end of the first tool path, the tool retracts PULLOUT_DISTANCE (if specified). The tool then rapids in the plane defined by CLEAR_DISTANCE above the second curve plane, connects rapidly to the start of the second toolpath and executes the second toolpath.
NUMBER_LAST_FINPASSES
Lets you specify the number of cutting passes offset in the vertical direction from the final tool trajectory. The default is 1, in which case the tool makes just the one cutting pass along the trajectory curve. If you increase the number, the vertical offset between the passes is defined by the LAST_FINPASS_OFFSET parameter value.
NUMBER_FIRST_FINPASSES
Lets you specify additional cutting passes, made prior to the last passes and with a different vertical offset. The default is 0. If you specify a number, the vertical offset between the passes is defined by the FIRST_FINPASS_OFFSET parameter value.
LAST_FINPASS_OFFSET
Specifies the vertical offset between the cutting passes in the final group. The default is 0.
FIRST_FINPASS_OFFSET
Specifies the vertical offset between the cutting passes in the first group, and between the last of these passes and the first of the passes in the final group. The default is 0. Specify a value if you set a non-zero number of first passes.
The following example illustrates how this group of parameters works. The parameters are set as follows:
NUMBER_LAST_FINPASSES 2
NUMBER_FIRST_FINPASSES 3
NUMBER_LAST_FINCUTS 1
NUMBER_FIRST_FINCUTS 0
The tool makes just one vertical slice, with 3 first passes and 2 last passes. The final pass is performed along the trajectory curve (with Offset set to Left), and the positions of other passes are calculated from it based on the LAST_FINPASS_OFFSET and FIRST_FINPASS_OFFSET parameters.
1. trajectory curve
2. first passes
3. FIRST_FINPASS_OFFSET
4. last passes
5. LAST_FINPASS_OFFSET
The next group of parameters controls the number of cutting slices, offset in the horizontal direction from the final tool trajectory, and the offsets between the slices. Each slice may contain multiple vertically offset cutting passes, with their number and offsets the same in each slice and defined by the previous group of parameters. If you specify both multiple slices and multiple passes, the order of machining is controlled by the SLICE_PATH_SCAN parameter.
Here, too, you can have two groups of slices, with different offset values.
NUMBER_LAST_FINCUTS
Lets you specify the number of cutting slices offset in the horizontal direction from the final tool trajectory. The default is 1. If you increase the number, the system generates multiple horizontally offset slices, with each slice containing the same number of vertically offset cutting passes, as specified by the appropriate parameters. The horizontal offset between the slices is defined by the LAST_FINCUT_OFFSET parameter value. The direction of the offset between slices is determined by the direction of the tool offset with respect to trajectory curve, or by material side if the tool offset is set to None.
NUMBER_FIRST_FINCUTS
Lets you specify additional cutting slices, made prior to the last slices and with a different horizontal offset. The default is 0. If you specify a number, the horizontal offset between the slices is defined by the FIRST_FINCUT_OFFSET parameter value.
LAST_FINCUT_OFFSET
Specifies the horizontal offset between the cutting slices in the final group. The default is 0.
FIRST_FINCUT_OFFSET
Specifies the horizontal offset between the cutting slices in the first group, and between the last of these slices and the first of the slices in the final group. The default is 0. Specify a value if you set a non-zero number of first slices.
The following example illustrates how this group of parameters works. The parameters are set as follows:
NUMBER_LAST_FINPASSES 1
NUMBER_FIRST_FINPASSES 0
NUMBER_LAST_FINCUTS 3
NUMBER_FIRST_FINCUTS 2
Here, similarly, the tool makes 3 first cuts and 2 last cuts, each containing just one pass. The final cut is performed along the trajectory curve (with Offset set to Left), and the positions of other cuts are calculated from it based on the LAST_FINCUT_OFFSET and FIRST_FINCUT_OFFSET parameters.
1. trajectory curve
2. first cuts
3. FIRST_FINCUT_OFFSET
4. last cuts
5. LAST_FINCUT_OFFSET
PERCENT_LENGTH
Provides a control point mechanism for the tool by indicating the percentage of taper cutting length below the tool control point. The value can be any number from 0 to 1. 0 means tip machining, 1 - shoulder machining, and an intermediate value provides an intermediate control point. The default is 0.