To Define a Cut Using Projected Cuts
Use Projected Cuts Surface Milling when you need more control over the way you scan the surfaces (for example, if you need to generate a spiral tool path).
1. In the top portion of the Cut Definition dialog box, select Projected Cuts.
The system redisplays the lower portion of the Cut Definition dialog box to contain the Plus (+) and Minus (-) icons and a list box for defining the contours to be machined, as well as the following options for defining the contour offsets:
◦ On—The contour to be machined will coincide with the projected contour of the selected surfaces.
◦ Left—The contour to be machined will be constructed by offsetting the projected contour to the inside by the offset value (Cutter_Diameter/2 plus the Boundary Offset Value).
◦ Right—The contour to be machined will be constructed by offsetting the projected contour to the outside by the offset value (Cutter_Diameter/2 plus the Boundary Offset Value).
◦ Boundary Offset Value—The default offset is Cutter_Diameter/2. You can specify additional offset by typing a value in the Boundary Offset Value text box.
2. Click the Plus (+) icon to add the projected contours.
The ADD CONTRS menu opens with the following options:
◦ Def Contrs—Select the contours to machine either by using the Select option and selecting the contours (all selectable contours are highlighted in cyan), or using the Select All option. Once a contour is selected, it is projected to the retract plane (the projected contour is displayed in magenta).
◦ Def Offsets—If you select this option, you can define the contour offsets by scrolling through all the contours being created.
The CNTR OFFSET menu opens. Use the Next and Prev commands to scroll through the contours. Other commands on the CNTR OFFSET menu correspond to the options for specifying offset in the Cut Definition dialog box. As you choose Next and Prev, the current projected contour is highlighted in cyan (instead of magenta). As you choose Left, Right, or change offset, the projection is redisplayed to reflect the change.
Once you define a contour, its name and offset are listed in the list box.
3. To delete a contour, select it in the list box and click the Minus (-) icon.
4. To redefine the offset of a contour, select it in the list box and use the On, Left, Right, and Boundary Offset Value options to change the offset.
5. When you have defined all the contours, click OK.