About the Customize Dialog Box
When you click Customize on the NC SEQUENCE menu, the system displays the Customize dialog box. The box enables you to create, modify, and delete the Tool Motions and CL Commands. At the same time, the system displays the NC sequence CL file, as it currently looks, in the NCL File window.
Depending on the type of NC sequence, the system may have automatically generated some default Tool Motions (for example, Auto Plunge, Automatic Cut), based on the parameter values and selected geometry. In this case, the Tool Motions will be listed in the upper portion of the Customize dialog box. You can redefine these motions, as necessary, or delete them and create new ones. For other NC sequence types (such as Trajectory Milling, Profile Turning, or Wire EDM), you have to explicitly create all the Tool Motions; therefore, when you first enter the Customize dialog box, its upper portion contains only the <end of tool path> line. Creating a new Tool Motion or CL Command adds it to the list in the upper portion of the Customize dialog box.
To select an item (Tool Motion or CL Command) in the upper portion of the Customize dialog box, click on it. To select multiple items, click on the first one, then hold the SHIFT or CTRL key and click on the last one; the system highlights these items, and all items in between, in the list box. It also highlights the portion of the toolpath on the screen corresponding to all the selected items, and highlights the first and the last CL lines for the block of selected items in the NCL File window. The tool is positioned at the beginning of the first selected Tool Motion.
The middle portion of the Customize dialog box contains the following buttons:
• Insert—Add a Tool Motion or CL command before the selected item in the list box above. Select the type of entity to insert from the drop-down list to the right of the Insert button, then click Insert.
• Copy—Copy the selected Tool Motion(s) and CL command(s) and place them on the Clipboard, to insert them at a different control point.
• Paste—Insert the contents of the Clipboard at a specified control point.
• Cut—Remove the selected Tool Motion(s) and CL command(s) and place them on the Clipboard, to insert them at a different control point.
• Delete—Remove the selected Tool Motion(s) and CL command(s).
• Modify—Modify dimensions associated with the selected Tool Motion.
• Redefine—Change the selected Tool Motion or CL command.
• Params—Modify parameters of the selected Tool Motion.
• Clipboard—Show the current contents of the Clipboard.
The bottom portion of the Customize dialog box contains the OK and Cancel buttons.
Tool Motions
You can insert the following types of Tool Motions:
• Automatic Cut—Reference model geometry to generate the path followed by the tool while actually cutting workpiece material.
• Follow Sketch—Set up the sketching plane and sketch the tool path.
• GoTo Point—Go to a datum point or to a point on the tool path. For 4- and 5 Axis NC sequences, you can also specify the tool axis orientation.
• Go Delta—Allows you to specify tool motions in terms of increments along the axes of the NC sequence coordinate system (with respect to the current position of the tool).
• Go Home—Go directly to the Operation HOME point (if specified, using the Home option, when creating the operation).
• Plunge—Create a plunge before another Tool Motion. The tool will move horizontally (that is, at its current Z depth) straight to the location directly above the start of the selected motion and then plunge down.
• Retract—Go from the current location vertically up to the retract plane.
• Appr Along Tool Axis—Create an approach motion along the tool axis. Appears for 4- and 5-axis NC sequences only.
• Exit Along Tool Axis—Create an exit motion along the tool axis. Appears for 4- and 5-axis NC sequences only.
• Tangent Approach—Create an approach motion tangent to the Automatic Cut motion
• Tangent Exit—Create an exit motion tangent to the Automatic Cut motion.
• Normal Approach—Create an approach motion normal to the direction of the Automatic Cut motion.
• Normal Exit—Create an exit motion normal to the direction of the Automatic Cut motion.
• Lead In—Approach the Automatic Cut motion tangentially, along an arc of specified radius.
• Lead Out—Exit from the current point tangentially to the Automatic Cut motion along an arc of specified radius.
• Helical Approach—Create a helical approach motion. This option is available for Milling NC sequences, except Thread milling. For Thread milling, you can automatically generate helical approach exit motions using the APPROACH_TYPE parameter.
• Helical Exit—Create a helical exit motion. This option is available for Milling NC sequences, except Thread milling. For Thread milling, you can automatically generate helical exit motions using the EXIT_TYPE parameter.
• CL Command—Insert customized CL commands along the tool path. Specify the placement of the CL command in the CL Command dialog box.
Generally, you create the Automatic Cut motions first, and then connect them using other types of tool motions.
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• The Tool Motion functionality is slightly different for Holemaking NC sequences.
• For Automatic Cut motions composed of closed loops, an approach motion will reset the start point of the loop.
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