About Table-based Patterning
When you pattern a tool path using a direction-based or axis-based method and convert the pattern to a pattern table, the pattern table provides additional information specific to Creo NC:
• Manufacturing order—The order in which the tool path exists in the pattern from a manufacturing perspective. Manufacturing order is a positive integer and is assigned using the rules that you define on the Pattern dashboard.
• Fixture offset register—The rule that you define for fixture offset on the Pattern dashboard. The value is always a positive integer.
• Retract offset—The distance from the reference for the pattern leader tool path to the retract location. This value can be an integer or a floating point number. The default value is the same for all sequences. You can change the retract offset for specific pattern members. However, the change is visible only after you complete editing the pattern table.
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The effect of the retract offset value is visible on the tool path only if the Always use operation retract option is not selected in the Operation Setup dialog box
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When you convert direction-based and axis-based patterns to a pattern table, the table provides the number of pattern members that you have currently defined. The second pattern direction is included in the table only if you have defined the second direction.
Translations, rotations, and offsets in the pattern table do not have dimensions associated with their locations. The table provides labels that identify the offset or angle being changed. For example, an X-axis offset for the second pattern direction is shown as X_DIR_2 while a translational offset is shown as TRANS_DIR_2.
Values in the pattern table are always the actual distance or rotation angle for the pattern member from the reference. Examples follow:
• For a translation pattern in a single direction with 3 members and spacing of 5, the pattern table values are 0, 5, and 10.
• For a rotation pattern in a single direction with 3 members and an extent angle of 180 degrees, the pattern table values are 0, 90, and 180. Extent angle rotations are converted to incremental rotations.
• For a coordinate system offset pattern in a single direction with 3 members and X-offset value of 4, the pattern table values are (0,0,0), (4,0,0), and (8,0,0).
You can save and retrieve pattern tables for converted direction-based and axis-based patterns.