Machine Relief panel — Roughing Options

Use the Roughing Options area to select a roughing tool, choose a Tool clearance strategy, then define the Z Slices:

• Click to Select — Click the control bar to select the tool you want to use using the Tool Database dialog. When you select the tool, click the control bar showing the name of the tool to display its parameters. To change the selected tool, click Select. To deselect the selected tool without choosing a replacement, click Deselect.
• Tool clearance strategy — Choose a clearance strategy from the list:
  • Raster — This strategy machines in passes back and forth along the X axis at a specified angle.
  • Offset — This strategy machines in repeated passes, each time moving inwards by the selected tool's Stepover value. You can see the stepover value of the selected tool when its machining parameters are displayed.
• Angle — Enter the angle from the X axis at which you want the tool to move.
  You can set the default raster angle using the Options panel.

  • Raster angle of 0...

    Raster angle of 36...

• Profile pass — Select whether to add a profile pass either before, during, or after each Z-slice is machined. A profile pass cleans up the edges of the machined area.
• Start from — Select the start point of the toolpath.
  • Start inside — Select this option if you want the tool to cut into the material at the vector's boundary, and then machine inwards.
  • Start outside — Select this option if you want the tool to cut into the material at the vector's centre, and then machine outwards.
    You can set the default offset start point in the Options panel.
• Cutting direction — Select a cut direction for the toolpath.
  • Both — The tool cuts back and forth across the model, which reduces the number of air moves made by the tool.
  • Climb — Climb milling rotates the cutter in the same direction as the feed motion.
  • Conventional — Conventional milling rotates the cutter in the opposite direction to the feed motion.
    Set the default cutting direction on the Options panel.
• Tolerance — Enter a value to determine how closely the shapes of any Bézier curves are followed. Entering excessively small values for this tolerance increases toolpath files sizes and slows down calculation and machining times.
• Allowance — Enter a value to give an offset above the relief for your machining.
• Z Slices — Define the values which control the number of Z Slices which will be used to rough machine the relief.
  • If Automatic is selected, the Start /Surface Z height is the top of the material block, or the maximum Z height of the composite relief if there is no material defined. The Last Slice Z height is the minimum Z height of the composite relief plus the material allowance and tolerance.
  • If Automatic is deselected, you can specify the Start / Surface Z and Last Slice Z values, then click Apply.

See also

• Using the Tool Database
• Adjusting machining parameters when creating a toolpath
• About cut direction