Our Favorite Toolpaths To Help Solve Any Challenge
1. Face, when the top/end surface is flat and a you want a clean surface, especially the second operation, Face is simple and gets the job done. If you aren’t sure if the top face is flat, a quick Analyze Surface will confirm if curvature exists. If the face is not flat, the face operation can be skipped.
2. Rough, the name of this game is to remove lots of material as quickly as possible while maximizing cutter life. Dynamic tool paths enable full-depth cuts:
a. Dynamic Mill, for any 2D part this creates a “bottom-up” cutting strategy where the cutter works down to the bottom of the cut then works with the full-length of the flutes. Full-depth cutting increases tool life and Mastercam keeps an eye on the program to avoid gouging or breaking the tool while keeping a constant load on the tool.
b. Opti-Rough is so cool, a true superpower! It automatically plunges through the air to the material that needs to be removed, so it is very smart and efficient. Opti-Rough is more stock-aware than any other toolpath, so for it to be effective you have to use it with Stock model. It focuses on removing only what needs to be removed efficiently; it is that simple.
c. Opti-Rest, a sub-set of opti-rough, allows you to rough a second time with a smaller tool, automatically identifying and removing only the material that could not be previously removed by the larger tool. Only one checkbox changes the strategy so you may find yourself running the same toolpath twice with fantastic results.
3. Finish, unless you have a part that matches one of the ideal scenarios for one of the other finishing options, Hybrid finishing is the ticket. Hybrid refers to the ability to specify step-over or step-down values based on whether it is shallow or steep, so it efficiently works the entire surface without wasting time in transition areas where the part angle changes. NOTE: Dynamic Mill has an optional finish pass built-in, and depending on tolerance the Opti-Rough finish might be suitable for some parts.
4. Drill, if needed, handles drills and taps quickly and easily, and with pathing options allows you to optimize the order for best efficiency. Automatic feature recognition can hande the entire hole callout in one programming step! Tip: Use the Fill Holes to skip the hole geometry in the roughing and finishing passes so the hole doesn’t disrupt the normal machining operations.
5. Contour, useful for quickly finishing vertical surfaces and even engraving letters. It is a simple operation, but an essential tool for every programmer.
Luckily you won’t have to choose just a couple toolpath options, but if you are unsure where to start with a new part, you won’t go wrong with this list of our favorite toolpaths. Have a question or need help getting started? Our team is here to help.
About the author
George has been an Applications Experts with MLC CAD Systems for more than 14 years. He brings real Machine Shop experience to the table with previous experience as an Applications Engineer for a Machine Tool Distributor in North Texas and over 20 years as a Machinist on the shop floor. Along with being an ASQ Certified Mechanical Inspector since 1987, he understands that at the end of the day, we are ultimately judged by our ability to measure what we did.
