Articles by: Shawn McEachern
For milling complex multi-surface features, SOLIDWORKS CAM is equipped with three tool paths to quickly and easily program most challenges. Machine time can be a different story in these cases: Area Clearance: Area Clearance is the 3-axis roughing operation. This cycle removes the material between…
Finding the right balance of speed and safety is critical for SOLIDWORKS CAM programmers. Clearance, Rapid and Feed Planes allow us to control how far away the tool will engage or clear the work. Keeping the tool down while cutting saves time. Retracting to a…
Here is a simple example of how you can restrict tool movement using Contain Areas in SOLIDWORKS CAM. A huge time saver when programming parts with targeted cutting. Contain Areas can be defined by sketches, edges, and faces on the part for all 2.5 Axis…
Regardless of what we machine clamping is a reality. SOLIDWORKS CAM Standard Avoid Areas is a great feature to prevent your tool from crashing into a fixture or clamping. Avoid Areas Feature Avoid areas can be sketches or faces. We will focus on sketches in this…
In SOLIDWORKS CAM 2019 and higher, you may select the strategies you prefer when using Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR). These strategies can be specified for any type of feature. Simply select the Feature and the Strategy to be used as default. Adjust as desired. Your…
Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR) is a powerful time saver. However, you may find yourself in a situation where you may want more control over your program. In SOLIDWORKS CAM, you may define interactively the milling features you want to machine. Be sure to Define your…
Extend Tool Life with High-Speed Roughing in SOLIDWORKS CAM Professional with VoluMill
SOLIDWORKS CAM VoluMill is ideal for complex 3D shapes as its algorithms result in more intelligent toolpaths to machine pockets, slots, and arbitrary shapes. VoluMill toolpaths, unlike a trochoidal toolpath, are designed so that the tool will never be buried, thus eliminating the need for…
In SOLIDWORKS CAM 2020 we are now able automatically create Tabs on Contour Operations. Whether you are trying to avoid fixtures/clamping or stopping flyers, this new feature is another huge time saver. This feature is very handy for owners of routers. When contouring parts, they…
In SOLIDWORKS CAM there are three places were Milling Speed and Feed information can be utilized. In the tool, by editing any tool and selecting Cutting Parameters we can disassociate the tool from the Material Library and enter our specs for the tool. In the…