At the bottom of the Tool Usages tab is the Tool Usages table (see below), your go-to tool for checking the suitability of the selected Tool Source (Tools tab), and controlling the use of tools within that source, for use with CAM Assist.
Sections
The Tool Usages tab contains the following sections:
Displays the ‘Tool Summary’ of the tool selected in the Tool Usages table (see below).
Allowed Materials
Contains an ‘Enable for [material]’ checkbox that you can use to ‘allow’ or ‘not allow’ a tool to be used on the selected material, as indicated in the ‘Allowed Materials’ column of the Tool Usages table (see below).
Checked
The abbreviation for the material is added to the ‘Allowed Materials’ column for the selected tool.
CAM Assist is allowed to use that tool on the related material.
Unchecked
The abbreviation for the material is removed from the ‘Allowed Materials’ column for the selected tool
CAM Assist is not allowed to use that tool on the related material.
To use this feature:
Click a tool on the Tool Usages table:
Check ‘Enable for [material]’ to allow the tool to be used.
Check ‘Enable for [material]’ to not allow the tool to be used.
Allowed Usages
Contains a checkbox that you can use to ‘allow’ or ‘not allow’ a tool to be used for specific usages (operations), as indicated in the ‘Allowed Usages’ column of the Tool Usages table (see below).
Checked
The abbreviation for the usage (operation) is added to the ‘Allowed Usages’ column for the selected tool.
CAM Assist is allowed to use that tool for the related usage.
Unchecked
The abbreviation for the usages (operation) is removed from the ‘Allowed Usages’ column for the selected tool
CAM Assist is not allowed to use that tool on the related usage.
To use this feature:
Click a tool on the Tool Usages table:
Check a usage to ‘allow’ the tool to be used.
Uncheck a usages to ‘not allow' the tool to be used.
Tool Issues
This section is only visible if the tool selected in the Tool Usages table (see below) has configuration issues, as indicated in the 'Status' column.
If so, then this section contains details of those configuration issues.
Tool Usages table
CAM Assist populates the Tool Usages table with all tools in the selected ‘Tool Source’ (as selected in the Tools tab).
It does so using the following columns:
Tool Summary - a summary of the tool’s parameters to enable easy identification.
Allowed Materials- contains the abbreviated form for the selected ‘Material’ (Tools tab).
Allowed Usages - contains the abbreviated form of operations (usages) that are relevant to the specific tool.
Status - reports any identified ‘Tool Source’ configuration issues with the specific tool.
Tool Usage limitation
CAM Assist can only use tools that are in the root of the ‘Machine Tool View’.
In this version, CAM Assist cannot use any tool that is not in the root to compute toolpath strategies.
Example 1 - tools can be used by CAM Assist
In this example, all of the tools are in the root of the Machine (GENERIC_MACHINE).
They will all be shown in the Tool Usages table and can be used by CAM Assist to compute toolpath strategies.
Example 2 - tools cannot be used by CAM Assist
In this example, all of the tools are not in the root of the Machine (GENERIC_MACHINE).
They will all be shown in the Tool Usages table but cannot be used by CAM Assist to compute toolpath strategies.
Filtering the Tool Usages table
The Tool Usages table (See above) list all of the tools that are in the selected ‘Tool Source'.
The toolset can be filtered using the ‘Tool Filter’ section (at the top of the Tool Usages tab).
Any of the following options can be used for the ‘Filter’:
Filter by tool number:
For example, enter ‘22112’
Click Filter Tools
The Tool Usages table lists only those tools that start with ‘22112’
Filter by tool type:
For example, enter ‘end mill’
Click Filter Tools
The Tool Usages table lists only those tools that are ‘end mills’
Filter by tool diameter
For example. enter ‘0.24’
Click Filter Tools
The Tool Usages table lists only those tool that have a diameter of 0.24
