How to Use the 3-Axis Machining Mode
This guide provides a video and step-by-step instructions on how to use the 3-Axis machining mode (featured in the General tab) to compute a toolpath strategy for your part using CAM Assist.
Step-by-step instructions
Video
The following step-by-step instructions are illustrated in the video How to use the 3-Axis Machining Mode (opens in YouTube).
Selecting a part and opening CAM Assist
Select a part
While you are free to use any part, this guide uses ‘Demo 1’ (available from the CAM Assist panel).
Open CAM Assist - click the big logo at the top of the CAM Assist panel.
Specifying the ‘3 Axis’ machining mode
Tool library - select a ‘Tool library’ from the drop-down.
Stock Material - select a material from the drop-down.
CAM Assist will select tools, machining strategies, and cutting presets based on the selected material (see the Tool Use tab for a report on the selected ‘Tool library’).
Choose machine - select a machine from the drop-down.
Edit machine properties [optional]- enables you to change the machine’s properties (see Machine Properties).
Machining mode - select ‘3 Axis’.
Configuring the ‘Target setup’
Target setups - ensure at least one Setup is checked.
The ‘Target setups' section is populated with options for each Fusion setup for the part.
If you want CAM Assist to create a toolpath strategy for a setup, ensure that the respective setup's checkbox (such as 'Setup1' and ‘Setup2’) is checked.
For each setup that you’ve checked:
Avoidance geometry - (optional) see Avoidance Geometry, below.
Set the Workholding security - CAM Assist will choose roughing tools suitable for the specified workholding. Set the slider to the required position between, or at, the two extremes:
Excellent - a more secure ('excellent') workholding, such as a vice with serrated jaws, will result in CAM Assist selecting larger tools or more aggressive cutting parameters. This will result in faster toolpaths, but with more force on the workpiece.
Poor - a less secure ('poor') workholding, such as a thin part held by a soft jaw, will result in CAM Assist selecting smaller tools or less aggressive cutting parameters. This will produce slower toolpaths, but with less force on the workpiece.
You can configure additional parameters within CAM Assist (see the Advanced tab), or
Click Run.
CAM Assist closes and a toolpath strategy is created for the part within Fusion.
Avoidance Geometry
Avoidance geometry blocks out portions of the stock that you don't want to be machined in this setup.
This geometry ensures that machining operations do not occur in specific portions of the stock for this setup, such as the space under the part or between the vice jaws.
These blocked out portions (avoidance geometry) are different from fixture bodies. While fixture bodies MUST be avoided, the Avoidance Geometry is considered part of the stock and may be gouged in specific cases. For example, drilling a through-hole may pierce the avoidance geometry but not the fixture.
Fixture bodies also require clearance from any tool, whereas all roughing tools may touch the surface of the avoidance geometry.
You have two choices for Avoidance Geometry:
Use the Generate Avoidance Geometry add-on:
CAM Assist will do the majority of the work for you.
For instructions on how to user the add-on, see Generate Avoidance Geometry.
Use the option in the ‘Target setups’ section:
For Avoidance geometry, click Body (0).
Within the model/part, click on the specific portion of the stock to indicate avoidance geometry.
Body (0) changes to Body (n), where n is the number of bodies that you have selected.
On clicking Run, CAM Assist will generate the avoidance geometry and integrate it with the computed toolpath strategy.
Example 3-Axis machining mode toolpath
The following screenshots show the ‘Demo 1’ part before and after applying CAM Assist’s computed toolpath strategy.