Tool Usages Tab

Owned by Kevin Strider (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Oct 25, 2024 by Geoffrey Brennan
5 min read

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:

Tooltips

Tooltips contain useful information on the purpose and use of features within the Tools tab. To see a tooltip, just hover over a feature.

 

For more details on each of the above features, see below

 

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Tool Filter

See Filtering the Tool Usages table, below.

Tool Summary

Displays the ‘Tool Summary’ of the tool selected in the Tool Usages table (see below).

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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.

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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 collection of checkboxes 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.

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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.

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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.

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Tool Usages table

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 compute a toolpath strategy for any tool that is not in the root.

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 are all shown in the Tool Usages table and can be used by CAM Assist to compute toolpath strategies.

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End mills in the root of the Machine Tool View
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Tool Usages table

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 are still shown in the Tool Usages table but cannot be used by CAM Assist to compute toolpath strategies.

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End mills in configured in sub-folders

 

 

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Tool Usages table

 

Filtering the Tool Usages table

The Tool Usages table lists all of the tools that are in the selected ‘Tool Source'.

The tools 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’

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  • Filter by tool type:

    • For example, enter ‘end mill’

    • Click Filter Tools

    • The Tool Usages table lists only those tools that are ‘end mills’

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  • 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

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