Contour machining part 8 – Initial Stock – Alphacam #28

initial stock

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Initial Stock– Alphacam


YouTube: https://youtu.be/KJxvCJVJqrs

The next parameter in the Machining Data tab is the Initial Stock parameter. This is the finishing allowance that has remained after the previous machining.

initial stock

The pre-field of this parameter is blanked. To activate this, in the Stock Removal section, we must specify Number of Cuts for machining this allowance. This number must be greater than 1. Such parameter setting as in the above figure will result in the preparation of such a tool path:

We remove the initial 5 mm allowance in three equal passes. Here, as in the case of machining in the Z axis, each pass can have the same width or we can also determine the width of the first and last pass.

What can these options be used for?

When preparing the formers for processing, e.g. on a saw machine, we often leave a finishing allowance for the machining. It happens that allowances are large. Machining in one pass could be problematic. That’s why it’s worth splitting it into several passes. As in the Z axis, we divide the contour processing into several passes, so in the XY axes, i.e. sides, we can also divide the machining.

In the case of unevenly cut elements, to increase security, we can also determine the width of the first pass. We can set a small value to protect against the full width of the tool. And by entering a small value for the width of the last pass, we will get a better wall finish.