There are three ways to define the stock 1) Importing an STL 2) Manually Defining it 3) Scanning of the NC Code
1) Importing an external STL
Step 1: Open an NC file, select a machine configuration to simulate, and then select either Backplot or Machine Simulation.
Step 2: Locate the Geometry Manager.
Step 3: Right-click in the Geometry Manager and select 'Add stock'
Step 4: Select 'STL'.
Step 5: Select the STL file you wish to import and select open.
Step 6: The 'Solid Setup' box will appear. This will allow you to determine the quality. This box will show when using either of the multiple options to add a stock.
- Move the cursor to 'Low Quality (Fast)' for a fast rendering but of low quality.
- Move the cursor to 'Medium Quality' for a standard rendering of standard quality.
- Move the cursor to 'High Quality (Slow)' for a slow but high-quality rendering.
Step 7: The 'Stock' will appear in the Backplot window and Geometry Manager. Select 'Stock' in the Geometry Manager to open its 'Properties'.
'Properties' is located below the Geometry Manager. In the properties section, users can edit the position of the stock by editing the values in 'Translation' and 'Rotation'.
Step 8: Once the stock is setup correctly, you can save the setup. Right-click in the Geometry Manager and select 'Save Setup'.
2) Manually Defining the Stock - Box
Step 1: Open an NC file, select a machine configuration to simulate, and then select either Backplot or Machine Simulation.
Step 2: Locate the Geometry Manager.
Step 3: Right-click in the Geometry Manager and select 'Add stock'
Step 4: Select 'Box'.
Step 5: Users can then determine whether the stock will be defined using 'Dimensions' or using the 'Min/Max' values.
Step 6: A default 'Stock' will now appear in both the Backplot window and Geometry Manager. Select 'Stock' in the Geometry section to open its properties.
'Properties' is located below the Geometry Manager. In the properties section, users can edit the stock dimensions and position by editing the values within 'Translation'.
Step 7: If the stock is determined by its Min/Max values, the user must specify where the stock values are relative to by selecting the drop-down menu beside 'Relative To'. The user will have two options, 'Absolute' or 'Toolpath'
Step 8: To edit the stock dimensions the user can edit the values within the 'Lower Corner' and 'Upper Corner'.
Step 9: When changes are made to the stock's dimensions or position, a wireframe stock will appear in the backplot window providing a preview of the newly defined stock.
Step 10: When the stock is setup correctly, locate and select the 'Zoom/Regenerate' solid tab.
The fully defined stock will now appear in the backplot window.
Step 11: Once the stock is fully defined and the setup is correct, you can save the setup. Right-click in the Geometry Manager and select 'Save Setup'.
3) Automatically Scanning a Stock
Step 1: Open an NC file, choose a machine configuration you wish to simulate with and then select either Backplot or Machine Simulation.
Step 2:
Input the 'Box - Min/Max' stock scanning command into the NC file using the following format.
(STOCK MIN X0 Y0 Z0)
(STOCK MAX X0 Y0 Z0)
Input the 'Box - Dimensions' stock scanning command into the NC file using the following format.
( STOCK RECTANGLE X-279.927 Y-232.1 Z-243.6 W=220 L=286 H=160 ORIGIN="TOP" )
Input the 'Cylinder' stock scanning command into the NC file using the following format.
( STOCK CYLINDER X-279.927 Y-232.1 Z-243.6 D=360 H=160 ORIGIN="TOP" AXIS="Z" )
Input the 'STL' stock scanning command into the NC file using the following format.
(STOCK STL X-279.0 Y-264.0 Z-343.6 PATH="C:\Users\fletc\Desktop\Haas UMC-750\5X-Demopart_Stock.stl" ORIGIN="TOP" )
Step 3: Locate and select the 'Global Setup' tab.
Step 4: Select 'Scanning'.
- In scanning mode, choose 'Scan active nc file'.
- In Read/Write settings, tick the box beside 'Read' to read its description from the nc or setup file automatically. Tick the box beside 'Write' to automatically write the description into the NC or setup file if any changes are made.
Step 5: The stock will be scanned directly into the backplot window.
Step 6: If you want to make changes to the stock, you can either edit the values in the NC code or the stock dimensions under the properties section by clicking on the 'Stock' in the Geometry Manager. The user can edit the values within the 'Lower Corner' and 'Upper Corner'
Step 7: When making changes, locate and select the 'Zoom/Regenerate' solid tab. The fully defined stock will now appear in the backplot window, and the NC code will update the stock definition.