spectraCAM Turning: Section D

spectraCAM Turning Quickstart

Step 1: Create a New Drawing

Step 2: Setting Parameters

Step 3:Draw the Arc

Step 4:Drawing Lines

Step 5: Generating Toolpaths

Step 6: Save as an NC File

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 Whats in This Section
This section presents the spectraCAM Turning Quick Start exercise. By
completing Quick Start, you will learn many basic and advanced spectraCAM
Turning operations. Quick Start is especially helpful for new CAD/CAM users.
With Quick Start you will draw the part shown below. Quick Start includes
step-by-step instructions, but assumes that you are familiar with most of the
material in Section C. You should know:
u How to select a command from the pull-down menus, the Tool Bar, or
the Tool Boxes
u How to select an entity with the cursor and with a selection box
u How to pick a point by clicking in the Drawing Area or by using the
Quick Enter Bar.
u How to use Absolute and Relative coordinates
u The parts of the spectraCAM Turning screen
If you are unfamiliar with any of these items, please read Section C before
you begin Quick Start.

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 Step 1: St art spectraCAM Turning/Create a New
Drawing
Before you begin drawing, you have to start spectraCAM Turning and create
a new drawing. The new drawing will based on a special pattern, or template,
called QSTART.
By completing this step, you will learn:
u How to start spectraCAM Turning

u
How to create a new drawing
The first step isto start spectraCAM Turningfrom the Programs Menuunder
the Windows 95 Start Menu. (You may have to select one or more submenus to
get to spectraCAM Turning, depending on where it was installed.)
1. Turn on your computer and start Windows 95.

spectraCAM Turning Quickstart

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 2. Select spectraCAM Turning from the Programs Menu. spectraCAM
Turning starts and creates a new drawing based on the default template.
The Title Bar displays the drawing name, Untitled, meaning this is a
new drawing.

3. The material outline should be visible in the Drawing Area. If the out-
line is not visible, select theShow/Stock command from the View Menu.

Step 2: Setting Parameters

In this exercise you may either import the existing Sample1.dxf file and cre-
ate toolpaths and NC code; or design the part from scratch beginning with
the CAD operations and then using CAM to finish the process.
If you wish to import the drawing, Select Import from the File menu and
then set the stock size and material. After you have done that, skip to Step 5
on page D-10 to generate toolpaths.
To design the part from scratch, follow all the steps in this section.

By completing this step, you will learn:

u How to select stock from the Stock Library.
u How to set grid snaps and spacing.
u How to turn the grid on and off.

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 This part is made from aluminum stock (0.75 inch diameter by 2 inches
long). All cuts are made with a roughing tool. A series of 0.015 inch rough-
ing cuts are made until the final shape of the part is achieved.
spectraCAM will automatically insert tool feed rates and spindle speed into
the NC program based on the type of stock used. Use the Select Stock dialog
box to select or edit stock materials and sizes.
1. From the Setup Menu , choose Stock and then Select...
2. When the Select Stock dialog box appears, click on 2 x 0.75 Alumi-
num in the stock window, and then on the Select button to select it.

3. The stock in the drawing area will change size.

4. Next set the grid size. This will help keep the drawing accurate.

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 5. From the Setup Menu, select Snaps.

6. In the Set Snaps box, choose Grid/Space in the Constraints window, and
enter 0.0625 in the size field.
7. Click on OK to save your changes.

Step 3:Draw the Arc

By completing this step, you will learn:
u How to select points in the drawing area.
u How to use the Quick Enter bar to set the Arc Radius
Now that you have the drawing parameters set, you can begin the CAD por-
tion of the process. The first operation is to draw the arc at the end of the part.
1. Click on the Radius Arc button on the draw toolbar, or select Radius
Arc from the Draw menu.
2. The cursor will change, indicating that an operation is in process.

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 3. Click the cursor on the point (2.0, 0.0)
4. Move the cursor to the point (1.75, 0.25) and click.
5. A line joining the two points appears, and the Quick Entry toolbar
changes, allowing you to enter a radius. You can either move the cursor
to the radius box, or simply begin typing. Enter 0.25 in the radius box,
and click on Apply .

6. Move the cursor back to the drawintg area so that the arc looks like the
one shown here, and click in the drawing.
7. Press the Escape button on the keyboard to end the operation.

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 Step 4: Drawing Lines
By completing this step, you will learn:
u How to draw lines by picking points, and using the Quick Enter bar.
u How to Save your work.
After the Arc is drawn the next step is to draw lines.
1. Select the Line button from the Draw toolbar, or Line from the Draw
menu.

2. The cursor changes. Select the end point of the arc as the start point for
the line. Move the cursor to the point (1.625, 0.25) and click.
spectraCAM draws the line.
3. The endpoint of the first line becomes the start point for the next line.

4. Move the cursor to the point (1.25, 0.3125) and click.

5. Move the cursor up to the Quick Enter Bar and enter the following co-
ordinates in the Z and X boxes: (1.2, 0.35), and press the Enter key. A
line appears from the last point you clicked on to a new point. The new
endpoint is between points on the grid. Even if you had turned off the
Snap to Grid function, it would have been hard to draw the line to the
exact point. Entering the coordinates is much more accurate, and faster.

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 6. Again select the Z and X boxes on the Quick Enter bar, enter the points
(0.875, 0.35) and click Apply .
7. Move the cursor back into the drawing area and click on the point
(0.875, 0.375). Press the Escape key to end the Line operation.

Step 4.1: Save the Drawing

Now that You have your CAD drawing complete, you must save it in a for-
mat that spectraCAM Turning can use to generate toolpaths.
1. From either the File menu or the Standard toolbar, select Save.
2. The Save As dialog box appears the first time you save a file. Type a
name for your file (Sample 1 will do for this exercise), and choose a di-
rectory in which to save it. The default directory is the samples folder in
the program directory.
spectraCAM saves the file as a Session file, for use in the second part of
the CAD/CAM/CNC process.

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 Step 5: Generating Toolpath
By completing this section you will learn:
u How to choose a post processor file
u How to select all the entities on a layer
u How to select a tool using the Quick Enter bar
u How to generate a rough toolpath
The next step is to turn your drawing into toolpaths the tool will follow
when it cuts the part. Again, there are operation parameters that need to be
set before creating the toolpaths.
1. From the Setup menu select Post Processor. The Post Processor window
appears, allowing you to select from a number of post processor files.
Choose the one appropriate for the machine you will be turning on, such
as the spectraLIGHT or proLIGHT Turning center.

2. On the Dialog Bar, Layer _0 should be displayed as the current layer. If

not, click on the down arrow next to the Layers window and select
Layer_0.
3. Click on the Select button next to the Layers window. The part outline
will appear dashed indicating everything on that layer is selected.
4. In the Operations toolbar click on the Rough button. A bracket appears,
with an outline of a tool, showing the intended toolpath.

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 5. The Quick Enter Bar also changes, showing other parameters for the op-
eration. The Tools window allows you to select the tool used. Be sure
Tool 1 is selected.
6. Step Size and Finish Amount should be set to 0.015.
7. Click on the Generate Toolpaths button on the Operations toolbar. The
toolpaths appear on the screen, along with a dialog box asking if you
want to accept the toolpaths. Click on Yes.

8. If you are using the split screen, you will see the toolpath code informa-
tion in the NC Edit window, and a graphic verification will take place in
the Verify window.

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 Step 6: Save as an NC File
By reading this section, you will learn:
u How to save a Session File as an NC File.
After you have seen the verfication, save the session. Then you will generate
the NC file that will be read by the CNC Lathe when turning the part.
1. From the File menu select Save NC.
2. A dialog box appears, prompting you to name the file, and select a direc-

tory to store it. The default directory is the WCAMT folder, however
you may choose to store it in any directory.
3. When you are satisfied with the location, click on Save.
Congratulations! You have just completed the first two steps of the CAD/
CAM/CNC process!

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