Cutter Tilt Control: Parameters

5-axis tilting is used in order to create a toolpath where the holder is collision free with the part, the stock, and the fixtures.

The current tool cannot mill certain areas.	One option is to use a longer tool.		The 5-axis option is to define a tilt angle and use the current tool.

Parameters

Additional Tilting Angle

Set an angle offset from the solution calculated by the Guide. For example, if the Additional Tilting Angle is set as 5° and the calculated solution is 15°, the actual tilt angle will be 20°.

Range = -45° to +45°
Default = 0°

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = To Guide.

Calculate Tilting

Set the tilting calculation definition from the following dropdown options:

Only Where Necessary

Implement tilting during machining, only where necessary. This is the default option.

For All Motions

Implement tilting during machining for all motions, even if tilting is not necessary at that point.
ExampleExample

When this option is selected, an additional checkbox parameter is displayed – Avoid Tilting on Horizontal Planar if not required. When this checkbox is marked , tilting on horizontal planes is avoided when not required.

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = Auto.

Create UCS

Create a UCS for an NC procedure. During the creation process, the cutter is continuously displayed in the appropriate orientation. This operation is available both within an open NC procedure and when no NC procedure is open.

This parameter is similar to the UCS creation defined in Create UCS of the Clearance & UCS parameters. However, in this case, it only sets the UCS of the New Direction and not the UCS of the procedure (as in the Clearance & UCS).

Gouge Check

When ON (selected), the system checks for and prevents any possible gouging by the cutter or holder.
Default = ON

This parameter can be switched OFF (unselected) in cases where increased performance is desired and where the Preferred Angle can be defined to prevent gouging. However, in these cases, there is no holder gouge checking by the system and you should use the Machine Simulator to confirm the results.

Preferred Angle

The tilt angle (between the Z axis and the tool axis) preferred by the user when calculating the possible inclination of the tool. If the preferred angle is not suitable, a different angle may be used. In either case, the angle used is not more than the Maximum Angle.

Range = 0° to 90°
Default = 12.5°

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = To Guide, Fixed Tilt, To Guide, Auto Tilt, or Auto.

The following relation between the angles is observed:
Minimum Angle ≤ Preferred Angle ≤ Maximum Angle.

Machine Preview

Using the Machine Preview tool, in addition to the part, cutter and holder, you can also view the entire machine and fixtures, inside the NC programming environment. You can manually move the machine axes, considering the machine kinematics and travel limits, to an optimal orientation. Once found, an appropriate UCS is defined to be used for programing the procedure(s).

This parameter is similar to the UCS creation defined in Machine Preview of the Clearance & UCS parameters. However, in this case, it only sets the UCS of the New Direction and not the UCS of the procedure (as in the Clearance & UCS).

When the Machine Preview is accessed from here, the list of machines available for selection contains only 5-axis machines.

Maximum Angle (from Z Axis)

The maximum angle (between the Z axis and the tool axis) allowed by the user when calculating the possible inclination of the tool.
ExampleExample

Range = 0° to 90°
Default = 70°

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = To Guide, To Guide, Auto Tilt, or Auto.

The following relation between the angles is observed:
Minimum Angle ≤ Preferred Angle ≤ Maximum Angle

Maximum Angle Change

The maximum allowed tilt angle change.
Default = 3.5°

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = To Guide, To Guide, Fixed Tilt, To Guide, Auto Tilt, or Auto.

Minimum Angle (from Z Axis)

The minimum angle (between the Z axis and the tool axis) allowed by the user when calculating the possible inclination of the tool.
ExampleExample

Range = 0° to 90°
Default = 0°

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = To Guide.

Generally, the following relation between the angles is observed:
Minimum Angle ≤ Preferred Angle ≤ Maximum Angle

For the Auto 5X Tilt procedure, the following relationship between angles is observed:
Minimum Angle ≤ Maximum Angle

New Direction

Enables you to select a UCS from a dropdown list. If the New Direction is identical to the procedure’s UCS, a warning message is displayed and the procedure is not executed.

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = Single Direction.

Tilting

Set the tilting preference option.

5X Tilting using a Guiding contour on a Cleanup procedure:	The 5-axis tilting operation may be Automatic or Guided: Automatic – The system will automatically calculate the 5-axis toolpath. Guided - Guiding geometries (contours and points) are used as a reference to direct the tilting method and achieve better control and faster toolpath calculation. This option is more suitable for simple parts, such as pockets and electrodes.

The following tilting preference dropdown options are available:

Single Direction	Tilts all motions to the Z direction of a specified UCS.
To Guide	The tilt angle is determined by a Guide, curve(s) or point(s), in a way that the cutter axis always crosses the guide. The rotation angle is determined by the closest distance from each toolpath point to the guide. Guide Curve ExampleGuide Curve Example The images below show two different Guide curves. The cutter axis is always on or crosses the selected curve. Guide Point ExampleGuide Point Example The cutter axis always crosses the selected point. The tilt angle is always within the range defined by the Minimum and Maximum Angle.
To Guide, Fixed Tilt	The tilt angle is determined by the Preferred Angle. The rotation angle is determined by the Guide ExampleExample The tilt angle is fixed throughout the cut, while the rotation angle is determined by the Guide curve.
To Guide, Auto Tilt	The tilt angle is calculated automatically. The guide is used to determine the rotation angle. ExampleExample The tilt angle is automatically calculated considering the geometry and holder. The rotation angle is determined by the Guide curve.
Auto	The tilt and rotation angles are calculated automatically. The cutter of the tilting procedure must have a shank, holder, or spindle. This is the default option.
For 3 axis Finish toolpath and 3 axis Corner clearing toolpath, Lead-In/Out motions are connected to the cutting contour to be processed as one block by Automatic Tilting. Each region (group of contours in a fixed orientation) of the toolpath is stored in its own pass. A new region is created for every vertical retract/approach on the input toolpath to provide a 5 axis toolpath (locally 3+2 axis, if possible) including leads and links.

Tilting Priority

Set the tilting priority definition from the following dropdown options:

Stable Tilt Angle

Cimatron selects angles that ensure the title angle is as stable as possible. These angles are used for all the motions in the next cutting segment. The selected angle will be as close as possible to the Preferred Angle. (Note: The Preferred Angle option is not available for the Auto 5X Tilt procedure.)

This is the default option.

Preferred Angle

Cimatron uses the preferred angle where possible and different angles where the preferred is not suitable.
ExampleExample

For the example below, the Preferred Angle = 5°. The example shows the tilting starts at the preferred 5° and later on changes to 11.576°.

Note: This parameter is not available for the Auto 5X Tilt procedure.

Minimize Tilting

Cimatron selects the minimum possible angle.

Note: This parameter is only available for the Auto 5X Tilt procedure.

In all cases, the used angle is not more than the Maximum Angle.

Note: For the Auto 5X Tilt procedure, the Stable Tilt Angle and Minimize Tilting options are the only available Tilting Priority options. The Preferred Angle option is not available.

Tool Axis Direction

Set the cutter axis direction from the following dropdown options:

Axis to Guide	The cutter axis is always on the Guide with the defined tilt angle setting. This is the default option. ExampleExample The images below show two different Guide curves.
Axis off Guide	The cutter axis is off the Guide with the defined tilt angle setting. ExampleExample The image below shows the cutter axis in the opposite direction from the Guide Point but with the same tilt angle. For this example, the Gouge Check was OFF.

This parameter is displayed if Tilting = To Guide, To Guide, Fixed Tilt, or To Guide, Auto Tilt.

Notes:

Cutter Tilt Control is only displayed if the toolpath is 5-axis.
To use the Cutter Tilt Control parameters, a ball cutter with a holder must be defined for the procedure.

Convert to 5X Operational NotesConvert to 5X Operational Notes

To use the Convert to 5X > 5X Tilt procedure, the following are the prerequisites and operational requirements:

Prerequisites

An input procedure must exist. It must be calculated and use a ball tool.
The input procedure must use a single cutter (not multi cutters).
The tool axis of all motions of the input procedure must be parallel to the Z direction of its UCS.
The input procedure and tilting procedure must both use a ball tool with an identical diameter.
The 5X tilting procedure must be in a 5X toolpath.

Re-calculating the input procedure

The input procedure may be recalculated.
If the input procedure is changed without changing its cutter diameter, the tilting procedure is suspended.
If the input procedure is changed and a different cutter tip is used, the tilting procedure receives a G flag. In this case, the tilting procedure cutter is not changed automatically.

Changes to the input procedure

The input procedure may change for one of the following reasons:
1. The motions of the input procedure are changed (re-calculated, deleted, etc.).
2. The input procedure is deleted, so another procedure automatically becomes the input procedure.
3. A new procedure is inserted between the input procedure and the tilting procedure, so it becomes the new input.
In all these cases, the motions of the tilting procedure are deleted and the procedure becomes suspended.
If the relation between the new input procedure and the tilting procedure does not meet the required prerequisites (see above), the tilting procedure receives a G flag.

Operations on the input procedure

The following are not performed on the input procedure:
1. Simulation.
2. Post Processing.
3. NC Report.
4. Stock updates.
You can copy, paste, cut or delete both the input and the tilting procedures.

Some functionality may be dependent on the product package. Contact your Reseller if you require a license.