Hints and Tips: Zcut Procedures

Zcut - Parallel, Radial

Zcut procedures are useful for removing volume from soft materials, where plunging is not a factor. Calculation of cutter motions is typically faster than for waterline cutting volume removal procedures.

The cutter begins rough milling on the highest cutting plane defined, and moves parallel to the XY plane. The cutter mills one layer at a time, parallel to the XY plane, except where surfaces are encountered. The cutter continues milling within the contour until the lowest cutting plane is reached or there are no more points which can be milled without gouging islands and/or surfaces.

• Check surfaces may be specified to define regions to avoid.

• The part surfaces do not have to be trimmed to a common edge.

• Contours must be defined.

• Full gouge checking is available for all surfaces. Gouging is prevented between surfaces and also within a surface with a curvature smaller than the cutter radius.

• Offsets may be defined for all surfaces and contours.

• The available machining techniques are parallel cutting and radial cutting.