Process Routing and Feasibility for Machining
The automatically evaluated process routings for a fully-machined part include the following types of routings:
• 3-Axis Lathe routings
• 2-Axis Lathe and 3-Axis Mill routings
• 3-Axis Mill routings
• 5-Axis Mill routings
Below are possible routings that you must select manually:
• Mill Turn routings
• 2-Axis Lathe and 4-Axis Mill routings
• 2-Axis Lathe and 5-Axis Mill routings
• 3-Axis Mill + 5-Axis Mill routings
• 4-Axis Mill routings
• 2-Axis Bar Feed Lathe and 3-Axis Mill routings (stock machining only)
• 3-Axis Bar Feed Lathe routings (stock machining only)
• Drill Press routings (not available for stock machining)
• Jig Boring and optional Jig Grinding routing (included only if the user manually assigns a GCD to the Jig Boring operation sequence--see Jig Boring and Jig Grinding.)
In each routing the main process is preceded by optional processes such as sawing, perimeter cutting, deep bore, and stock prep processes. In addition, the main process is followed by optional machining processes including Gun Drill, various Grinding processes, Automated and Manual Deburr, and Inspection processes.
Gun Drill and Grinding processes are included automatically if aPriori determines they are applicable and required to manufacture GCDs on the component (for example, if a hole is deep enough relative to its diameter to require Gun Drilling, or if surface finish requirements necessitate Grinding). Rotor Grinding also is available if helical geometry is present on the part.
For certain process groups, turning routings can include Broaching (for internal gear or keyway broaching), as well as other gear-making processes (such as Hob Machine, Shaver, and Shaper).
3-Axis Mill + 5-Axis Mill routings machine all features accessible to a 3-Axis Mill from the primary setups only, and then mill remaining unassigned features on downstream multi-axis machines. In this case, 3-Axis Mill operations include rapid rough milling of stock trim, bulk milling, perimeter milling, holemaking, facing, and easy side milling (see Easy Side Milling Length to Diameter Ratio in Machining Node Process Setup Options).
All routings have a Drill Press process which supports holemaking operations. These operations are not automatically assigned to holes; users can edit the operation for any hole and apply a Drill Press drilling operation.
Users also can manually include optional processes if desired, including Wire EDM and Inspection. For example, a user may wish to include optional Inspection processes to account for the time and cost of inspecting a part.
Deburring can be included, but must be manually selected. See Routing for Deburr Processes.
When machining is performed following another, primary process group, a modified subset of the machining routings is available. The specific routing alternatives and processes available for secondary machining depend on the primary process group. For example, Sheet Metal routings generally include only 3-Axis Mill routings as turning routings and multi-axis routings generally don’t apply to sheet metal parts. Cast parts and Forged parts include almost all categories of machining routings.
Secondary Chemical Milling can be included manually for CTL/Shear/Chemical Milling Sheet Metal routings—see Chemical Milling in the soft-tooled sheet metal chapter of this Guide.
These types of routings are subject to the following feasibility constraints:
• 3-Axis Lathe routings: both the following must hold:
o Part has a turning axis and requires significant turning operations.
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is round.
• 2-Axis Lathe and 3-Axis Mill routings: all the following must hold:
o Part has a turning axis and requires significant turning operations.
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is round.
o No more than 4 part setup orientations are required, in starting point cost models. You can configure the maximum number of setups with the cost model variable perpendicularCountFor3AM. You can disable this requirement by setting the cost model variable ruleBasedRoutingSelectionFor3AM to false.
• 3-Axis Mill routings: all the following must hold:
o Part has no AxiGroove GCD (see Working with Gears, Splines, Sprockets, and Flutes).
o Part has no Pocket GCD that has an inward slanting wall.
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is not round.
o No more than 4 part reorientations are required, in starting point cost models. You can configure the maximum number of reorientations with the cost model variable perpendicularCountFor3AM. You can disable this requirement by setting the cost model variable ruleBasedRoutingSelectionFor3AM to false.
• 5-Axis Mill routings: both the following must hold:
o Part has no AxiGroove GCD (see Working with Gears, Splines, Sprockets, and Flutes).
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is not round.
• Mill Turn routings: both the following must hold:
o Part has a turning axis and requires significant turning operations.
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is round.
• 2-Axis Lathe and 4-Axis Mill routings: all the following must hold:
o Part has a turning axis and requires significant turning operations.
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is round.
o If the cost model variable ruleBasedRoutingSelectionForOtherRoutings is true (it is false in starting point VPEs), the number of required part setup orientations is not excessive, The cost model variable maxOblique4AMSetups (0 in starting point VPEs) defines what counts as an excessive number of setups; it specifies the maximum permissible number of setups over and above the two rotational setups (see Rotational Setup Axes).
• 2-Axis Lathe and 5-Axis Mill routings: both the following must hold:
o Part has a turning axis and requires significant turning operations.
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is round.
• 4-Axis Mill routings: all the following must hold:
o Part has no AxiGroove GCD (see Working with Gears, Splines, Sprockets, and Flutes).
o Part has no Pocket GCD that has an inward slanting wall.
o If the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock is not round.
o If the cost model variable ruleBasedRoutingSelectionForOtherRoutings is true (it is false in starting point VPEs), the number of required part setup orientations is not excessive. The cost model variable maxOblique4AMSetups (0 in starting point VPEs) defines what counts as an excessive number of setups; it specifies the maximum permissible number of setups over and above the two rotational setups (see Rotational Setup Axes).
• 2-Axis Bar Feed Lathe and 3-Axis Mill routings: if the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock must be round.
• 3-Axis Bar Feed Lathe routings: if the primary process group is Stock Machining, the stock must be round.
• Jig Boring routings: the part must have drillable GCDs. Jig Boring and Jig Grinding processes are included only if the user manually assigns a GCD to the Jig Boring operation sequence--see Jig Boring and Jig Grinding.
See Operation Routing and Feasibility for information on operation feasibility.
Routing for Deburr Processes
Note: The process Debur is deprecated, and no longer appears in routings for starting point VPEs. Debur is replaced by the processes Automated Deburr and Manual Deburr. The old process, Debur, is retained for compatibility only; VPEs that use the Debur process will continue to function properly.
To apply Deburring to all (feasible) part edges, include either Manual Deburring or Automated Deburring in your routing (Deburring Operation Feasibility describes what counts as feasible). To include it, you can use a dialog accessed from either the Cost Guide or the Manufacturing Process pane.
To include deburring from the Cost Guide:
1 In the Production Scenario tab of the Cost Guide, click … next to optional process overrides. The Include or Exclude Secondary Treatments dialog appears.
2 Select the Manual Deburring or Automated Deburring component-level operation.
3 Click Include.
4 Click OK.
To include deburring from Manufacturing Process pane:
1 In the Manufacturing Process pane, right click a node and select Routing Selection…. The Routing Selection dialog appears.
2 Navigate to the Manual Deburr or Automated Deburr process (located under Other Machining Processes).
3 Right click one of those processes, and select Include from the popup menu.
4 Click OK.
If you include deburring in this way, the GCD-level operation Automated Edge Deburring or Manual Edge Deburring is assigned to each feasible edge.
To also apply Deburring to all machined part surfaces as well as all feasible edges, use the process setup option Include Automated Surface Deburr or Include Manual Surface Deburr. If you select it, Automated Surface Deburring or Manual Surface Deburring is assigned to each machined surface.
To apply Deburring to only selected individual part edges or machined surfaces, do not include deburring explicitly in the process-level routing. Instead, select the Edge GCD or Surface GCD of interest, right click and select Edit Operation. When the Operation Sequence Selection dialog appears, expand the Machining/Edge Treatments nodes and select the deburring operation of interest.
To apply deburring to a specified number of edges, without specifying particular edge GCDs, add to your routing the Component-level operation Virtual Automated Edge Deburring Op or Virtual Manual Edge Deburring Op, and set the Setup Option Number of Operations to a value greater than 0.
See also Deburring Operation Feasibility, Tool Type Selection for Deburring Operations, and Deburring Options.