For each GCD that is assigned to Features to Review or General Mill Finishing, aPriori provides diagnostic information, including information on why each other candidate operation was considered infeasible. Diagnostic information, for example, can indicate that facing was considered infeasible because no principal or user-activated setup would render the GCD accessible for facing, and contouring was considered infeasible because the surface was too large. This information can guide your modification of operation assignments, process setup options, setup axes, or part geometry. See Working with Features to Review for more information.

aPriori’s Heat Map facility provides an additional diagnostic aid. You can direct aPriori to display your part in the Viewer in the form of a heat map. Each of the part’s GCDs is filled in with a color that indicates the value range, for the GCD, of a specified metric, such as cycle time, area removal rate, or tool diameter. Warmer colors (such as red or orange) generally indicate potential problems. As with the diagnostic information for Features to Review, the heat map can lead you to modify process setup options, setup axes, or operation assignments. The heat map also has a mode in which it displays features to review, with the color indicating the feature’s importance. See Working with the Heat Map for more information.