Mill-Turn Features

From V6.11, GO2cam can detect features on solids for mill-turn parts.

The detection works for the production environment of:

• Horizontal Lathe

• Vertical lathe

• Swiss Machining Lathe

1. The detection works only if there is a revolution plane.

2. For pockets/islands to be recognized, they must have conical radius.

3. Complex 3D shapes will not be recognized.

4. Only shapes with constant taper angle are considered.

5. No inclined bottom face is considered.

The typology of the detected features are: pockets, open pockets and slots. The features detected for each are as below:

Pocket features:

Slots features:

Open Pocket features:

In the Recognition settings, you can choose to Favor radial features or not

Open Pocket features:

New Possibility to Close (Locally or Totally) an Open Pocket Feature

The "open area on profile" function, is now also taken into account for features.

This can help mitigate risks of tool collision.

To close an element of the feature, simply click on the corresponding face of the feature.

Similar to profiles, you can change the state of an entire area instead of clicking element by element:

• Shift + Click on two elements: Opens/closes all elements between the selected ones.

• Clicking on the bubble: Toggles the entire feature.

Note: There is a restriction compared to profiles—only elements that were initially open in the feature can be closed (and reopened if needed). If a face cannot be modified, it will appear in red when hovered over.

The process to apply the automatic feature in MillTurn is similar to that of milling:

1. Import the part

2. Choose the machine and the material.

3. Launch the automatic features recognition and choose what features to machine.

4. Validate to compute the toolpaths and machine the part.

Recognition Settings Window:

This Recognition Settings window has been added as from V6.11. It allows to set some preliminary parameter values for the recognition of Pocket features and Holes.

One more interesting aspect is that we can now define an overflow for through pockets, ensuring the pocket depth is fully machined.

For milling, a minimal length can be set onto which deburring will be applied.

All automatic programming functions have been merged into a single window.

Turning: application of an automatic turning opelist for turning operations based on recognized parameters, adapting to main or secondary spindle as per plane selection (revolution or rework/return plane).

The list of opelists/ automatic opelists accessible via folder icon are based on the correct typology defined.

Pocket Feature: application of milling cycles based on the preselected opelist (orange bubble on folder icon) or manually selected opelist (green bubble on folder icon).

Hole: possibility to choose a library of hole models (standard or user). Recognition will then assign the first compatible model found in the selected library to the recognized holes.

You can also now save the selected configuration settings and load them back for application on another part.

Contour mode for Profile Selected has been added in Slotting strategy to allow the machining of slots in a single pass at the centre with a tool diameter similar to the slot diameter.

Other enhancements have also been added from V6.11:

• Optimization in the order of machining has been improved when ‘Group Identical Features’ is activated:

  • Identical operations are merged

  • Capable tool is chosen (if opelist does not force the tool)

• Calculation of minimum distance is not limited to only distance between pocket and island, or between 2 distinct islands. Now we are also able to determine the narrowest area of a pocket.

• Millturn recognition extends to identifying features in a developed plane, based on revolution faces rather than planar faces.

  •   Developed planes are automatically created, functioning effectively on cylindrical and conical surfaces.

  • Cylindrical developed planes are measured in millimeters

The video below shows the enhancements brought to machining features in V6.11.

▶️ Watch a video below showing the prerequisites and demonstrating the various features recognition for the typologies.

▶️ Watch a video below showing an example of the automatic machining of a Millturn part.