Both rotary axes move the head.
With head– head machine tools, typical angular limits are:
X
60
Z
360
The machine tool Z limits are equivalent to the
Azimuth angle or the angular limits in the XY plane. The Z limit of
360 translates to
Azimuth angle
limits of
0 to
360.
The machine tool X limits are equivalent to the angle above the XY plane. The machine tool measures the angular range relative to the Z axis and
FeatureCAM measures it relative to the XY plane. So, the angle required for the limit is the complementary angle to the one given for the machine tool. This is described in more detail in
Table – Table. The X limit of
60 translates to
Elevation angle
limits of
30 to
90.
The machine tool's X angle range =
60,
FeatureCAM's elevation angle range = 30 to 90.
If you select a mode of Remove toolpaths this machines:
Alternative typical Head - Head machine tool angular limits are:
- X -50 to +60
- Z
360
This translates to
Azimuth Angle
limits of
0 to
360 and to
Elevation Angle
limits of
30 to
90. In this case, although the machine tool limits appear to be different to those in the first Head - Head example, the
FeatureCAM angular limits are in fact the same. This happens because rotating the head 180 about Z then gives you the complete range.