For features with multiple curves, such as the die below, the default behavior is to cut all the passes for one curve before moving on to the next curve.
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curve1
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curve2
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curve3
If you want to cut the first pass on each curve first, select the Cut the first pass on each curve first option:
This option is for 2-axis only and is available for the following operations:
- Cutoff
- Stop
- Contour only (not, for example, a Stop plus Contour combination)
For the example above with Retract and Cutoff operations, the default behavior is to cut the three Retract passes on curve1, then the three Retract passes on curve2, then the three Retract passes on curve3. It then cuts all three Cutoff passes on curve1, then all three Cutoff passes on curve2, then all three Cutoff passes on curve3.
With Cut the first pass on each curve first selected for the same example, FeatureCAM cuts the Retract operation as before. It then cuts the first Cutoff pass on curve1, then the first Cutoff pass on curve2, then the first Cutoff pass on curve3.
It then cuts the remaining two Cutoff passes on each curve.
Because the first Cutoff pass of each curve needs the attention of the machinist to remove the core, the advantage of using Cut the first pass on each curve first is that the machinist can remove the cores of all the curves together, and the machine can finish cutting the part without intervention.