The power needed to perform a cut is based on the rate the material is being removed and a power constant that is dependent on the material. This constant is known as the Unit Horsepower or Specific Cutting Force. In FeatureCAM, this number is used to generate horsepower estimates for operations. These estimates are displayed in the Op Details report. If you enter an inaccurate value for the Unit Horsepower, no error is generated. The only consequence is that incorrect horsepower estimates are displayed.
For materials that are pre-defined in FeatureCAM, an approximate value is supplied that is independent of a material's hardness. For many materials, the Unit Horsepower is dependent on the hardness of the material, so you may have to adjust this constant to get more accurate horsepower estimates. A list of specific Unit Horsepower values can be found in a machinist's handbook. For defining new material tables, the Unit Horsepower constant must be supplied by the user.