Working with clamps in a setup

Create and import clamps, associate them with a setup, assign a single clearance for all clamps in the setup, and toggle the display of clamps in the graphics window.

To create a clamp

Click Model tab > Levels, Sets and Clamps panel > Create Clamp to create an empty clamp entity. Use the options in the Levels, Sets and Clamps panel to add model surfaces to the clamp.

Tip: You can convert existing levels with surfaces into clamps. Right click a level entity in the Explorer, and choose Convert Level to Clamp.

To associate clamps with a setup

Associate clamps with a setup to let toolpaths in a setup automatically avoid or ignore the clamp surfaces.

1. Click Setup tab > Edit panel > Settings.
2. On the Setup dialog, select Clamps from the list view to display the Clamps page.
3. Use the table to choose the clamps you want to associate with the setup.
4. Click Close.

To specify the clearance of clamps in a setup

The specified clearance is associated with all the clamps in a setup. The clamp clearance is appended to the model thickness when toolpaths in the setup are calculated.

1. Click Setup tab > Edit panel > Settings.
2. On the Setup dialog, select Clamps from the list view to display the Clamps page.
3. Enter the Clearance.
4. Click Close.

The specified clearance is represented in the Component Thickness dialog by the Thickness of Set 16

To import model-surfaces as a clamp

1. Click Setup tab > Edit panel > Settings.
2. On the Setup dialog, select Clamps from the list view to display the Clamps page.
3. Click to display the Import Clamp Model dialog.
4. Locate and select the model, then click Open.
5. Click Close.

To show or hide clamps

When a setup is activated, the associated clamps are displayed in the graphics window. Clamps that are not associated with the active setup are automatically hidden.

Click Setup tab > Draw panel > Clamps and choose:

• Draw clamps to display the clamps associated with the active setup.
• Undraw clamps to hide the clamps associated with the active setup.