Program a toolpath

Command

The Program toolpath command primarily is executed to generate new toolpaths, built upon process geometry. The type of process geometry that can be selected depends on the applied technology.

With the command, a Programming settings panel appears with settings and options.

The following programming settings are available:


	Program connected (contour) operations on subareas
	Autonomous programming

When the panel does not appear, open the pie menu in the 3D space and press the Settings command button.

Programming workflow

The workflow how to program a toolpath is globally common for all types of process geometry. The process geometry is being selected first. The result is then displayed as so called manufacturing geometry, i.e. the operation.

This manufacturing geometry enables to organize and manipulate what part(s) and how the toolpath is going to be computed along the process geometry or geometries without effecting the original process geometry itself. Finally the programming command has to be executed from the pie menu on the manufacturing geometry.

Based upon the default values of all different (technology specific) programming attributes from standard Edition 2 and / or customized plug-ins, the toolpath is being computed and displayed in the 3D view.

In the Active program dashboard a flow chart of the programmed toolpath is displayed and in the Toolpath monitor all individual toolpath positions are listed in a table. Newly computed toolpaths are added to the active program. In case such active program does not exist, the system will create a new program automatically. Any further toolpath that is being computed will be added as a new operation either to an existing operation group or as a new group operation group.



Active program dashboard		Toolpath monitor

Edit and update

At this level, the toolpath can be modified by picking the manufacturing geometry of it. The boundary conditions of the toolpath, such as the start position or the approach direction then can be changed after which the toolpath has to be recomputed. Other modifications or enhancements can be done with the Events & teach command, in the Active program dashboard, in the Toolpath monitor and in the Teach panel.

The recomputation of the toolpath, i.e. program, can be set to be executed automatically. In this case the program will be recomputed after each modification. To collect changes and then execute the update, the manual recomputation can be set in the Settings. In that case a recomputation command button appears in the top left corner of the 3D space to indicate if a recomputation is required or not.



No recomputation required		Recomputation required

Customization script

In general all modifications of the toolpath, the operations (group) or the entire program are done manually. The system does however support the possibility to (partially) automate these modifications.

After the last step in the programming computation a user defined python script can be included to run. With this script not only the last computed toolpath can be modified, but the entire program to which this toolpath belongs. It enables for example to re-organize the different operations, or to include an other naming convention for the operations and toolpath positions.

This dedicated script is named (mandatory) PostProgramProcessGeometries.py and is located in the plugin folder <plugin>\Technologies<technology name>\AuxiliaryCommands\AutoExecute. This can be the default installation plugin or any other configured plugin folder.

The script will only be executed on newly programmed process geometry. Thus, any other change that calls a re-computation of the toolpath or program does not execute the script.