2.5D strategies are used for machining of parts composed of pockets, islands, slots, vertical sides, flat faces and holes. Typically these would be electronic component housings, stamps and dies. SprutCAM creates both roughing and finishing tool paths. SprutCAM includes powerful automatic geometry recognition. All types of hole machining operations are supported.
2.5-axis machining is a set of strategies for the generation of slots, pockets, holes, horizontal areas, vertical walls and chamfers. 2.5-axis machining also comprises plotting of the path by some control closed and open curves, engraving of text and artistic elements on the flat areas.
Standard operations of this type of machining:
- Parallel toolpath
- Equidistant toolpath
- Horizontal area machining with automatic detection of horizontal faces
- Vertical wall machining (including the use of a spiral path)
- Pocket machining
- Hole machining (centering, drilling, drilling-out, hole enlarging, milling, thread cutting)
- Machining along the contour
- Engraving
Automatic detection of horizontal areas simplifies the process of surface determination, for instance, for performing the final machining after the upstream operations, surface preparation for the subsequent engraving or locating.
Pocket and separate island sampling may be performed by parallel cuts of the tool as well as by equidistant cuts. Capability of smoothing the path in the angles, radial cusp rolling and high-speed cutting-in function allow the use of the sampling operations for high-speed milling (Hi Speed Machining).
Embedded 2D geometry environment enables the technologist to form the part drawing independently, without using external CAD systems. During the drawing-forming process “smart bindings” system and a wide range of conversions will ease the technologist’s task. The same 2D geometry environment allows the tool profile generation with the with the ability to set parameters, enabling to interactively modify its configuration if used.
The system has the ability to create texts in the form of a set of curves, which further can be used, for example, for engraving on the flat areas of the part. The engraving operation itself is also used for obtaining the artistic elements and it gains widespread acceptance in woodworking and jewelry industry. 2D contouring operation offers the possibility to interactively form the approaches and the backward movements as well as the areas of correction turning off and on in the graphic window of the system without using operation parameter windows.