Engraving

Icon Access:

Location: 2D/3D \ Others \ Engraving

Development:

End

Engrave text or profiles by removing all the material at the top of them until a defined depth. This depth is defined refering to the surface of the finish part where the engraving has been applied.

TopSolid'Cam recommends a number of Z passes based on the material to remove and the cutting conditions of the called tool.

Operation

The user can realize an engraving operation from several contours or/and texts.When choosing a text it exists inside TopSolid'Design, a particular font which allows us to write a text and assimilate this one to a profile.Then we just have to use the rotative selection to engrave the whole text.

TopSolid uses the selected contours as the center of the tool path.The Z level of the tool path is calculated to have the print depth of the tool corresponding to the stock to leave defined in the main tab.This value should be negative in order to mark the face on which we are making the engraving operation.This means that the collision control will indicates a collision list where we can find the engraving operation tool path.This is a normal result (as the text is not defined in the solid).

The engraving width depends on the tool geometry and the value of the stock to leave on floor.A side mill will make a width print equal to the diameter of the tool.

Operation

From the 2D/3D menu or using the mouse (selecting a face with the right mouse button), select Radius Milling.

A toolbar appears on the left of the screen, along with a label in the graphic area.

You can then modify values by

By selecting the value to modify in the label. The label is the table shown in the image in the top right corner. All label values are fields available from one of the icons in the left section. These values are placed on the label for quicker access.

By selecting the values in the graphic area or by pulling the arrows (the 2 fields have a value of 0.5 in the top image, above the hatching area). As with the values of the labels, these fields are present in one of the left section icons. These values are placed in the graphic area for quicker access.

By opening one of the left section icons.

	Select Favorite Instead of modifying n values, this option allows you to restore (or save) values that have already been entered.
	Select the tool to use By default, if the previous operation tool can be used, it is reused for this operation (the name of the tool appears in the graphic area next to ) If the previous tool is not suitable or if this is the first operation, you must select a tool to validate the operation ()
	Define Cutting Conditions for Operation Use this icon to modify the cutting conditions of the current operation.
	Define or Add Geometries to Machine Use this icon to select (or remove) machinable geometries. This geometry is automatically added, by first selecting the geometry and right-clicking "End Milling". You do not have to access the icon to do this. Define Milling Boundaries You can also apply trims (XYZ or contour) to the current operation.
	Define All Milling Settings Each milling has specific settings. Use this icon to access all settings (such as stocks to leave, altitudes, plunge modes, milling modes, etc.)
	Define ISO File Settings Use this icon to define which comment to use for the ISO code or to decide which inclined plane matrices to use.
	Define colinear axis This icon is available only if the current machine has colinear axis.With this icon it will then be possible to choose the axis drives by the operation.We also can choose the Z value of the fix axis.
	Settings for 4 Axes Use this icon to specify the 4 axes options.
	Define Operation Properties Use this icon to define whether you would like to update the stock or calculate the result later.
	Confirm To confirm the current operation, pressing this icon to right-click outside the window and use the "OK" menu
	Cancel If you wish to cancel the operation, click this icon.
	Preview Display or hide the machining area. When this is hidden, this area is not calculated, and response times improve.
	Show Label Allows you to display or hide the graphic area label.
	Editing Update Each time a setting is changed (such as the axial depth), all calculations for updating the hatching area and the trajectory are triggered. The setting change may take a few moments. In several cases, settings must be modified before updating the calculations. For this, press this icon. In the case, the hatching area and trajectory (for example) are not recalculated before pressing this icon again.

Label

Click the different areas in the image below

#1
Altitude...	100mm
Stock to leave on floor	-1
Maximum axial depth	2
Final axial depth	0mm
Tool path preview	Yes

Visibility management when editing the operation: click on the icons below

Machine visibility

WCS visibility

Tool visibility

Collision visibility

Stock and finish visibility

Tool paths visibility

In order to create an engraving text it is important to use the function "wire text" in the Design.The Design function "text" can't be use in this case as it gives use the external contour of the text (which can be only use to make a pocketing).

It's possible to make a wire text engraving . In this case it is necessary to check "Profile" option in the dialog box.