Creating a Manufacturing Program and Machining Activities

1. Open the product containing the part to machine.

   1. Select Start > Machining > Machine Programming.

      A PPR context with an empty Machining Cell is created. An empty Activities Process Tree opens automatically.

   2. Create a generic machine or assign a machine from the database.

      As soon as a machine is assigned to the Machining Cell, a Part Operation and a Manufacturing Program are created in the Activities Process Tree.

   3. Alternatively, open an existing Machining Process or PPR context .

      By default, the Activities Process Tree opens automatically.

   
   
   

2. Click Tool Builder toolbar and create a End Mill tool.

   See Creating or Editing a Probing, a Milling, or a Drilling Tool and Creating or Editing a Lathe Tool.

   A T0EndMill D10_xxx tool is added in the PPR Context.
   
   

3. Create three Machining Operations with the same tool.

   1. Select the Manufacturing Program, then click a Machining Operation icon.
   2. Go to the Geometry tab and define the part for the Machining Operation.

      Go to the Tool tab and select a tool, in our example T0 End Mill D 10. See Specifying a Tool Element in a Machining Operation.

   3. Click OK to validate and exit the dialog box.

      A Tool Change and the Machining Operation are created under the Manufacturing Program.

   4. Keep the Machining Operation you have just created active and repeat the steps above for each following Machining Operations.

      The Tool tab of the following Machining Operation is populated with the tool of the previous one, as long as the tool is compatible.

   The three Machining Operations (in our example Roughing.1, Sweeping.2, and ZLevel.1) are created under the same Tool Change: The three Machining Operations are assigned the same tool.
   
   

4. Double-click the second Machining Operation and change its tool.

   Each Machining Operation now has an associated Tool Change.
   
   

5. Select the last Machining Operation, cut it and past it under the first Machining Operation (which has the same tool).

   The Manufacturing Program is updated according to the tool changes:
   
   

   Note: Cut/Copy/Paste of a Tool Change does not copy associated Machining Operations.

6. Right-click the empty Tool Change and delete it.

You can edit a Manufacturing Program, i.e. change its name, add a comment, and create/re-order Machining Operations and tool changes under it.

Below is a quick example of how you can edit a Manufacturing Program. See also the contextual menus On the Manufacturing Program.

1. Double-click the Manufacturing Program in the Activities Process Tree.

   
   
   

   
   

   • The Manufacturing Program dialog box appears.

   • By default, its title is the name of the Manufacturing Program: Manufacturing Program.1.

2. Optional: Rename the Manufacturing Program and add a comment as shown below then click OK to validate and exit the dialog box.

   
   
   

   Note: When using a Multi-slide Lathe machines, this dialog box changes to let you assign turrets. See Creating a Manufacturing Program and Machining Activities.

You can create additional Manufacturing Programs.

You can define a turret to use in the Manufacturing Program when a Multi-slide Lathe machine is assigned to the Part Operation.

See Creating a Part Operation.

By default, turrets are assigned as follows:

• When unused turrets exist, the first unused turret is assigned to the Manufacturing Program.
• When no unused turret exists, the first used turret of the machine is assigned to the Manufacturing Program.
• The first created Manufacturing Program uses the first turret, subsequent Manufacturing Programs receive unused turrets, if any, otherwise the first turret.
• A turret can be assigned to several Manufacturing Programs.
• For FBDI, the option None is replaced with the first unused turret, if any, otherwise with the first used turret.

Note: This rule applies to Manufacturing Programs existing at, or created after the time of the machine assignment or FBDI.

1. Double-click the Manufacturing Program.

   The Manufacturing Program dialog box contains an additional option to specify the turret.
   
   

2. Select the turret to be used in the Manufacturing Program from the Turret Name list.

   
   
   

   Starting with R2011, the Turret Station Editor is removed and now Machine Configuration View is used to assign tool assemblies to the turrets.

3. Select Machine Configuration View in the top left toolbar.

   The Machine Configuration View is displayed.
   
   

4. Right-click a tool mount point and select Assign to assign tool assemblies.