Creating a Profile Contouring: Between Two Curves

You can create a Profile Contouring operation in Between Two Curves mode and also machine a discontinuous guiding curve.

Related Topics
Profile Contouring
Selecting Guiding and Relimiting Elements
Defining a Virtual Bottom Plane

  1. Activate the Manufacturing Program and click Profile Contouring in the Prismatic Machining Operations toolbar.

    A Profile Contouring entity is added to the Manufacturing Program. The Profile Contouring dialog box opens directly at the Geometry tab . This tab includes a sensitive icon to help you specify the geometry. Areas of the icon are colored red indicating that this geometry is required.

    Note: A Collision Checking capability is available in the Geometry tab, which allows collision checking between the tool and guide elements during macro motions.

  2. Still in the Geometry tab.

    See Selecting Geometry

    1. Set the Contouring mode to Between Two Curves.
    2. Click the red guiding curve in the icon. In the authoring window, select the three continuous edges on the top of the part as shown (Guide 1 in figure below) and select the three continuous edges of the downward slope on the other side of the part as shown (Guide 2 in figure below).

      During the selection, answer No to the question about inserting a line.

      Note: The top guiding curve in the icon is colored red indicating that this geometry is required for defining the operation. All other geometry is optional.

    3. Click the auxiliary guiding curve in the icon. In the authoring window, select the three continuous edges of the downward slope the part as shown (Auxiliary Guide in figure below) and select the three continuous bottom edges on the other side of the part as shown.

      During the selection, answer No to the question about inserting a line.

    4. If needed, set offsets on the geometric elements.
    5. Click blue colored icon to calculate side to machine control in the 3D view.

    The guide and limit elements of the icon are now colored green indicating that this geometry is now defined. These are also indicated on the part.

  3. Select the Strategy tab .

    1. Choose the desired Tool path style.
    2. Set the machining criteria.



  4. Go to the Tool tab to select a tool.

    See Specifying a Tool Element in a Machining Operation

  5. Select the Feeds and Speeds tab to specify the feedrates and spindle speed parameters for the operation.

  6. Select the Macro tab to add approach and retract motions to the operation.

    See Defining Macros on Milling Operations

  7. Click Tool Path Replay to check the validity of the operation.

    See Replaying the Tool Path


    • The tool path is computed.
    • A progress indicator is displayed.
    • You can cancel the tool path computation at any moment before 100% completion.


    Note: The tool tip is shifted below the guiding curves by a distance equal to the tool corner radius. If you want the tool tip to exactly follow the guiding curves, enter an appropriate Offset on Contour value.

  8. Click OK to create the operation.