NCG CAM Basic Training M01 - baixardoc

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Module 01

Getting started.

Introduction.

In using NCG CAM you are able to create toolpaths for the machining complex 3D forms. The toolpaths you create are also ideally suited to High Speed Machining, having smoothing arcs fitted with lead-in and lead-out radii. Additional controls allow you to make adjustments for full width cuts to help protect the cutter, the part and the machine tool. In this module you will get a feel of the layout and general function of NCG CAM.

Objectives.

Once you have completed this module you will understand:

• Locate and open NCG CAM.

• Change the tolerance of a model while opening it.

• Insert an additional model into an existing part being worked on.

• Understand what the Project settings are.

• Understand the layout of the Graphics Window.

• Cloning and copying the Graphics Window.

• Use the (three) mouse buttons.

• Use the keyboard functions for viewing.

• Use the Zoom and Pan functions.

• Use dynamic rotation.

• View normal to a surface.

• Take some basic measurements from the model – linear, radial, angular and point.

• Save the part and work you have done (dca files).

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Exercise 1

Starting NCG CAM.

Introduction.

In this exercise you will open a part, see how you can change and control the view. You will also load a part with a different tolerance, this tolerance is important on a real job as it will affect the accuracy of the part and the surface finish that is achieved. You will also insert a part into an existing database, this is something you may want to do if you machine castings, or if some other machining has been done before you start programming the toolpaths.

Objectives.

Once you have completed this module you will understand:

• Open a given model in NCG CAM.

• Change views and maximise the view.

• Select surfaces and de-select surfaces.

• Change the tolerance of the model while loading it.

• Insert an additional model into an existing database.

Task 1. Start NCG CAM and load a part.

1. Locate the NCG CAM icon on the desktop and double click on it.

Tip: Another method would be to pick: Start > All Programs > NCG CAM 9.1 > NCG CAM 9.1

2. As NCG CAM starts, expect the Tip of the Day dialogue appear, this will feed you little tips on

NCG CAM.

Tip: As you are starting to learn how to use NCG CAM these tip can be useful little reminders. Once you are happy and up to speed with NCG CAM you can disable the Tip of the Day.

3. Have a read of the Tip of the day and then Click OK

4. Pick File.

5. Pick Open.

6. In the Open dialogue, use the ‘Look in’ and browse to: C:\NCG CAM\Training\

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7. Locate the file called pump.igs and click on it. (Do not double click).

Tip: To see the file extension (.igs) the 'Hide extensions for known file type' option needs to be disabled in the Windows™ configuration. Mouse right on the Start button > Explore > Tools > Folder Options Go to the View tab and then find “Hide extensions for known file types”, this options should be un-ticked to make the file extension viable. Being able to see the file extensions is recommended. Once set, that setting will remain until it is changed again.

8. Click Open.

Note: The image above shows what you screen may look like, you may even be able to see other desktop icons around the NCG CAM window. In addition to seeing the part appear in the Graphics Window, notice the Database Window behind the Graphics Window. In the contents tree there are 3 folders, Editable boundaries, Triangulated surfaces and Triangulated curves.

The Editable boundaries folder is created automatically and is empty. Triangulated surfaces are the 3D model from the loaded part (pump.igs). Triangulated curves may have curves (profiles) from the loaded part, don’t expect all parts you load to have triangulated curves, though the folder will always be created. Notice that on the end of the Triangulated Surfaces, there are 2 numbers, 1 and [0.02]. The 1 is just a number to help identify the folder, a new set of triangulated surfaces folder would be 2 and so on. Like files in a Windows™ folder, you can not have 2 files for the same name. The second number [0.02] by default, is actually the tolerance the surfaces have been triangulated.

9. To maximise the windows to your screen, click on the maximise window button in the top right

corner of the window.

Highlighted green here.

Do this for the Graphics Window and the main NCG CAM window.

Task 2. Get a feel for some of the viewing functions from the keyboard.

Note: When you load a part, by default you are looking down the Z axis (from Z+ to Z-), you will also be looking at X0 Y0 and a viewing scale of 1:1 So in some cases the part you have loaded may not be visible on the screen or may be too small to see clearly.

1. Press M this maximise the view to fit the available graphics window for the current viewing

position.

2. Press I now you have changed the view to ISO, looking down from the front left, but some of the

part may now be outside of the graphics window.

3. Press M to maximise this view to the graphics window.

4. To look along the Z axis again (looking down on the part from Z+ to Z-);

Press Z

5. Using the menus, pick: View.

6. Pick: Isometric.

7. Pick: Back right Shift+I

Note: As you may have noticed in the menus the keyboard short cuts are also show.

Although you have just used the menus, pressing Shift + I would have given the same result.

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8. Now to look along the X axis;

Press X this is looking from X- towards X+, you should be seeing a view like this:

9. Press M if you need to maximise the view to the screen.

10. To look along the X axis again, but looking from X+ towards X-;

Press Shift+X

11. Press M again to maximise this view and you should have a view like this:

Note: That should give you an insight into some of the viewing options and keyboard short-cuts. Later in this module you will look at some other viewing options that get used frequently. After a short time changing views will become second nature because you do it so often.

Task 3. Selecting surfaces in the graphics area.

1. Click on Triangulated Surfaces in the contents tree. That will highlight that folder, making that the

selected folder.

2. Press I to view the part in an ISO view.

3. Press M to Maximise the view.

4. Click on one of the surfaces in the graphics area, it should change colour, showing it has been

selected.

5. Repeat the previous step above, but on a different surface

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Tip: In the last 2 steps you selected an individual surface one at a time, sometimes that is what you will want. (For creating a boundary, changing the surfaces colour or deleting an unwanted surface. But in most cases you will want to select a small group of surfaces.

6. Click in the background of the graphics window, this will clear anything you had selected.

7. Check you still have the Triangulated Surfaces selected in the contents tree, if need click on

Triangulated Surfaces so they are selected.

8. Click on a surface in the graphics window.

9. While pressing Ctrl, click on another surface.

10. Repeat the above step 2 or 3 times but on a different surface each time

Note: You should now have 3 or 4 surface selected.

At some point you will select a surface you did not really want, there is a simple solution to this (and it not starting again).

11. While pressing Ctrl+Shift, click on one of the surfaces you had selected in step 10. The surface

you clicked on should no longer be highlighted in the graphics window.

Tip: In this example surfaces have been selected, the same principal can be applied to selecting boundaries. You will often be selecting surfaces in this manner to create boundaries, change the colour of a surface or even delete unwanted surfaces.

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Task 4. Close the NCG CAM database.

1. Pick File.

2. Pick Exit.

3. When asked "Save changes to Casting.igs?", click No.

Tip: The changes have not been saved as this is not a real part, it is just to get a general feel for NCG CAM. On a real job you would normally be saving the part.

Task 5. Open a part and change the tolerance.

1. Start NCG CAM by clicking on the icon on the desktop.

2. Have a read of the Tip and then Click OK.

Note: Some of the Tip may not mean much to you at the moment, but the more you get into this course the more useful they will be as little reminders.

3. Pick File.

4. Pick Open.

5. In the Open dialogue, use the ‘Look in’ and browse to: C:\NCG CAM\Training\

6. Find pump.igs and click on it. (Do not double click).

Note: Because Ctrl was depress as the file was opened the control options dialogue will be displayed.

Now was the file is opened additional dialogues will be shown, one of which allows the triangulation tolerance to be changed.

7. While pressing Ctrl (keep it pressed), pick Open.

Keep Ctrl pressed until the Control Options dialogue is displayed and then release Ctrl

8. In the Control Options dialogue ensure:

Display dialogs (Control) is ticked.

Skip triangulation (Shift) is un-ticked.

9. Click OK.

10. Click OK in the Project Settings dialogue.

11. Click OK in the Top Entities dialogue.

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Note: The Triangulated Surfaces dialogue will now be displayed showing the default tolerance of 0.02

12. In the Tolerance area, change the General to 0.005

13. Click OK.

14. The Triangulated curves dialogue will then be displayed.

15. In the Tolerance area, change the General to 0.005

16. Click OK.

Note: In the contents tree you should now see 0.005 at the end of the Triangulated Surfaces and the Triangulated Curves.

You will recall it was 0.02 before, when using the defaults. A further exercise will look at the tolerance in more detail.

17. Put the part in an ISO view by pressing I and then M to maximise the view.

Task 6. Insert another model to this database.

1. Pick File.

2. Pick Insert.

3. In the Open dialogue, use the ‘Look in’ and browse to: C:\NCG CAM\Training\

if it is not already looking at that folder.

4. Find Pump_casting.igs and click on it.

5. Click Open.

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Note: In the contents tree you should see another Triangulated Surface folder and Triangulated Curves folder. The Triangulated Surfaces and Triangulated Curves have the default 0.02 tolerance..

If you were to have pressed Ctrl while clicking Open (step 5 above) you would have been presented with additional dialogues, allowing the triangulation tolerance to be changed. Expect the inserted surfaces not to be drawn by default.

6. Click in the check box beside Triangulated Surfaces 2, this should make those surfaces visible.

Tip: This is a something you may do if machining a casting, where one model represents the finished part and the other represents the casting. By using both any fresh air cutting can be avoided. Or it could be that you plan to machine 2 or more parts as an assembly, after opening the first part the other parts can be inserted, then they can be joined together.

Task 7. Close the NCG CAM database (without saving).

1. Pick File.

2. Pick Exit

3. When asked "Save changes to Casting.igs?", click No.

This completes this exercise.