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3.1 INTRODUCTION
For a general discussion of toolpath creation and management, see the SURFCAM Getting Started
Manual, Chapter 2: NC Project Basics, Section 2.3: Toolpath Creation and Management on page 54.
To access the 3 Axis menu, click NC > 3 Axis.
Figure 1: NC 3 Axis menu

Cut
This operation is used to create a toolpath on a single surface. See Section 3.2: Cut on page 220.
Project
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 4: Common NC Operations, Section 4.3: Project —
For 3, 4 and 5 Axis Machining on page 110.
Z Rough
This is a highly efficient, state-of-the-art method of removing large amounts of material from
around a part before other operations are used to do the finish cutting. See Section 3.4: Z Rough
on page 221.
Z Finish
This operation is used to cut multiple surfaces. It is the most efficient at cutting surfaces or
areas that are steeper or closer to being vertical. See Section 3.5: Z Finish on page 236.
Planar
The Planar operation is used to machine a number of surfaces at the same time. The Planar
operation is the most efficient at machining surfaces or areas that are more horizontal. See
Section 3.6: Planar on page 243.
Contour 3D
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Section 6.4: Contour 3D on page 197.
Drill
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 4: Common NC Operations, Section 4.2: Drill —
For 2, 3, 4 and 5 Axis Machining on page 99.
SURFCAM Reference Manual, Chapter 3 • 3 Axis

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
218 SURFCAM Reference Manual, Chapter 3 • 3 Axis
Pilot Hole
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Section 6.6: Pilot Hole on page 200.
Auto Rough
This operation is an alternate method of removing material. See Section 3.10: Auto Rough on
page 253.
Rest Material
This is a 3 axis rest machining operation. See Section 3.11: REST Material on page 256.
Pencil Cut
Pencil Cut is an operation used to remove the material that is left along the concave
intersection of two surfaces, after other machining operations have been performed. Pencil
Cut can also detect the uncut material along concave folds or "crease-like" regions in the
interior of a single surface. See Section 3.12: Pencil Cut on page 259.
Options
See Section 3.1.3: 3 Axis Options Tab on page 219.
For each NC 3 Axis operation there is a separate dialog box containing parameters that must be
set before the operation is performed. The dialog box is displayed after you select the geometry
on which the operation will be performed. Most of the parameters in these dialog boxes are
displayed on three tabs: Tool Information, Cut Control, and 3 Axis Options. The title of some cut
control tabs contain the name of the operation. Some operations have parameters that appear on
additional tabs.
3.1.1 Tool Information Tab

All 3 Axis operations contain the same set of parameters on the Tool Information tabs. See
the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.2: Tool
Information Tab on page 64.
3.1.2 Cut Control Tab
Many of the parameters for 3 Axis operations appear on the Cut Control tabs for 4 and 5 Axis
operations. See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section
3.3: Cut Control Tab — 3, 4 and 5 Axis on page 80.
Cut control parameters that are unique to a 3 Axis operation are described in the section
devoted to that operation.
See
Section 3.4.2: Cut Control Tab — Z Rough on page 227
Section 3.5.2: Cut Control Tab — Z Finish on page 237
Section 3.6.2: Cut Control Tab — Planar on page 247DQG
Section 3.10.2: Control Tab — Auto Rough on page 255

SURFCAM Reference Manual, Chapter 3 • 3 Axis 219
3.1.3 3 Axis Options Tab

All 3 Axis operations contain the same set of parameters on the Options tab.
Figure 2: 3 Axis Options tab on the 3 Axis Z Rough dialog box

For descriptions of the parameters not in the following list, see the online SURFCAM Reference
Manual, Chapter 4: 4 Axis and 5 Axis, Section 4.9: 4 And 5 Axis Options Tab on page 287.
Vertical Surface Check
You can accelerate the toolpath generation by excluding edge protection on vertical
surfaces. When importing designs from solids-based systems, this feature can be set
to No since all surfaces should be closed. However, if a design leaves a vertical surface
open without a “top,” it should be set to Yes. If it is questionable, then set the option to
Yes.
Save Z Slices To Layer
When this is set to Yes, SURFCAM will save the raw Z-level slices in Z Rough and Z
Finish. SURFCAM will save the slices on the first available layer starting at layer 255. If
layer 255 is not available, it will try 254, and so on, until an available layer is found. It
will name that layer Z slices. The slices will be polylines.

If there are no layers available, the slices will not be saved.

Scallop Sample Distance
The distance along the curvature of the surface which will be sampled to determine the
assignment of the increment stepover value to achieve the desired scallop height.
Constant / Cutter Radius
This controls how the value you enter in the accompanying box (on the left) will be
used.
Constant
The value you enter will be used for this parameter.
Cutter Radius
The value you enter will be multiplied by the radius of the cutter selected to
determine this parameter.
Scallop Limit Angle
The angle of the surface, from the horizontal, at which calculations for scallop height for
the selected surfaces will be limited. The default is 89 degrees.
Display Lead Move Changes
In the 2 Axis lead moves, executed in the Z Rough and Z Finish operations, if
SURFCAM detects a potential gouge, the move is either trimmed or discarded.
If you want to see a Warning dialog box displayed that indicates there have been
changes in Leadin or Leadout moves, click Yes; otherwise, click No. See the SURFCAM
Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Display Plunge Changes on page 187.
There are three categories of changes that can be made to these moves: shortened
less than 50%, shortened more than 50% and completely discarded. On the toolpath,
when Display Lead Move Changes is set to Yes, lead moves shortened by less than
50% are displayed in yellow while those shortened more than 50% are displayed in red.
3.2 CUT
The Cut operation is used to cut a single surface by

following the flow lines that define the surface.
Surfaces are defined by a grid of splines flowing in two
directions. The splines form two sets of flow lines.
The surface arrow, attached to each surface, points in the
direction of one set of flow lines. It can be changed to point
in the direction of the other set by using the Edit > Surfaces
> Direction command.
In the Cut operation the direction of the cut is always in the
direction of the surface arrow. Figure 3: A typical Cut toolpath
If needed, the Cut operation provides the capability of cutting only a small portion of the surface
with a process called Tool Containment. See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 4: Common
NC Operations, Section 4.4: Tool Containment — Cut and Swarf on page 115.

When you click Cut, SURFCAM will prompt you to “Select a surface.” Click a surface arrow or a
point on the surface.
The 3 Axis Cut dialog box will be displayed.
You will enter and/or select your machining strategy parameter values of the current 3 Axis Cut
operation on the three tabs of this dialog box.
See
1. the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.2: Tool
Information Tab on page 64,
2. the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.3: Cut Control Tab
— 3, 4 and 5 Axis on page 80, and
3. Section 3.1.3: 3 Axis Options Tab on page 219.
After you make the appropriate changes in parameter values, click OK on the 3 Axis Cut dialog
box. SURFCAM will produce the toolpath and display it on the screen. It will then display the Keep
Operation dialog box. Click Accept to keep the operation.
Note: To permanently save the toolpaths in the ICD file of your NC project, you must re-save
the DSN file using the Save command on the File menu.
3.3 PROJECT
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 4: Common NC Operations, Section 4.3: Project — For
3, 4 and 5 Axis Machining on page 110.
3.4 Z ROUGH
The Z Rough operation is used to remove large amounts of material from around a part using a 2
axis (X,Y) pocketing cycle in Z axis increments.
A preliminary step in Z-level roughing is to identify the size and shape of the material from which
the part will be rough cut. In SURFCAM there are five methods used to describe the shape and
size of this material: Extents Box, Box, Bottom Profile, Top Profile and Surfaces.
The Surfaces and Box methods require the creation of a design of the material surfaces in the
same drawing as your part design.
The Bottom Profile and Top Profile methods require only that a contour of the material be drawn
around your design, and a depth of that material be entered in the Material Information dialog box.
In the Extents Box method, no drawing of the material is required.
Z Roughing is also used to remove large amounts of material from inside a cavity with a method
called No Material. When you must create a design for material surfaces, the surface arrows must
be pointing inward toward the design. Any number of surfaces can be used to represent the
material.

Figure 4: Correct orientation of surface arrow Figure 5: Incorrect orientation of surface arrow
To access the Z Rough operation, click Z Rough on the NC 3 Axis menu. SURFCAM will display
the Select menu and prompt you to “Select surfaces to rough.”
After you select the surfaces to rough, the Material Information dialog box will be displayed.
Figure 6: Material Information dialog box

Material Type
These are the methods used to describe the material from which the part will be cut. The top
five are used when the part is a core. The No Material type is used when the part is a cavity.
Extents Box
Use Extents Box when the material will be a rectangular block. You do not need to have
a material surface design as part of your drawing.
Figure 7: Example of a part design with no accompanying material design

Click Extents Box and OK to display the Material Extents Box dialog box. There are two
ways to use this box. You can enter pre-determined coordinates of two diagonally
opposite corners of the block of material, or you can have SURFCAM calculate
coordinates of opposite corners.

Figure 8: Material Extents Box

Lower Left Corner / Upper Right Corner
These are generic names that stand for any combination of diagonally opposite
corners of the block of material.
When you enter pre-determined coordinates of opposite corners, you enter the
values in these boxes. There are four possible pairs of diagonally opposite
corners. It does not matter which pair you use, nor does it matter which corner
coordinates are entered first.
When you have SURFCAM calculate the corner coordinates by clicking the
Calculate Bounding Box button, the coordinates for the corner whose XYZ
coordinates are the smallest will be entered in the Lower Left Corner boxes. The
coordinates for the corner whose XYZ coordinates are the largest will be entered
in the Upper Right Corner boxes.
XY Offset / Z Offset
The values in these boxes are used when SURFCAM calculates the coordinates
of the opposite corners. These values represent the amount of material
surrounding the part in the X and Y directions and in the top Z direction.
Calculate Bounding Box
When you click this button, SURFCAM will calculate the coordinates of two
opposite corners of a bounding box for the surfaces that have been selected for
roughing. The X and Y coordinates will be adjusted by the XY Offset amount, and
the top Z coordinate will be adjusted by the size of the Z Offset amount. The

calculated values for the coordinates will be stored in the appropriate six Lower
Left Corner/Upper Right Corner fields, which you can then modify.
Box
Box can also be used when the material will be a rectangular block. Your part drawing
should contain a drawing of a rectangular piece of material that surrounds your part.
When you click Box and then OK, the Select Point Menu will be displayed and you will
be prompted to “Select one corner of the material box.” Use an appropriate command
from the Select Point Menu to select a corner of the material box. You will then be
prompted to “Select opposite corner of the material box.”
You can still use Box even if you have no drawing of the material box. Just use the
Keyboard command on the Select Point Menu to enter the coordinates of opposite
corners of the box.
Figure 9: A part drawing showing a rectangular block surrounding the part

Bottom Profile
To use Bottom Profile you must have a two dimensional contour drawn at the Z-level of
the bottom of the part. Material above this contour is the material that will be rough cut.
When you click Bottom Profile, the Material Height parameter will become active. The
value you enter here will be the height of the material. The top of the material will be this
distance above the bottom contour appearing in your drawing.
Figure 10: Contour drawn at the Z-level of the bottom of the part design

Figure 11: Side view of a case where the Bottom Profile method is used
When you click OK, a Select Chain menu will be displayed and you will be prompted to
“Select beginning element.” Complete the chaining process on the bottom contour.
Top Profile
To use Top Profile you must have a two dimensional contour drawn at a Z-level at or
above the top of the part. Material below this contour is the material that will be rough
cut. When you click Top Profile, the Material Height parameter will become active. The
value you enter here will be the depth of your material. The bottom of your material will
be this distance below the top contour in your drawing.
Figure 12: Contour drawn at a Z-level above the top of the part design
Figure 13: Side view of a case where the Top Profile method is used
When you click OK, a Select Chain menu will be displayed and you will be prompted to
“Select beginning element.” Complete the chaining process on the top contour.

Note: If you accidentally select Top Profile when you have a drawing containing a
bottom contour, or vice versa, a situation will occur in which the part you want
to cut will not be contained within the block of material that SURFCAM will
create. The reason for this is that SURFCAM measures downward from the
chained contour when you select Top Profile, and upward when you select
Bottom Profile.
Surfaces
The Surfaces option is used when the material exists in a shape that has non-flat
surfaces such as one cut by another NC operation or one formed by some other
manufacturing process, like casting. To use Surfaces you must have a drawing that
describes the design of the material as well as the design of the part. The part design
must be encapsulated within the material design.
When you click Surfaces and click OK, the Select menu will be displayed and you will
be prompted to “Select the material surfaces.” Select the surfaces that define the
material and click Done.
Figure 14: Example of material shape with a non-flat surface

No material
No material is used when you want to remove a large amount of material from the inside
of a cavity.
Figure 15: Example of a cavity where the No Material method is used

Material Height
This becomes active when you choose either Bottom Profile or Top Profile for Material Type.
Enter the thickness or height of the material from which the part will be cut.

After you select the Material Type and Material Height, click OK. SURFCAM will prompt you to
identify the surfaces of the material surrounding your part.
Once you have identified the surfaces, the 3 Axis Z Rough dialog box will be displayed.
3.4.1 Tool Information Tab — Z Rough

See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.2: Tool
3.4.2 Cut Control Tab — Z Rough
Figure 16: 3 Axis Z Rough Cut Control tab

Cutting Method
Climb
With standard clockwise cutting tools, Climb
causes the tool to be driven along the left side of
a contour.
The Climb method will generally give a better
finish.
Figure 17: Climb cutting
Conventional
With standard clockwise cutting tools
Conventional causes the tool to be driven along
the right side of a contour.
Figure 18: Conventional cutting

Stock To Leave
This is the amount of material left on the surface after the tool path is generated.
Rapid Plane
This is the absolute Z axis coordinate of the level to which the tool will rise when
repositioning.
Maximum Z Value
This is the Z coordinate of the part of the surface from which the first cutting increment
is taken.
Minimum Z Value
This is the Z coordinate of the bottom of the pocket.
Surface Tolerance
SURFCAM breaks surface cutting moves into linear moves along chords between two
points on the surface. When driving the tool over the surface, SURFCAM will adjust the
length of the chordal moves so that no point on the surface, beneath the chord, is a
greater distance from the chord than the value of the Surface Tolerance.
Z Step Size
This is the amount of the increase in depth for each succeeding rough cutting pass until
the Bottom Z Value is reached. If, before the last pass, the Z Step size value is greater
than the distance left to the Bottom Z value, the Z Step size value will be reduced to
match the remaining depth.
XY Step Size
This is the increment in the X or Y directions that SURFCAM will offset each successive
roughing pass at the same Z-level.

Plunge Clearance
This is the distance, in Z, the tool will rapid to before feeding to the next depth of cut.
This is not an absolute coordinate; it is relative to the next depth of cut.
Plunge Point Selection
Automatic
SURFCAM will automatically select the plunge points.
Select
You select the plunge points. After you click OK on the Z Rough Tool Information
dialog box, SURFCAM will display the Select Point Menu and prompt you to
“Select plunge points, then ‘Done’.”
Side Clearance (type)
This tells SURFCAM when to insert side clearance moves. A side clearance move is a
linear move that is perpendicular to either the beginning of the first leadin move or the
end of the last leadout move. If lead moves have not been defined (if Lead Type is
None), a side clearance move will be perpendicular to the part contour.
Side clearance moves are commonly used for applying cutter compensation or to
position the tool away from the contour to avoid leaving a dwell mark. Cutter
compensation is often applied by the machine operator to adjust for the difference
between the programmed tool diameter and the diameter of the tool that is used.
None
No side clearance moves are applied.
On All
Apply side clearance moves on all contours including islands.
With Cutter Comp (Not Available for 3 Axis Z Finish)
This will force the post processor to add diameter compensation codes to the
infeed and outfeed moves in the final NCC program—G41, G42 and G40 on most
machines.
On Islands (Not Available for 3 Axis Z Finish)
Apply side clearance moves to lead moves on islands only.
Side Clearance (amount)
This is the length of the side clearance moves. Its default value is taken from the value
of the Side Clearance parameter found on the Options tab.
When you set the Side Clearance (type) to be With Cutter Comp, the Side Clearance
(amount) must be larger than the value stored in the corresponding diameter offset
register on the machine; otherwise the machine may not be able to correctly cut the
contour.
Leadin Move, Leadout Move
Click to display the Leadin Information or Leadout Information dialog box—used to
select a leadin or leadout move and to set related parameters. The dialog boxes for
Leadin Move and Leadout Move are identical. Since Z Rough uses a 2 axis pocketing

cycle in Z increments, the Leadin/Leadout Information dialog boxes are the same as the
ones for 2 Axis machining.
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Section 6.1.2.1: Leadin/Leadout
Parameters — 2 Axis on page 177.
Plunge Type
Click Plunge Type to display the Plunge Information dialog box which is used to select
a plunge move and set related parameters.
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.3.2:
Plunge Parameters on page 90.
3.4.3 Z Rough Pocket Options Tab
Figure 19: Z Rough Pocket Options tab

Corner Angle (30º–150º)

A corner angle on a part is an angle between adjacent linear sections of a part contour
or boundary. Corner angles can be located along the outside contour or along a pocket
contour.
SURFCAM creates toolpaths by creating offsets from the contour or sides of a part. The
offsets around a corner angle will be two lines that may or may not intersect. If they
intersect, as in the case of corner angles greater than 180°, the tool path will merely
change linear direction at the intersection. Offsets of corner angles between 150° and
180° will not intersect but SURFCAM automatically extends them so they do. The
toolpath will then change direction at this intersection.
The Corner Angle parameter tells SURFCAM how to fill the offset gap when a corner
angle is less than 150°.
If a corner angle is less than 30°, SURFCAM will close the gap between the two offsets
by inserting an arc or several lines, depending on your selection in the box to the right
of the Corner Angle box.
When a corner angle is in the range of 30° to 150° and is less than the value you enter
for Corner Angle, SURFCAM will close the offset gap with an arc or several lines,
depending on your selection in the box to the right of the Corner Angle box.
Figure 20: For an interior angle < 30, Figure 21: For an interior angle > 150,
an arc or line move the consecutive line moves
will be inserted automatically will automatically be intersectional

Figure 22: Example of two line moves that are intersectional

Arc
An arc move will be inserted between line
moves when the directional change is less
than the Corner Angle value. The Corner
Clearance value determines the location
of the arc.
Figure 23: Arc move

inserted between line moves
Line
A line move will be inserted between line
moves when the directional change is less
than the Corner Angle value. The Corner
Clearance value determines the line
location.
Figure 24: Line move

inserted between line moves

Corner Clearance
When the Corner Angle cut is in effect, this value determines the tool clearance from
the direction change intersection. When this value is zero, the tool remains in contact
with the part walls during the directional change.
used.
Constant
Cutter Radius
Side Roughing Step Size
Set the default distance between roughing passes. This is the distance for the side of
the tool to cut into the work on each rough pass. The default overlap is 80% of the tool
radius. See Constant / Cutter Radius on page 233.
Depth Roughing Step Size
This is the default vertical Z distance between each roughing level. See Constant / Cutter
Radius on page 233.
Cutter Comp At Top
Supports CNC controllers that require all cutter compensation moves to be made above
the part surface or at the rapid plane. The default for this option is No. This does not
require the tool to be at the rapid plane to activate or de-activate cutter compensation.
Feed Between Rate
When SURFCAM generates toolpaths, it is often a number of offset profiles. A pocket
cycle is a good representation of this. As the system offsets each pass, it also moves
“between” each as it continues. There are three options to control the rate at which it
moves between each pass: Plunge, Feed, and Rapid.
Depth First
This option affects the sorting order when there are multiple pockets.
Yes
SURFCAM will generate tool motion to complete each separate pocket to depth
before repositioning for the next pocket.
No
SURFCAM will cut all pockets at each depth before going to the next depth.
Material Cut Mode
This parameter indicates the type of roughing motion used to remove the material
between material boundary and the part.

Spiral
Material Cut Spiral cutting consists of inwardly offset tool moves, parallel to the
material boundary until the tool nears the part. Then the moves become parallel to
the part profile.
Zig Zag
Material Cut Zig Zag cutting consists of offset parallel linear moves from the
material boundary to the part profile, in the direction of a vector you will define.
These moves are followed by a single contour move parallel to, and along the part
profile.
Contour Cut
Contour Cut moves are parallel to the part profile and inwardly offset from the
material boundary to the part.
Pocket Cut Mode
This parameter indicates the type of roughing motion used to remove material from
within pockets in the part.
Spiral
Pocket Cut Spiral cutting consists of outwardly offset tool moves, parallel to the
material boundary, from the "center" of the pocket out to the part. When the tool
nears the part, the moves become parallel to the part profile.
Zig Zag
Pocket Cut Zig Zag cutting consists of offset parallel linear moves in the interior of
the pocket up to the part profile, in the direction of a vector you will define. These
moves are followed by a single contour move parallel to, and along the pocket
profile.
Show Plunge Changes
If you want to see the display that indicates there have been changes in plunge, click
Yes; otherwise, click No.
Side Clearance (Options tab)
This parameter controls the default value for the Side Clearance amount on the Cut
Control tab.
1. Set the Side Clearance amount and type on the Options tab.
2. Choose a new Tool.
Then you will see the Side Clearance amount change on the Cut Control tab.
Constant
If you choose Constant, Side Clearance default = Side Clearance.
Cutter Radius
If you choose Cutter Radius, Side Clearance default = Side Clearance * Cutter
Radius.
Note that the factory-release default for Side Clearance on the Options tab is 0.1

The factory-release default for type is Cutter Radius.

Straight Plunge On Islands
To perform finish passes on islands when cutting a pocket, SURFCAM retracts after
completing the rough passes and ordinarily moves to a SURFCAM selected plunge
point near each island. If Straight Plunge on Islands is set to Yes, SURFCAM will retract
and move to the user-selected plunge point nearest each island. You select these
plunge points using the Plunge command on the Pocket chaining menu that is displayed
immediately after you click Pocket on the NC 2 Axis menu. See the SURFCAM Getting
Started Manual, Chapter 1: System Basics, Section 1.7.2: Select Chain Menu on page 39.
Lead Angle Tolerance
This is used when Gouge Check Lead Move is set to Yes.
Both line and arc lead moves are defined by angles. Line moves are defined by the
angle at which the move approaches a contour. Arc moves are defined by the size of
the central angle of the arc.
If a gouge is detected on a lead move, adjustments will be made in these lead move
angles—in 1° increments—in an attempt to avoid the gouge. These adjustments will be
made up to the number of degrees you specify for Lead Angle Tolerance. For example,
if the lead move angle is 60° and you specify 5° as the Lead Angle Tolerance,
adjustments will be made up to 65°. If the gouge cannot be avoided within this degree
range, the move will be deleted from the toolpath.
Gouge Check Lead Move
If set to No, SURFCAM will not gouge check Leadin and Leadout moves.
Align to Deepest Plunge
Choose Yes to align all the positions of all plunges between Z
levels to the position of the lowest plunge. This guarantees that
pilot holes generated from these operations will not overlap.
3.4.4 3 Axis Options Tab — Z Rough

After you make the appropriate changes in parameter
values, click OK on the 3 Axis Z Rough dialog box.
SURFCAM will produce the toolpath and display it on
the screen. It will then display the Keep Operation
dialog box. Click Accept to keep the operation.
Note: To permanently save the toolpaths in the
ICD file of your NC project, you must re-save
the DSN file using the Save command on the
File menu. Figure 25: Typical Z Roughing Cycle

3.5 Z FINISH
The Z Finish operation cuts a part by using a 2 axis (X,Y) contour

cycle in Z axis increments.
Z-level finishing supports nested boundary curves. These work
like pockets with islands in 2 axis machining. SURFCAM will
always cut inside the outermost boundaries and avoid any
“islands” inside these boundaries. This provides the ability to Z
finish the outside of a part only. If you want to cut on the outside
of a part only, use two boundary curves—one large curve
enclosing everything and a curve inside of that which the toolpath
avoids. Figure 26: Typical Model
To access Z-level finishing, click Z Finish on the NC 3 Axis menu. SURFCAM will prompt you to
“Select surfaces to finish.” From the Select menu choose a command to select the surfaces.
Once you have identified the surfaces, the 3 Axis Z Finish dialog box will be displayed.
You will enter and/or select your machining strategy parameter values of the current Z Finish
operation on the four tabs in this dialog box.
3.5.1 Tool Information Tab — Z Finish


3.5.2 Cut Control Tab — Z Finish
Figure 27: Z Finish Cut Control tab

For a description of the parameters not in the following list, see Section 3.4.2: Cut Control Tab —
Z Rough on page 227.
Steep Cutting
Z Finish cutting is more efficient than Planar cutting on surfaces with steep slopes.
Cutting steep slopes is called Steep Cutting.
No
The Z Finish cutting will be performed on the entire surface you select.
Yes
The Z Finish cutting will be performed only on the steep portions of your selected
surface. The portions cut will be those that fall within the angular range of
steepness identified by the Min Angle and Max Angle parameters.

Steep Cutting Options

Min Angle
The steepness of a surface, at a specific point, is measured by the angle between
the tangent to the surface at that point and the horizontal. Min Angle is the smallest
angle, defining steepness, at which you want the Z Finish cutting to begin. It will
normally be set to a range of 30º to 60º.
Max Angle
Max Angle is the largest angle, defining steepness, at which you want the Z Finish
cutting to stop. The Z Finish cutting will take place at areas on the surface whose
steepness lies between the Min Angle and Max Angle.
The Max Angle will normally be set to 90º.
Grid Tolerance
To locate the boundary of areas having the steepness defined by the Min and Max
Angles, a grid is created (but not displayed) and projected onto the surface.
Measurements are taken along the strands of this grid to identify steepness
boundaries. Grid Tolerance is the distance between the strands in this grid. The
smaller this number, the more accurately the steepness boundaries will be
located.
Overlap
This is the distance you want the tool beyond the steepness boundaries to insure
complete cutting in the desired region.
Save Curves
When SURFCAM performs Steep Cutting, the surfaces are analyzed to determine
those surface areas whose slope falls within the angle range indicated by the Min
Angle and Max Angle parameters. Temporary surface splines are then drawn
along the boundaries of those areas. These splines are then projected onto the Z0
plane where they are used to create the tool paths. You can elect to have these
projected splines saved.
Bounding Curves
See Bounding Curves on page 249.
Open Contours
This option becomes active when either the Steep Cutting option or the Bounding
Curves option is set to Yes. If the area of the surface to be finished is restricted by a
bounding curve, the contours to be cut will end at the bounding curve, and thus be open
contours. Contours that begin and end at the same point are said to be closed contours.
Zig Zag
The tool will move back and forth in opposite directions as it moves from one
contour depth to the next.
Zig
The tool will lift up at the end of every contour cut, so the cuts at each level are
always in the same direction. This is the default.

Contour Order
Contour Order is used to control the order in which Z Finish cuts are made on parts that
have multiple features that protrude above flatter base features.
Negative Z
SURFCAM will cut each protruding feature, individually, starting at its highest Z-
level and cutting to its lowest Z-level before moving to the next protruding feature.
Z Level Negative
SURFCAM will start cutting the protruding feature with the highest Z-level cut that
can be made. Any other features that can be cut at that level will also be cut.
SURFCAM then returns to the first feature and cuts it at the next lower Z-level
before going to the other features that can also be cut at that level. This routine
continues until the Z Finish cut is completed.
Figure 28: Contour Order Figure 29: Contour Order

= Negative Z = Z Level Negative
Positive Z
SURFCAM will cut each protruding feature, individually, starting at its lowest Z-
level and cutting to its highest Z-level before moving to the next protruding feature.
Z Level Positive
SURFCAM will start cutting the protruding feature with the lowest Z-level cut that
can be made. Any other features that can be cut at that level will also be cut.
SURFCAM then returns to the first feature and cuts it at the next higher Z-level
before going to the other features that can also be cut at that level. This routine
continues until the Z Finish cut is completed.

Figure 30: Contour Order Figure 31: Contour Order

= Positive Z = Z Level Positive
Finish Inside Only
This parameter is used when you are finishing a surface that has a cavity.
Yes
Select when you want to finish the cavity only.
No
Select when you want to finish the entire surface.
Side Clearance
Refer to Side Clearance (type) on page 229 and to Side Clearance (amount) on page 229.
Leadin Move, Leadout Move
See information for 2 Axis in the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Section
6.1.2.1: Leadin/Leadout Parameters — 2 Axis on page 177.
Plunge Type
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.3.2:
Plunge Parameters on page 90.

3.5.3 Z Finish Options Tab

.
Figure 32: Z Finish Options tab

Depth Finishing Step Size
This is the default vertical Z distance between each finishing level.
used.
Constant
Cutter Radius
Side Clearance (Options tab)
Refer to Side Clearance (Options tab) on page 234.

Lead Angle Tolerance

This is used when Gouge Check Lead Move is set to Yes.
Both line and arc lead moves are defined by angles. Line moves are defined by the
angle at which the move approaches a contour. Arc moves are defined by the size of
the central angle of the arc.
If a gouge is detected on a lead move, adjustments will be made in these lead move
angles—in 1° increments—in an attempt to avoid the gouge. These adjustments will be
made up to the number of degrees you specify for Lead Angle Tolerance. For example,
if the lead move angle is 60° and you specify 5° as the Lead Angle Tolerance,
adjustments will be made up to 65°. If the gouge cannot be avoided within this degree
range, the move will be deleted from the toolpath.
Gouge Check Lead Move
If set to No, SURFCAM will not gouge check Leadin and Leadout moves.
Plunge Point Selection
Automatic
SURFCAM will automatically select the plunge points.
Select
You select the plunge points. After you click OK, SURFCAM will display the Select
Point Menu and prompt you to “Select plunge points, then ‘Done’.”
Show Plunge Changes
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Display Plunge Changes on page
187.
3.5.4 3 Axis Options Tab — Z Finish

After you click OK on the 3 Axis Z Finish dialog box, SURFCAM will produce the toolpath and
display it on the screen. It will then display the Keep Operation dialog box. Click Accept to
keep the operation.
Note: To permanently save the toolpaths in the ICD file of your NC project, you must re-
save the DSN file using the Save command on the File menu.

3.6 PLANAR
Planar operations are used to create toolpaths over
multiple surfaces. There are two distinct types of
Planar operation: Planar and Flow Surface. You select
the type of Planar operation you are going to use with
the Cutting Direction parameter on the 3 Axis Planar
Cut Control tab.
In a Planar type Planar operation, the toolpath can be
viewed as following a path created by the intersection
of the surfaces to be machined and a group of planes
perpendicular to the XY plane; hence the name planar.
The distinguishing feature of Planar tool moves, when
observed in top view, is that they are linear and
Figure 33: Planar toolpath
parallel. In a side view you can see that these moves
follow the curve of the surfaces being cut.
Figure 34: Planar cut in top view Figure 35: Planar cut in front view
showing tool moves as both linear and parallel showing tool moves following the surface
The parallel tool moves direction is determined when you select a beginning point and a point in
the direction of the cut. The parallel tool moves direction will be parallel to the line determined by
these two points. This line also controls which part of the surfaces will be cut. The Planar cutting
occurs on the side of the line you select. If the line passes through the middle of the design, then
only the area of the surfaces on that side of the line will be cut.

Figure 36: Planar tool moves in the direction Figure 37: The line between the begin point and the
indicated by a line whose end points are the point in the direction of the cut passes through
begin point and a point in the direction of the cut the part so only the selected side gets cut.
In a Flow Surface type Planar operation, the direction of the individual tool moves is controlled by
the flow lines on a specially created surface called a flow surface. The flow surface is positioned
over the area of the surfaces you want to cut so that its flow lines can be projected onto that area.
The tool moves will follow these projected flow lines.
Like all surfaces, a flow surface has two sets of opposing flow lines with a surface arrow pointing
in the direction of one set. The flow lines running in the direction of the surface arrow are the ones
that will be projected.
In addition to the direction of the tool motion, the size and shape of the flow surface determines
which area of the surfaces will be cut. Only the area within the projected boundaries of the flow
surface will be cut.

Figure 38: Flow surface Figure 39: Tool moves follow

positioned over the part direction of surface arrow
One use of the Flow Surface operation is in
cutting steep inclines or nearly vertical surfaces
that follow along a complex curve.
In Flow Surface cutting, you can make each cut
approximately perpendicular to its respective
portion of the inclined surface along the entire
extent of the inclined surface feature, as shown in
Figure 40: Flow surface cut of continually changing
inclined surface feature.
To use Flow Surface cutting for this purpose, you
must design a flow surface whose flow lines
follow the changing angle of attack toward the
inclined surface.
Figure 40: Flow surface cut

of continually changing inclined surface feature
As described previously, both the Planar and Flow Surface Planar operations have tool
containment features by which you can control the area of the surfaces to be cut. Both operations
have three additional tool containment capabilities called Check Surface, Bounding Curve, and
Shallow Cutting.
A Check Surface is a surface on the part that intersects another surface that you want to cut. The
intersection of the two surfaces forms a boundary beyond which SURFCAM will not cut. Turn on
the Check Surface feature by setting the Check Surfaces parameter to Yes on the Cut Control tab.

Figure 41: Flow surface cut Figure 42: Top view of Flow Figure 43: Top view showing cut
with no Check surface surface cut with no Check surface contained by a Check surface
A Bounding Curve is a single closed entity that can be made up of connecting lines, arcs, and
splines. SURFCAM will cut only the area within this boundary. Turn on the bounding curve feature
on the Cut Control tab by setting the Bounding Curve parameter to Yes. You must chain the
bounding curve by selecting a beginning and ending element.
Shallow Cutting contains the cutting within surface areas whose "steepness" falls within an
angular range that you specify.
When you click Planar on the NC 3 Axis menu, SURFCAM will display the Select menu and
prompt you to “Select surfaces to cut across.”
Once you select surfaces, the 3 Axis Planar dialog box will be displayed.
.
3.6.1 Tool Information Tab — Planar


3.6.2 Cut Control Tab — Planar
Figure 44: Planar Cut Control tab

For parameters that are not in the following list, see the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual,
Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.3: Cut Control Tab — 3, 4 and 5 Axis on page 80.
Step Type
Choose Scallop to have SURFCAM calculate the number of passes according to the
scallop size (height) specified. Choose Increment to enter the distance between cuts
measured along the surface.
Step Size
If Scallop is chosen for Step Type, this value specifies the maximum scallop height. If
Increment is chosen for Step Type, this value specifies the distance between cutting
passes (as measured along the surface).
Scallop Minimum Step
If Scallop is chosen for Step Type, this value is the minimum scallop step over size or
distance that is to be allowed.

Check Surfaces
With this parameter set to Yes, you will have the opportunity later to identify a surface
as a “Check surface.” By doing so, you direct SURFCAM to:
1. Cut a clearance distance above that surface, or
2. Not cut above the surface at all, if it is the outermost surface as viewed from Top
View.
This is useful when tool deflection is in question, and provides added flexibility when
using the Planar command. Selecting Yes activates the Check Clearance parameter.
Before creating the toolpath, SURFCAM will prompt you to “Select surface to avoid.”
Toolpath avoids
Surfaces to
“Check” Surface
Check machine
Surface
Figure 45: Resulting toolpath when Check Surfaces parameter is set to Yes
Clearance
This defines the amount of stock to leave on the surfaces chosen to avoid.
Check clearance
of 0.125
Figure 46: Check Surfaces = Yes; Clearance = 0.125

Shallow Cutting
Planar cutting is most efficient on surfaces with gentle or smaller slopes. Cutting smaller
slopes is called Shallow Cutting.
No
The Planar cutting will be performed on the entire surface you select.

Yes
The Planar cutting will be performed only on the shallow portions of your selected
surface. The portions cut will be those that fall within in the angular range of steepness
identified by the Min Angle and Max Angle parameters.
Shallow Cutting Options
Min Angle
The steepness of a surface, at a specific point, is measured by the angle between the
tangent to the surface at that point and the horizontal. Min Angle is the smallest angle,
defining steepness, at which you want the planar cutting to begin. It will normally be set
to zero.
Max Angle
Max Angle is the largest angle, defining steepness, at which you want the planar cutting
to stop. The planar cutting will take place at areas on the surface whose steepness lies
between the Min Angle and Max Angle.
The most efficient planar cutting will occur from zero degrees to around 30º of
steepness.
Grid Tolerance
To locate the boundary of areas having the steepness defined by the Min and Max
Angles, a grid is created (but not displayed) and projected onto the surface.
Measurements are taken along the strands of this grid to identify steepness
boundaries. Grid Tolerance is the distance between the strands in this grid. The smaller
this number, the more accurately the steepness boundaries will be located.
Overlap
This is the distance you want the tool beyond the steepness boundaries to insure
complete cutting in the desired region.
Save Curves
When SURFCAM performs Shallow Cutting, the surfaces are analyzed to determine
those surface areas whose slope falls within the angle range indicated by the Min Angle
and Max Angle parameters. Temporary surface splines are then drawn along the
boundaries of those areas. These splines are then projected onto the Z0 plane where
they are used to create the tool paths. You can elect to have these projected splines
saved.
Bounding Curves
If set to Yes, cutting will be contained within a number of regions defined by closed boundary
curves (combinations of lines, arcs, circles or splines). If the curves don’t lie on the surface,
their construction view projection is the boundary. When cutting such a region the center of
the tool will not pass beyond the boundary curve.
After you have indicated the direction of cutting with the Select Point menu, the Select Chain
menu will be displayed and you will be prompted to "Select beginning element." Chain all the
boundary curves and click Done to begin cutting.
Note: Best performance occurs when Maximum Feed Between (on 3 Axis Options
tab) is smaller than the shortest distance between two separate boundaries,
but larger than Step Size on the Cut Control tab. If a flow surface is used and

it is already a trimmed surface, you must select bounding curves to trim the
entire surface.
Cutting Direction
Planar
This option generates tool moves that are linear and parallel, viewed from top
view. Two positions must be provided to define the direction of cut. This could be
any two locations. The Select Point menu will be displayed to define the
coordinates just before the tool motion is generated.
Cutting
parallel lines
End points of line

define direction
Figure 47: 3 Axis Planar with Cutting Direction set to Planar

Flow Surface
The flow surface option uses an existing surface to define the direction. When this
option is used, SURFCAM will prompt you to “Select cut flow surface.” This surface
will not be machined. The arrow on the flow surface defines which direction to
use—either the major or minor. To switch the direction, use the Edit > Surfaces >
Direction command.
Flow surface
Figure 48: 3 Axis Planar with Cutting Direction set to Flow Surface

Retrace
Retrace specifies the way the tool will move between successive cutting passes. In
Planar cutting there are three Retrace types: Top Plane, Bidirectional and Feed
Between. See the Retrace Type (3 Axis and 5 Axis) descriptions in the SURFCAM Getting
Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Retrace Type (3 Axis and 5 Axis) on page 81.
Optimized Feed Between
Choose Yes to have SURFCAM analyze the toolpath in order to minimize the number
of rapid moves.
Optimized Stepover
When this parameter is set to Yes, SURFCAM removes the small
distance step away moves that can otherwise occur just before and
just after a feed between move performed at the edge of a nearly
vertical surface.
Cut Waterfall Ends
When a multi-surface toolpath is generated, there is compensation available for the
edges of a surface as well as the surface itself. This is commonly referred to as corner-
rounding or waterfalling. The Cut Waterfall Ends parameter provides four options to
control the tool motion in relation to edge protection.
No
This is the default. It cuts nothing other than the available surface area. There is
no cutting beyond the edges into the edge protection regions. There will be no
waterfalling of the tool paths at the surface edges.
Yes
Click Yes to cut the surfaces and to extend the cut along or through the edge
protection. This results in what is often called the waterfall effect or waterfalling as
the tool path cascades over the surface edge.
Figure 49: Cut Waterfall Ends = No Figure 50: Cut Waterfall Ends = Yes

Cutter Diameter
This is similar to the Yes option but SURFCAM will cut all the edge protection
region except a distance equal to the cutter diameter.
Cutter Radius
This is similar to the Cutter Diameter option but SURFCAM will cut all the edge
protection region except a distance equal to the cutter radius. In many applications
the tip of the cutter will cut to the top of the edge instead of rolling completely over
the edge.
Figure 51: Cut Waterfall Ends: Figure 52: Cut Waterfall Ends:
Cutter Diameter Cutter Radius
Limit Angle At Ends
The common application for this is to limit the tool from machining vertical walls.
This parameter controls the cutting at the start and end of each planar cut. The parts of
a planar cut between the two ends are always cut.
No
Click No to cut the entire planar cut, regardless of the angle at the ends.
Figure 53: Limit Angle At Ends = No shows that the tool will be forced to machine
vertical walls.
Yes
Click Yes if you do not want to cut areas steeper than the Max Cut Angle in the
direction of the cut at the start and end of each planar cut.
Example: Limit to 89º.
This will limit the tool motion to cut until an angle of 89° is reached. Since vertical
walls exist at 90°, this tool does not machine the walls.

Figure 53: Limit Angle At Ends = No Figure 54: Limit Angle At Ends = Yes
Maximum
Enter the maximum angle from the horizontal at which end cuts are to be made.
3.6.3 3 Axis Options Tab — Planar

After you click OK on the 3 Axis Z Finish dialog box, SURFCAM will produce the toolpath and
keep the operation.
save the DSN file using the Save command on the Files menu.
3.7 CONTOUR 3D
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Section 6.4: Contour 3D on page 197.
3.8 DRILL
See the SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 4: Common NC Operations, Section 4.2: Drill — For 2,
3, 4 and 5 Axis Machining on page 99.
3.9 PILOT HOLE
The Pilot Hole operation is available on both the NC 2 Axis and NC 3 Axis menus. See the
SURFCAM Getting Started Manual, Chapter 6: 2 Axis, Section 6.6: Pilot Hole on page 200.
3.10 AUTO ROUGH
The Auto Rough operation removes large amounts of material from around a part by using a 2 axis
(XY plane) cutting cycle at incremental Z-level depths. Auto Rough is designed to work ONLY in
Top CView.

The 2 axis cutting cycle is guided by a toolpath that is created by performing the Planar operation
on the part that you want to rough cut. Theoretically, you could use toolpaths from a Cut operation
or a Z Finish operation. But, because the tool moves from a Planar operation are linear and
parallel, as viewed from Top View, they provide the most efficient guides for Auto Rough cutting.
In preparation for performing the Auto Rough operation, you must perform a Planar operation on
your part. When performing this Planar operation, you must set some of the parameters on the
Tool Information, and Cut Control tabs so that they meet the needs of the Auto Rough operation.
On the Tool Information tab you must use the same tool that you intend to use when performing
Auto Rough. On the Cut Control tab you must use the same value for Stock To Leave and you
must select Increment for Step Type.
Once the guiding Planar operation toolpath has been created, you are ready to perform the Auto
Rough operation. When you click Auto Rough, the Select NC Operation dialog box will be
displayed.
Figure 55: Select NC Operation dialog box

Select the Planar operation that will be used to guide the Auto Rough toolpath by double-clicking
its icon.
The toolpath from that Planar operation will then be drawn on the part and the 3 Axis Auto Rough
dialog box will be displayed.
3.10.1 Tool Information Tab — Auto Rough


3.10.2 Control Tab — Auto Rough
Figure 56: Auto Rough Control tab

For information on parameters that are not in the following list, see the SURFCAM Getting
Started Manual, Chapter 3: Common NC Parameters, Section 3.3: Cut Control Tab — 3, 4 and 5 Axis on
page 80.
Depth Step Size
This is the increase in Z-level depth for each roughing pass.
Shelf Plane
No cutting will take place below this Z-level outside the edges of the surface. This value
must be set since the edges of most surfaces are not rectangular, and in many cases
the tool motion may eventually extend past one or more edges of the surface being cut.
When this occurs, this Z axis level is used.
Maximum Z
Specify the Z-level depth for the final pass of the tool.
Minimum Z
Specify the Z-level depth for the first pass of the tool.

3.10.3 3 Axis Options Tab — Auto Rough

After you click OK on the 3 Axis Auto Rough dialog box, SURFCAM will produce the toolpath
and display it on the screen. It will then display the Keep Operation dialog box. Click Accept
to keep the operation.
Figure 57: A toolpath appropriate Figure 58: Example of an

for Auto Rough Auto Rough toolpath
3.11 REST MATERIAL

The Rest Material operation is a 3 axis rest machining operation. When any 3 axis operation is
performed, there will usually be material that is not removed because it was located in areas that
were too small to be accessible by the tool being used. Rest machining is machining that
calculates the location of, and removes the “rest of the material.”
There are two types of Rest Material operations: Z Finish and Planar. The Z Finish Rest Material
operation has tool moves that mimic the regular 3 axis Z Finish operation in that they are a series
of 2 axis (X,Y) moves that occur in Z axis increments. The Planar Rest Material operation has tool
moves that mimic the regular 3 axis Planar operation in that they are a series of parallel moves
that follow the curve of the surfaces being cut.
The Rest Material operation is designed to remove the material remaining after all the operations
in a single Setup Section have been performed. All the Setup Section operations, as well as the
Rest Material operation itself, must be performed in Top CView. If there is only one Setup Section
in your project, SURFCAM will perform the Rest Material operation on the material left over from
all the operations in that section. If there is more than one Setup Section, SURFCAM will prompt
you to select the section on which to operate.
To perform a 3 axis rest operation, click Rest Material on the NC 3 Axis menu. The Rest Material
menu will be displayed and you will be prompted to “Select Operation for Rest Machining.”

Figure 59: NC 3 Axis menu

If you select Z Finish, the Select menu will be displayed and you will be prompted to “Select
surfaces to finish.” When you do, the 3 Axis Z Finish dialog box will be displayed. It will contain all
the tabs of the regular 3 Axis Z Finish dialog box. See Section 3.5: Z Finish on page 236.
Figure 60: Rest Material menu

If you select Planar, the Select menu will be displayed and you will be prompted to “Select surfaces
to cut across.” When you do, the 3 Axis Planar dialog box will be displayed. It will contain all the
tabs of the regular 3 Axis Planar dialog box. See Section 3.6: Planar on page 243.
In both cases, the dialog box will also contain the 3 Axis Rest Options tab which is used to control
3 axis rest machining.
Figure 61: 3 Axis Rest Options

Stock
Use Bounding Box with Offset (Based on Toolpath) of
Select this option to automatically create stock that encloses the part in a box whose
dimensions are equal to the extreme outside measurements of the part, plus an offset
on all sides equal to the value you enter in the data entry box.
Create Stock by Displaying a Separate Stock Selection dialog box
Select this option to display the standard stock selection Add Model dialog box. The Add
Model dialog box gives you the maximum control over the dimensions of the stock.
Compare Along
In Rest Material machining, the part as designed is compared to a model of the part
containing the material remaining (rest material) after all the operations in the selected Setup
Section have been performed. The comparison detects the distances between points on the
surface of the rest material and corresponding points on the surface of the part. There are
two ways comparisons can be made—that is, two ways the corresponding points are
matched up.
Surface Normal
The comparison is made along normals to the surface of the part, as designed. This will
be the most frequently used method.
Machine Axis
The comparison is made along the axis of the tool.
Tolerances
Comparison
If the distances measured in the comparison of the part and the rest material are less
than this number, SURFCAM will not treat the material in that area as rest material and
will not remove it. The smaller this number, the more rest material that will be removed.
Model
To determine the location of rest material on the surface of the part, a temporary mesh
(not displayed) is created to cover the surface. Model Tolerance sets the size of the
cells in the mesh. The smaller the cells, the more of the rest material that will be
identified.
Choose one of these options to control the size of the mesh cell: Low, Medium, High
and Custom (where you set your own value for the size of the mesh).
Important:The Model Tolerance is expressed in neither inch nor metric units. It should
always remain within, or close to, the range of 0.001 to 0.005 (Low, Medium,
High).
Curve Smoothness
Choose one of these options (None, Average or Very Smooth) to control the
smoothness of the rest material boundary curve and its corresponding offset curve.

Overlap
This is the distance you want the tool to move beyond the edge of the rest material to
insure complete removal.
Save Curves
Original Undercut Boundaries
SURFCAM will determine the edges of the material (the rest material) that was not
removed by the previous operations in the selected Setup Section and create boundary
curves along these edges. Select this option to display the Undercut Boundaries curves
along with the toolpath and save them on the currently active layer. It is best to save it
on a layer other than the one containing your drawing.
Intermediate Offset Curves
SURFCAM will determine boundary curves that are offset from the Original Undercut
Boundaries. Select this option to display the Intermediate Offset Curves and save them
on the currently active layer.
Normals Used For Tool Offset
SURFCAM will display and save normals used to determine the tool offset.
Final Offset Curves
SURFCAM will project the Intermediate Offset Curves onto the 0 Z-level plane. The
Final Offset Curves are used to guide the creation of the rest machining toolpath. Select
this option to display the final offset curves and save them on the currently active layer.
3.12 PENCIL CUT
Pencil Cut is an operation used to remove the material that is left along the concave intersection
of two surfaces, after other machining operations have been performed. Pencil Cut can also detect
the uncut material along concave folds or "crease-like" regions in the interior of a single surface.
To perform a Pencil Cut, SURFCAM calculates "pencil curves" along the intersections of surfaces
and along the "crease-like" folds that may occur on single surfaces. Pencil curves are similar to
the cutter intersect splines created with the Create > Spline menu. See Chapter 1: Menus and Dialog
Boxes, Cutter Intersect on page 71.
To calculate a pencil curve between two surfaces, an offset from each surface is first calculated.
The curve representing the intersection of these offset surfaces becomes the pencil curve. These
offset surfaces are determined by the Tool Diameter and Tip Radius of the tool you elect to use to
perform the cut.
When the tool is a ballnose, the offset surfaces are those that would be traversed by the center of
the ballnose. The resulting pencil curve would be the curve traversed by the center of a ball as it
rolls along the intersection of the two surfaces. (In the interior of a single surface, pencil curves
are created in those regions that are so concave that the ball can contact the surface in two
locations at once.) In similar but more complex ways, offset surfaces are created for bullnose and
end mill tools.

The Pencil Cut toolpath consists of a single traverse of the tool along a path guided by each of
these pencil curves.
Figure 62: 3 Axis Pencil Cut Toolpath

Normally, in order for the Pencil Cut operation to remove material, a tool must be selected that has
a diameter less than the one used in the previously performed operation.
To access the Pencil Cut operation click Pencil Cut on the NC > 3 Axis menu. SURFCAM will
display the NC > 3 Axis > Pencil Cut > Select menu on the Secondary menu bar and prompt you
to "Select surfaces to cut across."
Select the surfaces. SURFCAM will display the Pencil Cut dialog box.
3.12.1 Tool Information Tab — Pencil Cut

3.12.2 Cut Control Tab — Pencil Cut
Figure 63: Pencil Cut Control tab

For descriptions of the parameters not in the following list, see Section 3.4.2: Cut Control Tab —
Z Rough on page 227.
Curve Tolerance
SURFCAM will break all contour moves along a spline into linear moves along chords
connecting two points on the spline. When driving the tool along a spline curve,
SURFCAM will adjust the length of the chordal moves to make sure that no point on the
spline, beneath the chord, is a greater distance from the chord than the value of the
Curve Tolerance.
Threshold Angle
In any multi-surface cutting operation, the size of the angle at which two surfaces
intersect determines the amount of material left uncut. The larger the angle is, the more
material that will be removed by a previous cut and the less material that will need to be
removed by the Pencil Cut. Also, the size of the intersect angle can vary along the
intersection of the two surfaces. When performing the Pencil Cut, it is most efficient to

have SURFCAM generate pencil curves only in those regions with small intersect
angles. The value for Threshold Angle determines in which regions pencil curves will be
generated.
SURFCAM will generate pencil curves in those regions along the intersection of two
surfaces where the supplement of the intersect angle is larger than the value for
Threshold Angle. A pencil curve will not be generated in those regions where the
intersect angle supplement is less than Threshold Angle. But, if any resulting breaks in
the pencil curve are smaller than a set value, SURFCAM will connect the separate
pieces of the pencil curve so that a smooth and continuous toolpath will be maintained
along the intersection.
Save Curves
You can elect to save the pencil curves, as well as the toolpath, by setting the Save
Curves parameter to Yes.
3.12.3 3 Axis Options Tab — Pencil Cut

After you click OK on the Pencil Cut dialog box, SURFCAM will produce the toolpath and
keep the operation.
3.13 OPTIONS
The Options command displays the NC Option dialog box which contains all the NC mode Options
tabs. It provides a convenient way to view and/or edit the 3 Axis Options tab and the tabs of the
other NC modes at the same time.

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Figure 1: NC 3 Axis menu

SURFCAM Reference Manual, Chapter 3 • 3 Axis

3.1.1 Tool Information Tab

3.1.2 Cut Control Tab

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3.1.3 3 Axis Options Tab

Figure 2: 3 Axis Options tab on the 3 Axis Z Rough dialog box

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

If there are no layers available, the slices will not be saved.

The Cut operation is used to cut a single surface by

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Figure 6: Material Information dialog box

Figure 7: Example of a part design with no accompanying material design

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Figure 8: Material Extents Box

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Figure 9: A part drawing showing a rectangular block surrounding the part

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2000 by Surfware, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Figure 14: Example of material shape with a non-flat surface

Figure 15: Example of a cavity where the No Material method is used

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3.4.1 Tool Information Tab — Z Rough

3.4.2 Cut Control Tab — Z Rough

Figure 16: 3 Axis Z Rough Cut Control tab

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Figure 18: Conventional cutting

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3.4.3 Z Rough Pocket Options Tab

Figure 19: Z Rough Pocket Options tab

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Corner Angle (30º–150º)

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Figure 22: Example of two line moves that are intersectional

Figure 23: Arc move

Figure 24: Line move

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The factory-release default for type is Cutter Radius.

3.4.4 3 Axis Options Tab — Z Rough

See Section 3.1.3: 3 Axis Options Tab on page 219.

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The Z Finish operation cuts a part by using a 2 axis (X,Y) contour

3.5.1 Tool Information Tab — Z Finish

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3.5.2 Cut Control Tab — Z Finish

Figure 27: Z Finish Cut Control tab

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Steep Cutting Options

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Figure 28: Contour Order Figure 29: Contour Order

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Figure 30: Contour Order Figure 31: Contour Order

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3.5.3 Z Finish Options Tab

Figure 32: Z Finish Options tab

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Lead Angle Tolerance

3.5.4 3 Axis Options Tab — Z Finish