Let’s take a look at Corner Pretreatment – a new option added to the 2D Dynamic Mill toolpath in Mastercam 2021. Corner Pretreatment is a new option that allows for the addition of depth cuts and adjusted step overs to any sharp corners on your parts. This will help in controlling tool motion to reduce the chance of tool chatter and tool overload.
Once this option is turned on, you can then setup your operation to dress the corners of the part. You can define the Cut method, decide if your path will include the corner treatment, or only cut the corners.
You can also define other cutting parameters such as a unique step over, depth cuts, and the radius you want to achieve on the sharp corner areas only.
You also have the option to adjust the feeds and speeds for this portion of the cut.
The example below has multiple step downs applied to each corner. The radius is relatively small and may not produce the most desirable tool motion.
It’s possible to adjust to a much larger radius to allow for a smoother longer transition from one cutting direction to another. Using the larger radii effectively straightens out the path, limiting aggressive transitions and keeping a more normal step over and tool engagement.
As the radius increases the corners will be cut with the same dynamic motion used in any normal Dynamic toolpath but uses the custom settings that were defined on this page.
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