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What’s New
 PowerMILL 2015 R2

What's New

Issue 1
PowerMILL
Copyright 1996 - 2015 Delcam Ltd. All rights reserved.
Delcam Ltd has no control over the use made of the software
described in this manual and cannot accept responsibility for any
loss or damage howsoever caused as a result of using the software.
Users are advised that all the results from the software should be
checked by a competent person, in accordance with good quality
control procedures.
The functionality and user interface in this manual is subject to
change without notice in future revisions of the software.
The software described in this manual is furnished under licence
agreement and may be used or copied solely in accordance with the
terms of such licence.
Delcam Ltd grants permission for licensed users to print copies of
this manual or portions of this manual for personal use only.
Schools, colleges and universities that are licensed to use the
software may make copies of this manual or portions of this manual
for students currently registered for classes where the software is
used.

Acknowledgements
This documentation references a number of registered trademarks
and these are the property of their respective owners. For example,
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States.
Patents
The Raceline smoothing functionality is subject to patent
applications.
Patent granted: GB 2374562 Improvements Relating to Machine
Tools
Patent granted: US 6,832,876 Machine Tools
Some of the functionality of the ViewMill and Simulation modules of
PowerMILL is subject to patent applications.
Patent granted: GB 2 423 592 Surface Finish Prediction
The Vortex machining functionality is subject to patent applications.
Patent application: 1121277.6 Adaptive Clearance
The MachineDNA functionality is subject to patent applications.
Patent application: 1204908.6 Machine Testing
Licenses
Intelligent cursor licensed under U.S. patent numbers 5,123,087
and 5,371,845 (Ashlar Inc.)

PowerMILL 2015 R2. Published on 28 November 2014

Contents
Summary of new features 1
Preparing toolpaths 4
Tool database improvements.............................................................................. 4
Database Manager dialog .......................................................................... 5
Edit Database Tools dialog....................................................................... 10

Generating toolpaths 12
Ribs................................................................................................................... 13
Rib Machining Overview ........................................................................... 14
Improved collision avoidance ............................................................................ 29
Drilling enhancements ...................................................................................... 30
Drilling from the stock ............................................................................... 30
Automatic verification enhancements ....................................................... 31
Drilling non-planar surfaces ...................................................................... 34
Enhancements to area clearance and Vortex drilling ............................... 34
Editing orientation vectors................................................................................. 36
Specify Changes tab ................................................................................ 36
Machine axis control tab ........................................................................... 37
Curve fitting toolbar ........................................................................................... 38
Machine Tool Simulation Issues ....................................................................... 41
Maintaining tool speed after ramping ................................................................ 42
Aligning the tool with the toolpath ..................................................................... 43
Limit toolpath enhancements ............................................................................ 44

Verifying toolpaths 45
Simulating tool changes .................................................................................... 46

Outputting toolpaths 47
Verifying NC programs...................................................................................... 47
NC program verification dialog ................................................................. 48
NC program errors in the Explorer ........................................................... 51
Creating a new tool after toolpath verification ................................................... 52

User interface 53
Customise Keyboard Shortcuts dialog .............................................................. 53
Adding expressions to custom toolbars ............................................................ 56

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Contents • i

 Select Concave Radii dialog ............................................................................. 58
Editing the width of toolpath lines ..................................................................... 60

Automating PowerMILL 61
Macro enhancements ....................................................................................... 61
Macro Debugger enhancements....................................................................... 62

Index 63

ii • Contents PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

Summary of new features

PowerMILL is the leading NC CAM software specialising in the

manufacture of complex shapes typically found in the toolmaking,
automotive, and aerospace industries. PowerMILL 2015 R2 offers all
of the original features of PowerMILL 2015, but with numerous
improvements. This document describes the most significant
improvements.
PowerMILL 2015 R2 contains the following new features and
enhancements:

Preparing toolpaths
 Tool database improvements (see page 4):
 Database Manager dialog (see page 5) — Create tool tags and
connection types to make searching for tools easier.
 Edit Database Tools dialog (see page 10) — Assign connection-
types and tags to selected tools.

Generating toolpaths
 Rib machining(see page 13):
 Rib Pattern mode-toolbar (see page 22) — Sketch the
centreline of ribs/channels in a mold.
 Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar (see page 24) — Automatically
select the walls and base surfaces of the channels associated
with the sketched centreline of the ribs/channels.
 Improved collision avoidance (see page 29) — Check for
collisions against the stock.
 Drilling enhancements (see page 30):
 Drilling from the stock (see page 30) — Create drilling
toolpaths that start at the top of the stock model.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Summary of new features • 1

  Automatic verification enhancements (see page 31) —
Collision check against the stock model. You can specify the
type of toolpath generated after detecting a collision.
 Drilling non-planar surfaces (see page 34) — Calculate a
drilling toolpath where the top of the drill move is defined by a
block surface.
 Enhancements to area clearance and Vortex drilling (see page
34) — Specify the diameter of pre-drilled holes before
machining area clearance toolpaths
 Editing orientation vectors (see page 36):
 Specify Changes tab (see page 36) — Edit orientation vectors
in a restricted toolpath region, without modifying the tool
axis.
 Machine axis control tab (see page 37) — Fine-tune orientation
vectors using Cartesian coordinates.
 Curve fitting toolbar (see page 38) — Convert selected curve
segments to a spline. You can also choose to keep curves
embedded.
 Machine Tool Simulation Issues dialog (see page 41) — Display a
list of issues and warnings, with options for collision checking
and clearance values.
 Maintaining tool speed after ramping (see page 42) into the
stock.
 Aligning the tool with the toolpath (see page 43) — Align the tool
axis direction with the toolpath.
 Undo toolpath limit (see page 44) — Undo the last point added to
a limiting polygon.

Verifying toolpaths
 Simulating tool changes (see page 46) — Simulate the tool
change cycle of a machine tool.

Outputting toolpaths
 Verifying NC programs (see page 47):
 NC program verification dialog (see page 48) — Verify all of
your NC programs at the same time and display issues and
warnings in a new dialog.
 NC program errors in the Explorer (see page 51) — Display
any issues and warnings associated with NC programs in the
Explorer.
 Creating a new tool after toolpath verification (see page 52) —
Always create a non-colliding tool after a collision.

2 • Summary of new features PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 User interface
 Customise Keyboard Shortcuts dialog (see page 53) — Create
keyboard shortcuts to perform PowerMILL commands without the
use of a mouse.
 Adding expressions to custom toolbars (see page 56).
 Select Concave Radii dialog (see page 58) — Select concave or
convex areas of the model.
 Editing the width of the toolpath (see page 60) — Edit the display
width of the toolpath in pixels.

Automating PowerMILL
 Macro enhancements (see page 61) — Display entities and hide
GUI items when you use mode toolbars.
 Macro Debugger enhancements (see page 62) — Edit variable
assignments in the Macro Debugger dialog.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Summary of new features • 3

Preparing toolpaths

PowerMILL 2015 R2 contains the following changes and

improvements to the preparation of toolpaths:
 Tool database improvements (see page 4):
 Database Manager dialog (see page 5) — Create tool tags and
connection types to make searching for tools easier.
 Edit Database Tools dialog (see page 10) — Assign connection-
types and tags to selected tools.

Tool database improvements

To make it easier to search the Tool and Holder databases, you can
create and assign tool tags and connection-types to tools and
holders. You can then search for tools based on their tags and
connections.
 Use the new Database Manager dialog to create a tool tag or
connection (see page 5).
 Use the new Edit Database Tools dialog to assign the tool tag or
connection (see page 10).
The tool Database Manager dialog controls all database settings. This
includes the General and Database settings that were previously
displayed on the Tools > Database page of the Options dialog.

4 • Preparing toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Database Manager dialog
Use the tool Database Manager dialog to control all database
settings. To display the Database Manager click on the Tool
toolbar.

There are several pages associated with the Database Manager

dialog:
 General — Settings to determine how the tool database loads and
creates tools. Previously these options were available on the
Tools > Database page of the Options dialog.
 Database Settings — Settings to determine the location of the tool
database. Previously these options were available on the Tools >
Database page of the Options dialog.
 Tags (see page 5) — Settings to create and edit a tool tag which
enables you to group tools into categories according to a
common feature.
 Connections (see page 9) — Settings to create and edit a tool
holder connection-type which enables you to group tool holders
by the shape or material of the join between the machine tool
and tool holder.

Database Manager > Tags

Use the Tags page to list the existing tool tags and to create, edit,
and delete tags. Tool tags group tools according to a common
feature, for example, strategy type. This enables you to search the
tool database more easily. First add a tag to the tool database and
then assign it to a tool.

To add a tool tag to the tool database:

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Preparing toolpaths • 5

 1 Click on the Tool toolbar to display the Database Manager
dialog.

2 In the tree, select Tags to display the Tags page.

3 Create a tag:
a Double-click Add Tag.
b Enter a tag name.

c Press the Enter key to display the tag in the list.

d Click Close.

To delete a tag, on the Tags page of the Database Manager

dialog, select a tag from the list and click .

Searching the tool database using tool tags

You can search for tools in the tool database using tool tags. This
makes it easier to find tools.
To search for a tool tag:

6 • Preparing toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 1 Click on the Tool toolbar to display the Tool Database Search
dialog.

2 Select Tool Tags.

3 In the Tool Tags area, click to display the Select Tags dialog.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Preparing toolpaths • 7

 4 Click a tag to select it, for example, Rough.

Press and hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple tags.
If you select more than one tag, all the tools with matching
tags are displayed.
5 Click Apply.
6 Click Search.
Tools with a Rough tag are displayed in the Search Results area.

To display all results in the Search Results area, click Reset.

7 Click Close.

8 • Preparing toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Database Manager > Connections
Use the Connections page to list the existing tool holder connection-
types and create, edit, and delete them. Connections describe the
type of join between a machine tool and a holder. For example, a
connection may identify the material present at the join, or the
shape of the join. This enables you to match a machine tool and a
holder more easily. Connection types are added to the database and
then assigned to a tool or holder.

To add a connection to the database:

1 Click on the Tool toolbar to display the Tool Database Manager

dialog.

2 In the tree, select Connections to display the Connections page.

3 Create a Connection:
a Double-click Add Connection.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Preparing toolpaths • 9

 b Enter a connection name, for example Foam.

c Press the Enter key to display the connection in the list.

4 Click to close the dialog.

To delete a connection, on the Connections page of the

Database manager dialog, select a connection from the list
and click .

Edit Database Tools dialog

Use the tool Edit Database Tools dialog to assign connection-types
and tags to the selected tools.

10 • Preparing toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 To display the Edit Database Tools dialog, select a tool from the
Search results list in the on the Tool Database Search dialog, and
click .

— Hover over this button to display the tool or tools that you are
editing.
Connection — Select the connection-type you want to assign to a
tool or holder in the database.
Tags — Displays the tags assigned to a selected tool.

— Click to remove a selected tag from the database.

Add Tags — Select the tags that you want to assign to a tool in the
database.

— Click to assign a selected tag to the tool. The tag is then

displayed in the Tags list.

— Click to display the Database Manager dialog (see page 5).

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Preparing toolpaths • 11

Generating toolpaths

PowerMILL 2015 R2 contains the following changes and

improvements to the generation of toolpaths:
 Rib machining (see page 13):
 Rib Pattern mode-toolbar (see page 22) — Sketch the
centreline of ribs/channels in a mold.
 Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar (see page 24) — Automatically
select the walls and base surfaces of the channels associated
with the sketched centreline of the ribs/channels.
 Improved collision avoidance (see page 29) — Check for
collisions against the stock.
 Drilling enhancements (see page 30):
 Drilling from the stock (see page 30) — Create drilling
toolpaths that start at the top of the stock model.
 Automatic verification enhancements (see page 31) —
Collision check against the stock model. You can specify the
type of toolpath generated after detecting a collision.
 Drilling non-planar surfaces (see page 34) — Calculate a
drilling toolpath where the top of the drill move is defined by a
block surface.
 Enhancements to area clearance and Vortex drilling (see page
34) — Specify the diameter of pre-drilled holes before
machining area clearance toolpaths
 Editing orientation vectors (see page 36):
 Specify Changes tab (see page 36) — Edit orientation vectors
in a restricted toolpath region, without modifying the tool
axis.
 Machine axis control tab (see page 37) — Fine-tune orientation
vectors using Cartesian coordinates.

12 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

  Curve fitting toolbar (see page 38) — Convert selected curve
segments to a spline. You can also choose to keep curves
embedded.
 Machine Tool Simulation Issues dialog (see page 41) — Display a
list of issues and warnings, with options for collision checking
and clearance values.
 Maintaining tool speed after ramping (see page 42) into the
stock.
 Aligning the tool with the toolpath (see page 43) — Align the tool
axis direction with the toolpath.
 Undo toolpath limit (see page 44) — Undo the last point added to
a limiting polygon.

Ribs
The new Rib machining strategy enables you to machine narrow
channels in a mold (see page 14). For example, you can machine
narrow grooves in a mold tool that form ribs in the resulting
injection moulded part. Rib machining is located in the new Ribs
category on the Strategy selector dialog.

For more information on the rib machining strategy, see:

 Rib Machining Overview (see page 14) — An introduction to rib
machining.
 Rib machining — Machine channels in a mold which form ribs in
the resulting injection-molded part.
 Automatic verification — Enable verification of toolpaths on
creation.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 13

  Rib Pattern mode-toolbar (see page 22) — Sketch the centreline
of ribs/channels.
 Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar (see page 24) — Automatically select
the walls and base surfaces of the channels associated with the
sketched centreline of the ribs/channels.
 Creating a rib machining toolpath (see page 25) — Create a rib
machining toolpath.
The common tabs are described in common toolpath creation
controls.
For more information on the Strategy Selector dialog, see Toolpath
Strategies.

Rib Machining Overview

Use the Rib Machining strategy to machine channels in a mold which
form ribs in the resulting injection-molded part. Typically, the
channels are long, thin, and non-planar.
Rib machining requires:
 a pattern that is an approximate centreline of the channel.
 surfaces defining the walls and the base of the channel.
 a tool that fits inside the channel. The width of the channel must
be between one and four times the diameter of the tool.
Rib machining frequently uses a form tool that reflects the exact
shape of the channel.

14 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 The pages associated with the Rib Machining strategy are:

 Rib machining (see page 16) — The main page used to define a
rib machining toolpath.
 Automatic verification — Settings to automatically verify the
toolpath when calculating it.
The remaining pages are common toolpath creation controls.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 15

 Rib machining
Use the Rib machining page to create a toolpath by machining a
channel (or groove) in a part.

Pattern — Select the pattern that is the approximate centreline of

the channel. If you do not have a suitable pattern, click to
sketch one.

Rib pattern — Click to display the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar which

enables you to sketch the approximate centreline of the channel
(see page 22).
Surfaces — Select the surfaces forming the walls and base of the
channel. Alternatively, click to select these surfaces
automatically.

Rib surface — Click to display the Rib Surface mode-toolbar

which enables automatic selection of the wall and base surfaces of
the channel (see page 24).
Style — Select whether you want to machine down both walls of the
channel or down the centreline.

16 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Selecting a Style of Rib walls creates a toolpath that machines
down one side of the channel and then the other side. Use this
option when the tool is smaller than the channel.

Selecting a Style of Rib centre creates a toolpath that machines

down the centreline of the channel. Use this option when the
tool, frequently a form tool, is the size and shape of the channel.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 17

 Clearance — When the top surface is not fully machined, enter the
height above the top of the top of the channel where the machining
starts.
For example:
A Clearance of 0 gives:

A Clearance of 10 gives:

Offset — Select how to offset from the base surface to the top of the
channel.

18 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Merge — When selected, starts by offsetting the base profile and
migrates the offset so that at the end it is offsetting the top
profile. This minimises the number of air moves.

Offset up — When selected, offsets the base profile. This option

gives a consistent depth of cut and minimises the number of
downhill moves. This is important when your tool cannot make
cutting moves where Z decreases.

Region with no downhill moves

Region with downhill moves.

You can eliminate the downhill moves by selecting a Cut

direction of Uphill.
Tolerance — Enter a value to determine how accurately the toolpath
follows the contours of the model.
Cut direction — Select the milling technology.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 19

 Climb — Select to create toolpaths using only climb milling,
where possible. The tool is on the left of the machined edge
when viewed in the direction of tool travel.
Conventional — Select to create toolpaths using only
conventional or upcut milling, where possible. The tool is on the
right of the machined edge when viewed in the direction of tool
travel.
Any — Select to create toolpaths using both conventional and
climb milling. This minimises the tool lifts and tool travel.
Pattern — Select to create a toolpath that follows the direction of
the pattern. This option uses both climb and conventional milling.
When you select a Style of Rib walls, one wall is machined using
climb milling and the other using conventional milling to ensure
the tool follows the direction of the pattern. With open channels,
use this option to start machining from the open end of the
channel to avoid plunge moves. To see the direction of the
pattern, instrument it by clicking on the Rib Pattern mode-
toolbar.

Display the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar by clicking .

Uphill — Select to create a toolpath that avoids cutting moves
where Z decreases. This option uses both climb and conventional
milling. When you select a Style of Rib walls, one wall is
machined using climb milling and the other using conventional
milling to ensure the tool never makes a decreasing Z move.

20 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 additional toolpath lifts added to avoid cutting moves where Z
decreases
Machine with tool taper angle — When selected, the tool machines
the channel using its taper angle instead of the draft angle of the
channel. This is useful when the channels are not modelled
accurately, do not need to be machined accurately, or you have a
form tool that matches the profile of the channel.
Angular tolerance — Enter the maximum deviation from the draft
angle of the channel to the tool taper angle. When this angle is
exceeded, PowerMILL leaves a portion of the channel unmachined.
Thickness — Enter the amount of material to be left on the part.

Component thickness — Click to display the Component thickness

dialog, which enables you to specify the thicknesses of the different
surfaces.
Max stepdown — Enter the maximum distance between successive
passes.

Copy stepdown from tool — Click to load the axial depth of cut
from the active tool's cutting data. The axial depth of cut is
measured along the tool axis.

Copy stepover from tool — Click to load the radial depth of cut
from the active tool's cutting data. The radial depth of cut is
measured normal to the tool axis.

If you enter the value manually, the button changes to .

Order — Select the machining order of the selected channels.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 21

 Pattern — Select to machine the channels in the same order as
you created the pattern.
Shortest — Select to create the shortest toolpath. This minimises
the air moves.

Rib Pattern mode-toolbar

Use the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar to sketch the centreline of
ribs/channels.

The Rib Pattern mode-toolbar is available from the Rib pattern

button on the Rib Machining strategy dialog (see page 14).

Activating a mode disables most of PowerMILL's functionality

until you exit from the mode. For more information, see
Mode-toolbars.

Lines — Hover to display the Line toolbar which creates new

lines. You can define the lines either interactively or by entering the
required coordinates. This is similar to the Line toolbar available on
the Curve Editor mode-toolbar.

Continuous line — Click to create a continuous line containing

straight line segments.

Close Segment — Click to close the current segment.

It converts an open segment:

22 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 To a closed segment:

Start New Segment — Click to end the current segment so the

next point is the start of a new segment.
Finish — Click to accept the changes and close the toolbar.
For more information, see the create lines example.

Single line — Click to create a single line.

Delete — Click to delete the selected items, curve segments,

workplanes, or points.

Reverse — Click to reverse the direction of the selected items.

Converts this:

to this:

You must select the segments you want to reverse.

Reorder segments — Click to list all the curve segments and

enables you to change the order of the segments in a pattern.

Cut — Hover to display the Cut toolbar which cuts or merges

curves.

Curve Editor — Click to display the Curve Editor mode-toolbar,

which enables you to create and edit patterns. The assumption is
that you first extract curves from the model, by say, extracting
curves at surface boundaries, and then modify the curve to create
the exact pattern you need.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 23

 Instrument — All curves have a direction. If you instrument a
curve, it places an arrow on each segment (pointing towards the
end of the segment) and an X at the end of each segment.

Undo — Select to revert to what it was before the last change.

Redo — Select to reinstate the edit you have just undone.

Next — Click to create the sketched pattern, close the Rib Pattern
mode-toolbar and open the Rib Surface mode-toolbar (see page 24).

Accept changes — Click to accept and keep all the created

curves. This closes the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar and enables normal
PowerMILL functionality.

Cancel changes — Click to delete all the created curves. This

closes the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar and enables normal PowerMILL
functionality.

Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar

Use the Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar to automatically select the walls
and base surfaces of the channels associated with the sketched
centreline of the ribs/channels.

The Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar is available from the Rib surfaces

button on the Rib Machining strategy dialog (see page 14).

Activating a mode disables most of PowerMILL's functionality

until you exit from the mode. For more information, see
Mode-toolbars.

Find rib surfaces — Click for PowerMILL to automatically find the

rib/channel surfaces associated with the centreline pattern.

24 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Select a pattern on the Rib machining dialog to enable this
functionality.

Select surfaces — click to manually select the rib/channel

surfaces associated with the centreline pattern.

For example, use to select the majority of the surfaces

and then use to select or deselect the final few surfaces.

Undo — Select to revert to what it was before the last change.

Redo — Select to reinstate the edit you have just undone.

Previous — Click to close the Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar and

return to the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar (see page 22).

Accept changes — Click to accept and keep all the created

curves. This closes the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar and enables normal
PowerMILL functionality.

Cancel changes — Click to delete all the created curves. This

closes the Rib Pattern mode-toolbar and enables normal PowerMILL
functionality.

Creating a rib machining toolpath

This example shows you how to create a rib machining toolpath.
This uses the Ribs_multi.dmt model in the Examples folder and a
simple rectangular block.

In this example the ribs are far wider than in a typical ribbed model
as this makes it easier to understand the process.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 25

 1 Create a tapered spherical tool with:
a A Diameter of 25.
b A Tip radius of 7.
c A Taper angle of 25.
d A Length of 125.

2 Click the Toolpath Strategies button,

3 From the Ribs category select Rib Machining. This displays the
Rib Machining dialog.

1 Click the Rib pattern button to display the Rib Pattern mode-
toolbar. This is a simplified version of the Curve Editor mode-
toolbar.

26 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 This automatically changes the view to the view down Z.

2 Click the Line button on the Line toolbar .

3 Sketch the approximate centreline of the four channels as four
lines. For complete machining of each channel, the lines must
extend beyond the open end of the channels. The direction of
each line determines the machining direction. Because most rib
machining tools break when plunging, it is best to start each line
from the open end of the channel.

4 If you can't see the direction of the lines, click Instrument .

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 27

 5 Click Next to display the Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar.

6 Click the Find rib surfaces button. This automatically selects

all the wall and base surfaces of the channel.

7 Click . This closes the Rib Surfaces mode-toolbar and displays

the Rib Machining dialog.

8 On the Rib Machining dialog:

28 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 a Select a Style of Rib walls.
b Enter a Max stepdown of 3.
c Click Calculate.
This creates the rib machining toolpath.

Improved collision avoidance

You can collision-check the unmachined stock of area clearance
toolpaths against the shank and holder. In previous versions, you
could only collision-check the shank and holder against the model,
not the stock.
The following table compares a Model Area Clearance toolpath in
PowerMILL 2015 R2 and PowerMILL 2015:

PowerMILL 2015 R2 PowerMILL 2015

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 29

 No collision Collision
To enable this function, select Automatic collision checking on the
Automatic verification strategy page.

Drilling enhancements
There are several enhancements to drilling. You can:
 start drilling at the top of the stock (see page 30).
 check for collisions against the stock model (see page 31).
 specify the type of toolpath generated after detecting a collision
(see page 31).
 drill blocks with a non-planar surface (see page 34).
 specify Entry moves in Vortex strategies (see page 35).
 specify the diameter of a pre-drilled hole (see page 35).
There are also changes to the way in which drilling toolpaths are
defined (see page 35).

Drilling from the stock

You can create drilling toolpaths that start at the top of the stock
model. This enables you to drill holes from the start of the material,
not the block, which minimises air moves. To create a drilling
toolpath starting at the top of the stock, you must select the
following options in the Drilling strategy dialog:

30 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 1 On the Drilling strategy page, select Stock model from the Define
top by list.

2 On the Stock page:

a select a Stock Model from the list.

b select a Stock Model state from the list. This is the state of the
stock material at a particular point in the machining process.
If the currently active state in a stock model is a:
Block — The stock model is the initial state of the stock, before
any entities are applied to it.

Depending on how it is used, an individual Stock Model can

also be a block.
Toolpath — The stock model is the state of the stock, after
applying a toolpath to the stock's previous state.
Tool — The stock model is the state of the stock after applying a
dense raster toolpath (automatically created using the tool).
a enter a value in the Detect material thicker than field.
PowerMILL ignores rest material that is thinner than the
specified threshold.

Automatic verification enhancements

There are several enhancements to the drilling Automatic verification
page.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 31

 -
You can:
 collision check against the stock model.
 specify the type of toolpath generated after detecting a collision
with the model, stock model or block.
Collision checking against — Displays what is collision checked.

The option selected in the Define top by list on the Drilling

page, determines what is displayed.
Hole top — Drilling starts at the top of the hole.
Component top — Drilling starts at the top of the component
specified in the Top component field rather than the top of the
hole. This is useful when drilling compound holes.

32 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Hole top, first component top
Second component top.
Third component top.
Block — Drilling starts at the top of the block.
Model — Drilling starts at the top of the model.
Stock model — Drilling starts at the top of the stock. This displays
the Stock page in the Drilling strategy dialog.
Output — Select the type of toolpath generated on detecting a
collision:
 Safe and unsafe moves — Generates the whole toolpath including
the colliding segments.
 Safe split moves — Splits the toolpath into safe and unsafe
moves, and only outputs the safe moves.
 Moves in safe holes only — Generates toolpaths only in collision-
free holes.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 33

 Drilling non-planar surfaces
You can calculate a drilling toolpath where the top of the drill move
is defined by the block surface, including blocks with curved
surfaces. In previous versions of PowerMILL, this was restricted to
planar, horizontal block surfaces.

Enhancements to area clearance and Vortex drilling

There are several enhancements to area clearance drilling. In
PowerMILL 2015 R2, you can specify the diameter of the hole (see
page 35). There are also changes to the way that drilling toolpaths
are defined (see page 35).

34 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Specifying the diameter of a hole
You can specify the diameter of pre-drilled holes before machining
area clearance toolpaths. This enables you to access closed pockets
without the need for helical ramps, saving you time. The default
diameter is 150% of the tool diameter; to change this, enter a Hole
diameter on the Approach page of the area clearance strategy. This
generates a feature set with the required drilling positions. You
must then create a drilling toolpath to machine the drilling positions.

You can also enter hole diameters for Vortex machining. On

the Approach page of the Model Area Clearance dialog, select
Drilling holes from the Move type list. Enter a value for the Hole
Diameter that is greater than the diameter of the tool.

Changes to drilling toolpath definition

PowerMILL 2015 R2 uses feature sets to define drilling positions and
hole diameters. Using feature sets enables you to generate your
own drilling toolpath with the appropriate drilling cycles. PowerMILL
creates the following features when you calculate an area clearance
toolpath:
 patterns containing the drilling position
 features containing the drilling holes

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 35

 Editing orientation vectors
You can edit orientation vectors in a restricted toolpath region,
without modifying the tool axis. As the direction of the orientation
vectors is defined by Cartesian components, you can fine-tune
orientation vectors, which is useful when using robots.
These options are available on the following tabs:
 The Specify Changes tab of the Edit Toolpath Within Region dialog
(see page 36). Use this to edit only the orientation vectors.
 The Machine axis control tab of the Tool Axis dialog. Use this to
define the orientation vectors in Cartesian coordinates.

Specify Changes tab

The Specify Changes tab (previously named Edit Tool Axis) of the
Edit Toolpath Within Region dialog includes the following
enhancements:
 There is a new Orientation Vector Only option in the Type of Editing
list. Select this option to edit the orientation vectors without
modifying the tool axis.

 There is a new Orientation field, which displays the Orientation

type.

36 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

  There is a new Orientation button. Click this button to display
the Tool Axis dialog and select an Orientation type. Your selection
is displayed in the Orientation field in the Edit Toolpath Within
Region dialog.

The Edit Toolpath Within Region dialog was previously called

Tool Axis Editing dialog.

Machine axis control tab

The Machine axis control tab of the Tool axis dialog includes the
following enhancements:
 Components fields — Enter values in the fields to edit the
machine axis direction by defining a vector using its i, j and k
components.

To display the Components field, on the Machine axis control

page:
a select Orientation vector from the Orientation type list.
b select Fixed Direction from the in the Orientation vector list.

 Direction button — Click to display the Direction dialog, which

provides additional options to edit orientation vectors.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 37

 Curve fitting toolbar
You can now fit a curve after it has been accepted. The new Curve
fitting toolbar on the Create Composite Curve mode-toolbar enables
you to convert selected curve segments to a specific type of curve,
or choose to keep curves embedded.

To display the Curve fitting toolbar:

 hover over the No curve fitting button on the Create Composite
Curve mode-toolbar.
 select an option from the Curve fitting list in Options > Curve
Editor.
You can select:
No curve fitting — Click to keep curves embedded.

Spline selected — Click to convert the selected segments into a

spline. This displays the Spline Fit dialog.

Tolerance — Enter the maximum distance between the original and

fitted curves. The value specified in the Curve Fitting Tolerances
page of the Options dialog, accessed from the Curve editor options
button is available as an option on the drop-down list.
Spline selected converts this selected curve:

38 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 To this:

Arc Fit selected — Click to arc fit selected segments. This

smooths curves. This displays the Arc Fit dialog.

Tolerance — Enter the maximum distance between the original and

fitted curves. The value specified in the Curve Fitting Tolerances
page of the Options dialog, accessed from the Curve editor options
button is available as an option on the drop-down list.
Arc fit selected converts this selected curve:

To this:

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 39

 Polygonise selected — Click to convert the selected segments to
a series of straight lines. This displays the Polygonise dialog.

Tolerance — Enter the maximum distance between the original and

fitted curves. The value specified in the Curve Fitting Tolerances
page of the Options dialog, accessed from the Curve editor options
button is available as an option on the drop-down list.
Polygonise selected converts this selected curve:

To this:

40 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Machine Tool Simulation Issues
There is a new machine Tool Simulation Issues dialog, which
replaces the Machine Tool Collisions dialog. Use this dialog to enable
machine tool collision checking, specify a clearance value around
the machine tool to identify 'near misses', and review any collisions
or 'near misses' that occur when simulating and jogging the
machine tool.

To display the dialog:

 From the Machine Tool toolbar, click .
 On the Machine Tool Position dialog, click .
 In the Explorer, right-click a machine tool and select Issues.

— Displays the name of the machine tool.

Check for Collisions — Click to enable collision checking.
Machine tool clearance — Enter a clearance value around the
machine tool that PowerMILL takes into consideration when
checking for collisions. When a machine tool axis-component and
the part are within the specified clearance value, the axis-
component is highlighted yellow.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 41

 PowerMILL checks for collisions and 'near misses' at fixed
points. Although these points are distributed frequently, it is
possible that PowerMILL may not identify small collisions that
occur in between two points.
Machine tool collision-checking does not check the tool
assembly for collisions. To check the tool assembly, use the
Toolpath Verification function.
Check the tool and tool holder — Click to enable collision checking of
the tool and tool holder.

If selected, the cutting part of the tool is checked against the

machine, and the holder is checked against the machine and
the model.
Issues found — Displays a chronological list of issues and warnings.
Click on an issue in the list to move the active machine tool to the
position where the issue occurs.
Clear — Click to clear the table of entries.

Maintaining tool speed after ramping

There is a new option on the Lead feed rates strategy page which
enables you to maintain the feed rate after ramping into the stock.
You can also specify the distance that this feed rate is maintained.

42 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 To maintain the ramp feed rate, in the Ramp lead in area of the Lead
feed rates strategy page, select Maintain ramp feed rate. Enter the
distance for which the tool speed is maintained.

Aligning the tool with the toolpath

There is a new Align tool with toolpath button on the Dynamic
machine control mode-toolbar which enables you to align the tool
with the toolpath. To enter the mode:

 Click Dynamic machine control button on the:

 Tool toolbar
 Toolpath toolbar
 Machine tool toolbar
 In the Explorer, right-click a tool and click Dynamic Machine
Control.
 In the graphics area, right-click a tool and click Dynamic Machine
Control.

The mode is available for all tools. All of the mode functions
are available when you use the following tools: ball nosed, tip
radiused, end mill, tapered spherical and tapered tip. When
you use other tools, such as a drill or barrel tool, the mode
functions are limited.
Activating a mode disables most of PowerMILL's functionality
until you exit from the mode. For more information, see
Mode-toolbars.

Click Align tool with toolpath to align the tool axis direction with
the toolpath. If the tool has a contact point, it is respected.
However, it is not necessary to have the tool attached to the
toolpath to realign it.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Generating toolpaths • 43

 Limit toolpath enhancements
There is a new undo button on the Toolpath Limit dialog which
enables you to undo the last point added to a limiting polygon.

To display the Toolpath limit dialog:

 on the Toolpath toolbar, select ; or

 from the individual Toolpath context menu, select Edit > Limit.
To create a polygon:
1 Select Polygon from the Limit to list.
2 Sketch a polygon with any number of sides, using the mouse.
3 Click Apply.

To undo the last point added to the limiting polygon, click .

44 • Generating toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

Verifying toolpaths

PowerMILL 2015 R2 contains the following changes and

improvements to the verification of toolpaths:
 Simulating tool changes (see page 46) — Simulate the tool
change cycle of a machine tool.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Verifying toolpaths • 45

 Simulating tool changes
PowerMILL can simulate the tool change cycle of a machine tool.
This enables you to identify issues with tool changes, such as
collisions. To display tool changes, use the Simulation toolbar to
simulate a toolpath or NC program in the same way as in previous
versions of PowerMILL. If you load an .mtd file, the machine tool is
automatically displayed. Use the options on the Simulation toolbar to
control the simulation. If you do not load an .mtd file, the machine
tool does not load. You can still simulate toolpaths as in previous
versions of PowerMILL.

The tool numbers in each toolpath determine the order of

simulation.

First tool change

Second tool change
Robot
Model

46 • Verifying toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

Outputting toolpaths

PowerMILL 2015 R2 contains the following changes and

improvements to the outputting of toolpaths:
 Verifying NC programs (see page 47):
 NC program verification dialog (see page 48) — Verify all of
your NC programs at the same time and display issues and
warnings in a new dialog.
 NC program errors in the Explorer (see page 51) — Display
any issues and warnings associated with NC programs in the
Explorer.
 Creating a new tool after toolpath verification (see page 52) —
Always create a non-colliding tool after a collision.

Verifying NC programs
The Explorer includes a new option that enables you to verify all of
your NC programs at the same time. Any errors and collisions are
displayed:
 in the new NC program verification dialog (see page 48). Use this
to view a list issues for each NC program.
 in the PowerMILL Explorer.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Outputting toolpaths • 47

 NC program verification dialog
Use the NC program verification dialog to verify your NC programs.
To display the NC program verification dialog, from the NC Programs
context menu, select Verify all. Alternatively, to verify a single NC
program, from the individual NC program context menu, select
Verify.

— Select an NC program to verify.

— Click to display the NC program dialog. Use this to view and

edit the detail of the NC program.

— Displays the name of the machine tool.

— Displays the name of the workplane.

Machine tool clearance — Enter the minimum distance between the
model and the machine tool. If you want to measure this, click
Machine tool clearance to display the Measure mode toolbar.

48 • Outputting toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Verify toolpaths — Select to check for collisions between the tool,
the holder and the model.
Increase toolpath clearances — Select to verify toolpaths that
have been previously verified with lower clearance values.
Keep existing toolpath clearances — Select not to verify toolpaths
that have been previously verified with lower clearance values.

If you select Keep existing toolpath clearances, warnings are

still displayed in the Verification list.
Verify connection moves — Select to include connection moves in the
verification. This applies to the tool and the model.
Holder Clearance — Enter the minimum allowable distance between
the model and the tool holder profile.
Shank Clearance — Enter the minimum allowable distance between
the model and the tool shank profile.

Click Holder clearance or Shank clearance to display the

Measure mode toolbar.
Safety status indicator — Displays an icon which identifies the most
severe issue found in verification.
— Collisions found
— Other issues, for example, unverified toolpaths.
— Gouge checked
— Gouge, and holder checked
— Gouge, holder, and machine tool checked
Verification list — Displays a chronological list of issues and
warnings.
Issues are added to the list when:
 there is a collision between the tool (or the shank, or holder) and
the model.
 there is a machine tool collision.
 the machine tool cannot reach a location.
 the machine tool exceeds its limits.
Warnings are added to the list when:
 a toolpath is not verified.
 a toolpath could not be verified.
 a toolpath is verified, but the NC program has higher clearance
values.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Outputting toolpaths • 49

  a connection is not verified.
 the machine tool overlaps with the clearance of another
component.
— Click to display the Machine Tool Position dialog.
Load Issue — Select an error from the verification list and click Load
issue to display the error on the model.

— Click to ignore the selected warnings.In the verification list,

the selected warning changes from to .
Verify — Click to refresh the verification of the NC program. This is
useful when you edit the options in this dialog.
Close — Click to close the dialog.

Clearing verification
You can clear verification for the machine tool list and the machine
tool status for:
 all NC Programs — From the NC programs context menu, select
Clear all NC Program verification.
 a single NC program — From the individual NC program context
menu, select Clear Verification.

This does not change the verification status of the toolpath or

the model.

50 • Outputting toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 NC program errors in the Explorer
The Explorer displays the issues and warnings associated with NC
programs. Hover over an NC program to display the Safety Status.

The icons display the most severe issue in the NC program:

Issues are added to the list when:
 there is a collision between the tool (or the shank, or holder) and
the model.
 there is a machine tool collision.
 the machine tool cannot reach a location.
 the machine tool exceeds its limits.
Warnings are added to the list when:
 a toolpath is not verified.
 a toolpath could not be verified.
 a toolpath is verified, but the NC program has higher clearance
values.
 a connection is not verified.
 the machine tool overlaps with the clearance of another
component.
— Collisions found
— Other issues, for example, unverified toolpaths.
— Gouge checked
— Gouge, and holder checked
— Gouge, holder, and machine tool checked

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Outputting toolpaths • 51

 Creating a new tool after toolpath
verification
There is an Always Create New Tool option in the Collision Options
area of the Toolpath Verification dialog. Select this option to always
create a non-colliding tool after a collision has been detected. When
Always Create New Tool is selected, PowerMILL does not search for a
safe tool in the Tools list as it did in previous versions, it
automatically creates a new tool with safe properties (overhang,
cutting length, collision depth). To display the Toolpath Verification
dialog, select Verify > Toolpaths from the Toolpath context menu.

52 • Outputting toolpaths PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

User interface

PowerMILL 2015 R2 contains the following changes and

improvements to the user interface:
 Customise Keyboard Shortcuts dialog (see page 53) — Create
keyboard shortcuts to perform PowerMILL commands without the
use of a mouse.
 Adding expressions to custom toolbars (see page 56).
 Select Concave Radii dialog (see page 58) — Select concave or
convex areas of the model.
 Editing the width of the toolpath (see page 60) — Edit the display
width of the toolpath in pixels.

Customise Keyboard Shortcuts dialog

You can use keyboard shortcuts to perform PowerMILL commands
without the use of a mouse. Use a combination of keys on the
keyboard to perform tasks that are usually accessed on toolbars,
menu bars, or using macros. Keyboard shortcuts comprise either:
 a function key (F2–F12).

You cannot use F1 as this is used to display the Help

window.
 a control key (Ctrl, Alt, or a combination of both), and one of the
following keys:
 alphanumeric keys— a-z, 0–9, punctuation keys and symbol
keys.
 navigation keys — for example, End, Page Up and Insert.

You can also use the Shift key in combination with any of the
above keys.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New User interface • 53

 Use the new Customise Keyboard Shortcuts dialog to assign
keyboard shortcuts to commands. To display this dialog, select
Customise Keyboard Shortcuts from the Tools menu.

Control selector — Click and drag over a toolbar button. The

button is selected and displayed in the menu list, and in the Toolbar
field.

While dragging, the mouse changes to and places a box

around the selected button.

Add macro shortcut — Click to add a new macro to the menu list
and display the Macro field.

Add command shortcut — Click to add a new command item to

the menu list and display the Command field.

Delete — Click to remove a selected shortcut.

Import shortcuts — Click to display the Select keyboard

configuration file to import dialog. This enables you import an
existing keyboard configuration.

Export shortcuts — Click to display the Export keyboard

configuration to a file dialog. This enables you to save your keyboard
configuration.

Print shortcuts — Click to display a list of your keyboard

shortcuts in the PowerMILL HTML browser and display the Print
Preview window.

Reset— Click to restore the default keyboard settings.

54 • User interface PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 Menu list — expand the:
 Macros branch to display the file path, with a file selector.
 Commands branch to display your commands.
 Menus branch to display a list of PowerMILL menus that you can
assign a keyboard shortcut to.
 Toolbars branch to display a list of PowerMILL toolbars that you
can assign a keyboard shortcut to.
The Shortcut field displays the file path of the item you selected.

The name of the shortcut field changes, depending on

whether a macro, command, menu or toolbar item is selected.
Shortcut key — Displays the keyboard shortcut assigned to the
selected item in the menu list. To create a new keyboard shortcut,
press a combination of approved keyboard keys and click Assign.
Current assignment — If a keyboard shortcut entered in the Shortcut
key field is already assigned to an item in the menu list, this field
displays the current assignment of that keyboard shortcut.
Go to item — If a shortcut is displayed in the field, click to locate the
item in the menu list.
Assign — Click to assign a shortcut to an item.
Remove — Click to remove a shortcut from an item.
Close — Click to close the dialog.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New User interface • 55

 Adding expressions to custom toolbars
There is a new Expressions option in the Edit Custom Toolbar dialog
that enables you to add expressions to custom toolbars.

The toolbar automatically updates when you change an

expression.
To display the Edit Custom Toolbar dialog:
1 Select View > Toolbar > Custom> Customise.

56 • User interface PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 2 Click to create a toolbar.
3 Double-click the toolbar in the list.
To add an expression to a custom toolbar:
1 Select Expression from the Type list.
2 Enter a command, for example tool.diameter.

Use the command window to find the command you need.

3 Enter a description, for example Tool diameter.

4 Click . This adds the menu option to the custom toolbar.

5 Select View > Toolbar > Custom > Custom1 to display your custom
toolbar.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New User interface • 57

 Select Concave Radii dialog
Use the Select Concave Radii dialog to select small, concave or
convex surfaces in a model. To display the dialog, right-click the
model and select Selection Tools > Select Concave Radii.

The Orient surface options enable you to correctly orient your model.
Orient all — Click to automatically reverse the orientation of all the
surfaces which are incorrectly oriented in the current view.
Orient selected — Click to automatically reverse the orientation of all
the selected surfaces which are incorrectly oriented in the current
view.
Minimum radius — Enter the minimum radius of the concave
surfaces you want to select.
Include partially concave components — When selected, selects any
surface which has a concave region.

58 • User interface PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

 When deselected, any surface which is wholly concave is selected.

Selecting either of these options adds to your current

selection. So the concave surfaces are selected, as well as
any previously selected components.
You can use this dialog with the new Minimum radius plane list,
which is located in Tools > Options > View > 3D Graphics. This list
enables you to shade the model from the perspective of the
Workplane (the default setting) as opposed to the View (the default
setting in previous versions of PowerMILL).

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New User interface • 59

 Editing the width of toolpath lines
There is a new option on the Drawing page of the Options dialog
which enables you to edit the line width of the toolpath in pixels.
This enables you to increase the visibility of toolpaths when
presenting on large screens.

To display the Drawing page, from the main menu, select Tools >
Options > Toolpath and select the Drawing page. In the Line Width
field, enter the width of the toolpath line in pixels.

60 • User interface PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

Automating PowerMILL

PowerMILL 2015 R2 contains the following changes and

improvements to automation:
 Macro enhancements (see page 61) — Display entities and hide
GUI items when you use mode toolbars.
 Macro Debugger enhancements (see page 62) — Edit variable
assignments in the Macro Debugger dialog.

Macro enhancements
PowerMILL 2015 R2 includes new parameters to improve the
efficiency of user-menu macros. The parameters enable PowerMILL
to:
 identify the last selected entity; and
 display the total number of selected entities and the entity
PowerMILL is currently processing.
You can use the parameters to write macros that instruct
PowerMILL to execute specific lines of code before and after it
processes the first and last entity in a loop. Previously, PowerMILL
could not identify the first and last entity so it executed the entire
macro for every selected entity.
You can use PowerMILL modes, such as the Curve editor or the
Workplane editor, without displaying:
 Toolbars
 Mode-toolbars
 Dialogs
 Graphics
Use the NOGUI command to run the equivalent of GRAPHICS LOCK
when the mode starts.

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Automating PowerMILL • 61

 For more information, see the 'Macro Programming Guide'.

Macro Debugger enhancements

Use the Enter parameter value dialog to edit variable assignments in
the Macro Debugger.

To display the Macro Debugger dialog, in the Explorer, right-click:

 the Macro menu and select a macro to debug; or
 a macro and select Debug.
The left pane shows the macro you are debugging. The right pane
shows the variable assignment at that point in the macro.
To edit a variable assignment:
1 In the right pane, double click a variable assignment.
2 Enter a value in the Enter parameter value dialog.

3 Click to accept the changes and close the dialog.

62 • Automating PowerMILL PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New

Index

Clearing verification • 50
Errors • 51
C NC program verification dialog • 48
Channel machining • 14 Safety status • 51
Collision avoidance • 29
Customisation
Custom toolbars • 56
O
Customise Keyboard Shortcuts dialog Orientation vectors • 36
• 53 Machine axis control • 37
Expressions • 56 Specify changes • 36

D R
Drilling • 34 Rib machining • 13, 14
Approach page • 35
Area clearance • 34
Collision checking • 31 S
Definition • 35 Simulation • 46
Drilling from the stock • 30
Feature sets • 35
Hole diameter • 35 T
Stock • 30, 31
Vortex • 34 Tool changes • 46
Tool database • 4
Connections • 9
E Database manager dialog • 5
Edit database tools dialog • 10
Explorer • 47, 51 Searching the tool database • 6
Tags • 5
K
Keyboard shortcuts • 53 V
Verification • 47
N
NC program verification • 47

PowerMILL 2015 R2 What's New Index • 63

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