This article is essential reading to understand how to choose the right strategy for SmartBench.
| List | Next >
|
|
Looking for the original speeds and feeds table? The content for this article has changed to help you navigate to our latest cutting data. We recommend that you read through this article first.
However, if you want to go straight to the old dataset, you can find this in our Legacy strategy data section.
|
What is a cutting strategy?
When you design your job file in your CAD/CAM software, you set parameters. These parameters define how fast the machine goes (speeds and feeds), how deep, which direction etc... all of these parameters define your cutting strategy.
Why is strategy important?
If your strategy is wrong, you could suffer the following problems:
-
Damage to the finished part
-
Poor edge and surface finish
-
Inaccuracies
-
Excessive tool wear and breakage
-
Spindle overload
-
Machine stalling / skipping
If your strategy is good, your finished parts will look fantastic in less time.
Above is an example of a cut done with a poor strategy vs a good strategy.
The articles in this section lead you through exactly how to pick the right strategy for your job on SmartBench.
How do you define the right strategy for your job?
1. Check our "Material profiles and datasheets"
We are currently generating a series of articles in our Material profiles and datasheets section.
Simply find the material you want to process, and follow the instructions to select the right cutter for your job.
This will then define all the essential values for your strategy parameters.
2. Use our "Legacy data"
For older machines you can check our more general Legacy strategy data section which may have older datasets.
This data will still serve as a good starting point, though you should also be familiar with the knowledge in the next section (#3).
3. Learn the essential concepts, and generate your own strategy
If you can't find the right data for you particular material/cutter combination, you can determine your own strategy.
You will need to understand:
- the different cutting parameters, and how they work. It's more than just speeds and feeds, so we have explained the essential parameters here.
- how different cutters can affect your job (e.g. upcutters, downcutters etc). We have listed the important cutting performances here.
How to assess and correct your strategy in the real world cut