Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Electrodes Introduction....................................................................................................... 1
Attachment.......................................................................................................................... 2
Extract.............................................................................................................................. 2
Electrode Tree.................................................................................................................. 5
Blank & Electrode UCS...................................................................................................... 6
Size .................................................................................................................................. 6
Electrode UCS ................................................................................................................. 8
Contour ............................................................................................................................ 9
Extension........................................................................................................................... 10
Minimum Distance ........................................................................................................ 10
To Blank ........................................................................................................................ 11
Holder ............................................................................................................................ 12
Template ........................................................................................................................... 14
Save Template ............................................................................................................... 14
Load Template............................................................................................................... 15
Electrode Options.............................................................................................................. 19
Blank.............................................................................................................................. 19
Extension 1 .................................................................................................................... 23
Extension 2 .................................................................................................................... 24
Extension 3 .................................................................................................................... 25
Add Electrode ................................................................................................................... 28
Creation ......................................................................................................................... 28
Connect.......................................................................................................................... 32
Trim................................................................................................................................... 36
Trim ............................................................................................................................... 36
EDM Setup........................................................................................................................ 38
Standard ......................................................................................................................... 38
Customize ...................................................................................................................... 39
AGIE.............................................................................................................................. 43
Report ............................................................................................................................ 46
Drafting.......................................................................................................................... 47
In the following tutorial, advanced functionality of the electrodes application will be discussed.
Contents
Attachment
Extension
Template
Electrode Options
Add Electrode
Trim
EDM Setup
Attachment
Extract
Click on the Electrode Setup icon.
Click on the Open File icon and select the Guard.elt part (located in the \\Tutorial Work Files \ Data To
Steel directory) from the Cimatron E Explorer.
In the Wizard check the Create New folder checkbox and click OK in the Wizard.
Select Extract Electrode from the Electrode guide on the right hand side of the screen, to create a new
electrode.
Click the Middle Mouse Button to attach the faces to the electrode.
Set the parameters as they appear below and press OK in the Feature Guide.
Activate the electrode by clicking on the Activate Electrode icon and then on the burning area faces (or vice
versa).
Size
Set the blanks wire bodies properties as shown here.
Change the Blank Height to 121.5. (You may need to set the last toggle button to the
Free Value: Allowance for example, to enable the Blank Height option.)
Toggle the Free Blank Size option to Use Blank Library and click on Edit Parameters.
Press on the expansion arrow to the right of the Blank Height option, to show the Clearance distance.
Electrode UCS
Click on the Electrode UCS icon in the Electrode Guide.
The Electrode UCS is used as the reference point for the electrode in drafting and report applications.
Pick the first and last edges, along the burning area faces, as shown below:
Extension
Minimum Distance
Change the Tangent option to Direction and the Length Option to Minimum Distance.
Clicking on the arrows in the Minimum Distance dialog will give a preview of the final result.
Click on the Step icon and set the Simple Step size to 1.5.
Holder
From the Cimatron E Explorer, select the Holder 3.elt file (located in the \\Tutorial Work Files \ Data To
Steel \ Holders directory).
Template
Save Template
A template of the features used in this electrode will now be created.
Extract the second electrode, using the Fit To Selection option, shown below:
As with the first electrode, click on Extract Electrode icon from the Electrode guide on the right hand side of the
screen and then click on the part to extract a new electrode.
Activate the electrode and create a blank with a Blank Height of 44 and a Base Height of 21.
Choose the Stepped Base option, and set the following parameters:
Now within the Extension step, change the No Template option to Apply Template.
Click on Change Template and select the file Tutorial 2.etp from the Load Template dialog.
Move the cursor over the Change Template button and notice the current templates name.
It can be seen that the holder is not appropriate for the electrode
Delete the holder, click on the Holder icon and from the Cimatron E Explorer select the Holder 4.elt file
(located in the \\Tutorial Work Files \ Data to Steel \ Holders directory).
Blank
Hide the first two electrodes and extract the electrode below:
Verify the 'burn faces selection box' is active and click on the Fit To Selection icon.
Press SHIFT and drag a rectangle around these faces to de-select the faces.
Attach the yellow faces to the electrode. via the middle mouse button
Create the following blank, using a Stepped Base, with a blank height of 80 and a clearance of 30.
As there is more than one contour to be chosen, the standard contour tool will be used to produce the contours.
Create a contour and set the parameters of the extension shown as follows:
Click on the Filler Face icon and press OK in the Feature Guide.
Extension 2
On the symmetrical extension, create a extension in Two Directions with a Minimum Distance of 2 in the
1st Direction.
Toggle the Tangent option to Direction and the Length option to To Point, and select the point indicated
below:
On the middle extension, use the Auto Contour function and create a tangential extension with a
Minimum Distance of 1.
Select Apply and add an extension to the same point shown in the last step.
It can be seen the extension does not fit the blank size selected.
Edit the Blank. Change the Stepped Base option to Base and edit the Blank parameters as follows:
Add Electrode
Creation
Create the Blank (suitable for Holder 6.elt located in the \\Tutorial Work Files \ Data to Steel \ Holders
directory) and Electrode UCS for the electrode.
Click an the Auto Contour button and create the first extension, with a filler face, using the following
parameters:
Right click on the Blank Feature in the Features Tree and select Re-Center.
Connect
Right click on the Guard-Electrode-EI-004 electrode in the Electrode Tree, and select Add Location.
This operation can be carried out by marking the electrode in the Object Tree and selecting Electrode/Add
Location.
Using the default Place by pick option, and choose a location anywhere outside the part.
Activate the Guard Part and Copy the Model UCS to the midpoint indicated below:
Now activate the electrode copied above and create Main Planes on the Electrode UCS.
Select the two ZX Planes, select the Align option, and click Apply in the Feature Guide.
Now select the two faces shown below and click Apply in the Feature Guide:
Trim
Trim
Extract an electrode on the extrude circled below:
EDM Setup
Standard
Right click on any electrode in the Electrode Tree and select EDM Setup.
The wizard opens up according to the branch picked in the Electrode Tree.
Each branch holds specific Setup information for the EDM process.
Click on the component in the EDM Setup dialog and select the edit icon.
In the dialog, select the new material added and move it to the top of the list via the arrow circled below:
Click OK.
The new material now appears at the top of the drop down list.
Click on the Add\Remove Parameters button at the bottom right of the dialog and set the parameters as
shown below:
The fields will be the same for all the electrodes and locations. The values inside these fields may be edited
for individual electrodes and locations.
The example below shows the five fields input for the electrodes, with different values being input for the
individual electrodes.
When the necessary values have been put into the wizard, check the Open Output File box and click on
the Save Output file button.
Select Guard-Electrode-EI-004.
As seen in the above example, Cimatron has the means to tailor the interface and output of any EDM
requests according to customer requirements.
Report
Right click on electrode Guard-Electrode-003 in the Electrode Tree and select Report:
Within the EDM Setup Report dialog the columns can be customized.
Activate the assembly part and either right click on the electrode within the Electrode Tree or select
Electrode/Create Electrode Drawing.
By pressing and holding the CTRL key more than one electrode can be picked, the result being a new sheet
created in the drafting environment, for each electrode.
Zoom into view Iso Electrode to observe the distances from the cavity part UCS.