2D Lathe Programming from a Surface Model

Many CAD systems, especially Solids-based systems are being used to design parts that must be machined on a Lathe or MillTurn center.

When imported you are presented with a collection of surfaces and no 2D profile.

There is a quick and easy solution.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Import your geometry and re-orient it into a view and location suitable for SURFCAM’s lathe toolpath generators, i.e. World(X) = centerline of rotation = Machine(Z) and World(Y) = cross-slide axis = Machine(X)
2. Set your Cview to 2 (Front).
3. Make a new layer and set it as the current layer. (recommended).
4. Set your active color different than the model (recommended).
5. From the Main Menu, select Create-Spline-CrossSection.
6. You’ll be prompted for the “Surfaces To Project Across”, then a dialog box will appear where you can set the Increment between sections – set the increment larger than the maximum radius of your part to avoid unnecessary section creation
7. Finally, you’ll be prompted to pick two locations that represent the centerline of your part, after which you’ll see Splines that represent the 2D profile of your part.