Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Attachment
In the following tutorial, advanced functionality of the electrodes application will be discussed.
Contents
Attachment
Extension
Template
Electrode Options
Add Electrode
Trim
EDM Setup
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.
Electrode Tree
The electrode now appears in the Electrode Tree.
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.
Change the Base type to Stepped Base and set the parameters as shown.
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:
Minimum Distance
Click on the Extension icon in the Electrode Guide.
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.
From the Cimatron E Explorer, select the Holder 3.elt file (located in the \\Tutorial Work Files \ Data To
Steel \ Holders directory).
Save Template
A template of the features used in this electrode will now be created.
Load Template
Activate the Main Assembly.
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
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.
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.
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 following electrode:
Open the Holder 6.elt file and measure the relevant dimensions, in order to determine which blank
parameters to set.
Click an the Auto Contour button and create the first extension, with a filler face, using the following
parameters:
Connect
Activate the Assembly.
Right click on the Guard-Electrode-EI-004 electrode in the Electrode Tree, and select Add Location/By
Point/UCS.
This operation can be carried out by marking the electrode in the Object Tree and selecting Electrode/Add
Location/By Point/UCS.
Trim
Extract an electrode on the extrude circled below:
Standard
An EDM Setup for a standard machine will now be created.
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.
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.
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.
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.