Change an operation's tool, setup, operation type or machining direction after CAM Assist has generated the program. CAM Assist recalculates the operation and keeps the rest of the program.
Before you start
The run has finished. Until then, Edit strategy is greyed out with Waiting for full program.
Edit the operation
- In the Program stage, click the operation's row to open its panel.
- Click Edit strategy at the bottom of the panel. The strategy editor opens beside the Program pane, titled by type, for example Edit finishing strategy.
- Under Strategy, change the settings you need (see the table below). Lock any you want to keep. See What do locked and unlocked settings mean?
- Click Apply.
You see Program successfully updated. Click Cancel, the close button or Escape to close without changes.
The editor also shows the operation's Cutting parameters, with Edit cutting parameters. See Edit cutting parameters for an operation.
What you can change
| Operation | Settings you can change |
|---|---|
| Roughing | Tool assembly. Setup and Tool axis are shown with a lock icon (Not possible to edit for this operation type). Use Change volume boundaries for the area. See Change roughing boundaries. |
| Facing | Tool assembly. Setup and Tool axis can't be changed. |
| Finishing | Tool assembly, Setup, Operation type (Wall, Flat, Generic freeform, Blend freeform, Contour freeform, Scallop freeform, Chamfer, T-Slot), Tool axis, and Faces. See Change which faces a finishing operation machines. |
| Finishing, Partial and Rest pair | Partial tool assembly, Rest tool assembly, Setup (moves both operations), and Faces. Operation type and Tool axis can't be changed. See What are Rest and Partial finishing operations? |
| Holemaking | Tool assembly, Setup, Operation type (Boring, Drilling, Threading, Spot drilling, Reaming), Tool axis. For drilling and boring, tick Select from all appropriate twist drills to choose any twist drill long enough for the hole, whatever its diameter. |
| Deburring | Tool assembly, Setup, Tool axis. |
When you hover over a Tool axis option, the direction is drawn in the 3D view. To change the tool, see Change an operation's tool.
Is Apply greyed out?
| Tooltip | What to do |
|---|---|
| You must make an edit to Apply | Change at least one setting. |
| Loading options... | Wait for CAM Assist to load the valid options. |
| Face selection in progress | Click Confirm or Cancel on the face selection banner. |
| Another edit changed this operation. Cancel, then edit it again. | Click Cancel, then click Edit strategy again. |
If an error appears after Apply, see CAM Assist won't apply my operation edit.
Editing several operations
If you click Edit strategy on another operation while an edit with changes is open, CAM Assist sets the first edit aside without applying it. Click Edit strategy on the first operation again to carry on where you left off.
Edits that are set aside must be applied or discarded before you continue:
- Run CAM Assist is greyed out with Apply or discard your strategy changes before running CAM Assist.
- When you send, Apply your strategy changes? asks you to Apply all, Discard all or Keep editing.
- Discard all strategy changes, below the operations, throws away every edit you haven't applied. Edits you've already applied stay.
After editing
Edits to finishing can affect roughing and deburring. If Recalculate edited strategy appears at the top of the Program pane, click it before sending. See Send your program to your CAM package.