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Create a cutting tool

Create a cutting tool

Owned by Andrew Haggerty
Last updated: Jun 25, 2024
3 min read

In this article

One core feature of Robotmaster is the ability to have your chosen tool in the software very closely match your real life tool. This allows for proper offsets, lengths, and collision detection.

This procedure will cover all of the steps required to create a cutting tool that can be used in any future operations.

Create a tool

First we will need to create the initial tool.

  1. Navigate to a Task tab, either by selecting an already existing task or creating a new one.

    image-20240613-171545.png

  2. Select the Tool manager button (drill bit symbol) at the bottom left of the software to open up the tool manager.

    image-20240613-171708.png

  3. Create a new tool by selecting the button next to Tools and select Cutting from the dropdown menu.

  4. You will be presented with the Edit tool interface that allows for customization of the cutting tool.

Add a holder

Many tools have holders that we want to capture the geometry for.

  1. In the Edit tool interface, select the button next to Holder to add a new segment.

  2. The created holder segment has 3 number fields. In order from left to right, they are the upper diameter, lower diameter and height of the segment.

Example Values:

  1. Upper diameter - 7.5mm

  2. Lower diameter - 5mm

  3. Height - 5mm

  1. Note when these values are updated, the 3D model Preview of the tool at the bottom of the pane updates to match.

  2. Additional holder segments can be added to the bottom of the holder, and will automatically start with the lower diameter of the segment created above it, but for this exercise we will just create this one segment.

Adjust cutting tool parameters

Now that we have a holder, we need to adjust the remaining parameters of the cutting tool to match our real life tool.

  1. The Tool number is used by default in the TCP manager, so should ideally match the tool number we use in real life.

  2. The Tool name and Tool description do not affect our program and are just used for reference, especially when the list of tools is long.

Example name and description:

  1. Call our tool Sample Cutting Tool

  2. Give it a description of “Tool used for education”

  1. Kerf diameter and Distance to part determine the shape of the cutting section (yellow) of our cutting tool.

    1. Kerf diameter is the diameter of the cutting section.

    2. Distance to part is the length of the cutting section.

  2. Maximum cut depth is used for simulation of material removal and represents how far below the toolpath the cutting tool will be able to effectively cut material.

  3. Linear speed is used to set a default cutting speed for the operation.

  4. Press Ok at the top of the tool editor interface.

  5. We now have a tool that is ready to be used when creating operations.