NX Tips for Creating a Mill User Defined Tool

What steps need to be taken to create a Mill User Defined Tool?

1. Create a new Mill User Defined Tool and delete all but the first segment.  The first segment will be a line in this example.  Enter the length of the line as the (LL) Line Length entry and the angle as the (LA) Line/Arc Start Angle .  In this case the (LA) Line/Arc Start Angle entry is 0 because it is in the same direction as the X+ axis.  Line entries are always created as a length and as an angle from the X+ axis.  All other fields are set to 0. Notice that the (FL) Flute Length value is also entered as 0.  If this value is greater than the tool height the tool will not be displayed and an error reported about invalid tool parameters. The (FL) Flute Length height can be entered as one of the last steps in the process.

2. Press the Add New Set button to create the second Segment.  This segment will define an arc.  All arcs require three entries; the (LA) Line/Arc Start Angle , the (AR) Arc Radius and the (AS) Arc Sweep .  The (LL) Line Length will be set to 0.  The (LA) Line/Arc Start Angle angle is measured from the X+ axis to a line created through the start point of the arc tangent to the arc. This value is entered because the arc is not tangent to the previous entry. In this example setting the  (LA) Line/Arc Start Angle to the angle of the previous segment, or 0, will make it tangent. The (AS) Arc Sweep angle is measured from two lines created from the center of the arc to the arc start and ending points.   

3. Press the Add New Set button to create the next segment.  The next two entries are a line followed by a tangent arc.  Because the line is tangent to the arc it is possible to combine these entities into a single segment.  It is important to emphasize that the line and the arc must be tangent to each other and the line must come first to add them to the same segment.  For simplicity some Users will create every entity, whether line or arc, as a separate segment.  This is perfectly acceptable.  In this case the two, line and arc, are combined to show the concept.

4. Press Add New Set to add the next segment.  Notice in the drawing that this entry has a line followed by a tangent arc.  These two entities will, similar to the last segment, be combined into a single segment.  Up until now all arcs have been created in a counter-clockwise direction when measured from the arc start point.  In this instance the arc is created in a clockwise direction.  The Arc Sweep angle will, then, be created using a negative angle.  Notice that the LA is 160 degrees as measured from the X+ axis.

5. The final segment is a line 20mm long at 90 degrees from X+ .  The entered values can be seen below.  The Flute Length value is entered to complete the cutter.  This tool can, now, be used in a Planar Profile operation.  The Planar Profile operation should not be confused with a Planar Mill operation with a Profile Cut Pattern .  These are two distinctly different types of operations with different icons.  Finally, Tracking Points would need to be created in the tool for use in the Planar Profile operation.

Notes