NX12 Mfg mult-axis milling : Variable Contour Surface Area & grid errors
NX12 Mfg mult-axis milling : Variable Contour Surface Area & grid errors
(OP)
Where I am: I have an inch assembly in a mm master model of a freeform, but primarily-continuous, design. I am doing multi-axis milling programming. I have to do various geometry additions to the component because of limitations in the physical production process. I am creating extra, also nominally-continuous surfaces on the edges of freeform design surfaces that I have divided with planes. This is a complicated explanation to tell you how I have arrived at my request, but my request is simple: which tolerances should I attempt to loosen to make my surface area grids work without error? Which ones should I avoid loosening or place limits on loosening?
What has not worked:
What has not worked:
- Using Surface Area drive mode (inside a Contour operation) to simply focus on the (Divided) surface I want and then extend that surface by %'s (in the Drive dialog) or by diagonal points. The failure mode of this is that the extension of my surface area keeps wrapping around a continuous shape of the design instead of extending in a tangent direction to the edge of the selected Divide surface. It would be great if tangent extension was a selectable option
- Using Guiding Curves drive mode forces me to select more geometry like Part and Cut Area. When I go through that exercise and it violates the part, selecting Check surfaces is just too much for NX (on an HPZ420) to handle. It churns all night.
- Using linear Extrude on the edge of a freeform surface. It's tough or impossible to choose a vector for Extrude that will keep the joint between a freeform and a flat extension approximately continuous.
- divide my continuous design surface with a plane
- use the edge of this division as the seed curve for a sweep surface
- create guide curves off the design surface by A] Composite-duplicate my design curves B] Curve Length-extend them
- if an error reports that these guide curves are not tangent, loosen the Modeling Preferences / General / Distance Tolerance from 0.01 mm to 0.1 mm
- sweep my Divide edge off of the part with these guide curves
- Divide the Sweep into on-design-surface and off-design sections
- use the Sweep (off-design) surface and design surfaces as the Drive for a Variable Contour Surface Area




