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Prospector™ Features
2D Machining
Prospector™ is a complete solution offering both 3D and 2D machining. Machine directly from solid models, 2D or 3D wireframe data or you can develop geometry using the suite of geometry creation tools in Prospector. 2D machining features include:
Pocketing
- Zig-Zag, Spiral Outside-In, Spiral Inside-Out clearing options.
- Designated plunge points for pre-drilled holes.
- High speed machining option to smooth interior corners.
- Feature selector finds pockets, sub-pockets and islands to machine.
- Unlimited number of islands and bosses.
- Specify step-down as a fixed value or by cusp height.
Profiling
- Choose inside, outside or on-profile cutter orientation.
- High speed machining option for circular lead-in and lead-out.
- Automatic or designated plunge points.
- Ramp or plunge to transit to lower levels.
- Specify step-down as a fixed value or by cusp height.
- Multiple-passes option walks the cutter into high concentrations of stock on each level.
- Left/right (G41/G42) cutter compensation options.
- Options to extend open or overlap closed paths.
Face Milling
- Starting quadrant and direction control (X-major, Y-Major)
- Multiple passes with primary and final step-down control.
- Lead-in and lead-out.
- One-way and zig-zag machining styles.
Hole Making
- Built-in feature recognition automatically finds holes to be machined in 3D solid models and 2D detailed drawings.
- PowerSource™ feature-based machining sequences define the rules to automatically generate a series of programs to completely machine various hole types.
- Comprehensive suite of cycles including:
- Drilling (G81)
- Center Drilling (G81/G82)
- Counterboring (G82)
- Countersinking (G82)
- Peck Drilling (G83)
- Tapping and Rigid Tapping (G84)
- Boring (G85)
- Reaming (G86)
- Integrated PowerSource™ tooling database organizes drills, center drills, taps, reamers and boring bars and ensures proper feedrate and spindle speed is always used.
- Full support for canned cycles.
- Realistic graphics display drill tools as geometrically defined (not just cylinders!)
Thread Milling
- An alternative to tapping that can be particularly useful in cases where larger diameter holes are involved or when working with difficult materials. Other benefits include:
- Produces threads with excellent form, finish, and dimensional accuracy
- Eliminates the possibilities and consequences of tap breakage.
- Precise thread depth control
- One tool for through or blind holes.
- One thread mill can produce varying thread diameters of the same pitch
- Smaller machines can produce larger threads because less spindle torque is needed.
- No reversal of the spindle required.
- Support for NPT/NPTF and UN/UNC/UNF threads.
- Support for multiple passes to to walk the cutter into the stock to form the thread for very hard materials.
- Tooling database contains SECO/Carboloy thread milling tools with feeds and speeds recommended by the experts at SECO/Carboloy.
Helical Drilling
- Forms larger diameter holes and entry holes for other machining operations by producing one or more sets of concentric helical cutter paths.
- User specified draft for the hole may be used to develop a conical entry hole for plunge roughing or Z-level machining. The conical shape facilitates chip evacuation.
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