The New High-Speed Milling Extensions for Creo Are Here

October 13, 2021
The New High-Speed Milling Extensions for Creo Are Here

Realizing high levels of efficiency in your subtractive manufacturing might be easier than you think with High Speed Milling (HSM) and High Speed Milling Plus. These new Creo extensions include a pile of features that enhance your mold and die work and production parts.

 

 



 

HSM and HSM Plus - An Intro

 

The HSM milling modules simplify and improve 5-axis programming making it easy to create simultaneous 5-axis and 3+2 axis collision-free toolpaths. These can be used for both mold & die and production parts. The extensions complement your existing 5-axis Creo toolpaths, and they work on full B-Rep solid geometry as well as faceted and imported tessellated objects (think repetitive, polygonal features).

The toolpath algorithm has a lot going on under the hood. It automatically checks for the maximum rest machining area and selects the largest area to be machined along the Z axis. It also selects the tool direction with the best access. After that, it machines the area, then repeats until the stop condition set by the user is met.

And that’s not all. Here’s a rundown of the major features in HSM and HSM Plus:

Auto 3+2 axis roughing

 

Can the HSM detect machining directions? Yes, and with minimum orientations. It includes automatic collision checking with the in-process stock, as well as the part itself. This even works with complex parts that have undercut areas. All the system requires is the tool definition and the stock/part definition as input surfaces.

5 Axis roughing

 

The HSM includes high speed roughing for continuous 5-axis machining of pockets with curved floor surfaces. This high level of automation mirrors 3+2 axis machining in that it works with minimal inputs and does collision checking.

Convert 3-axis to 5-axis finish toolpath

Forget the painstaking manual conversion of 3-axis toolpaths to 5-axis toolpaths. Let the HSM extension take care of it for you. The main reason for 5-axis is to use shorter tools, resulting in a toolpath that is fully collision checked and to avoid the chatter and deflections that tend to happen with longer milling tools.


HSM Finish and Rest Finish options

 

HSM Finish and Rest Finish toolpaths can accurately finish complex parts while keeping a high surface quality. This feature is designed for high-speed finishing with smooth cutting and linking passes.

The capability comes with a host of finishing options, including:

  • Parallel cuts
  • Flatland machining
  • Constant Z for steep areas
  • Constant cusp for milling shallow areas
  • Smartcut, which is a combination of constant Z and constant cusp
  • Multi pencil for rest finish for cornering

 

Auto deburring toolpaths

The deburring options in HSM have evolved. Instead of manually defining trajectory toolpaths to do deburring, now the edges are automatically detected, along with auto tilting, linking, and collision checking. This automatic detection significantly cuts the setup time, too. Automating processes that used to be manual saves time during manufacturing and reduces the amount of training needed to get employees up to speed.

To use the automated edge detection, the reference model is required. Once this is set, you can define the edges you want deburred, edges not to be deburred, the minimal length of edges that should be detected, and the edges by minimum edge angle.

All that was just a surface-level overview. Watch the video to get a deeper look and begin your journey into a new level of subtractive manufacturing.

Already using the Mold Machining Extension? There’s good news!

The Mold Machining Extension is now the HSM Plus extension. Same part number, same price. So, if you purchased the Mold Machining when it was 3 axis only, and renew its subscription to Creo 8, you’ll automatically get HSM Plus including 3-axis and 5-axis toolpaths.

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Computer-Aided Manufacturing in Creo

Creo offers a spectrum of machining extensions to help you create high-quality, precision products fast. Find the ones that will best serve your business.

See Creo CAM Brochure
Mike Gayette Mike Gayette is a marketing professional and freelance writer based in North Dakota. He writes about engineering software, marketing technology, customer service, and team building. He also spends time at the local humane society as a dog walker and cat entertainer.

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