Introduction to Punch CAM
Part drawings created with the drawing editor can be prepared for punching using the punch tooling module. This section describes the various steps in this process and tells you how to generate NC programs for punching.
PDG files
MetaCAM uses PDG files (part drawing files) to store part drawings. These consist of drawing information (CAD data) as well as punch tooling information (CAM data) stored in the same file. Turret layout information is also stored in the PDG file. Since all related information is stored in one file, file organization is made simpler. If your copy of MetaCAM is configured for laser machines or hybrid machines (laser + punch), the PDG file will also store other information, such as the laser tooling.
What is punch tooling?
Punch tooling can be applied for all shapes in the drawing, and includes these attributes:
- The tools used.
- The position and angles of punch hits.
- Microjoint and corner joint definitions.
- Action to be applied after a punch hit (eject part through the chute, stop machine etc).
- For machines that support unloaders, unloader positioning and configuration.
- Miscellaneous attributes, like dwell times, M codes. p machine etc.).
Sequence of steps
Here is an approximate sequence of steps that you will follow to generate NC part programs using the punch tooling module. (Note that this sequence is illustrative, and you can usually perform these steps freely in other ways.)
- Create part drawing (using CAD commands described in earlier chapters).
- Choose the machine to generate code for, the material and sheet thickness.
- Set punch tooling preferences, which include various metrics used for automatic tooling, preference settings on how tools should be used, and microjoint and corner joint definitions.
- Mark the inner and outer lines of the part, if necessary.
- Run the punch AutoTooler to analyze the part drawing and automatically generate punch tooling using the preferences set up.
- Inspect/edit the generated tooling using punch inspectors and modify the tooling, if needed.
- Sequence the cutting automatically and/or interactively (this includes automatic repositioning setup to divide tooling that spans multiple machine frames).
- Generate code.
Turret Editor
The Turret Editor is used to view and edit the turret setup for a part. You can mount/dismount tools from the turret and vary the mounting angle of tools within the turret editor. The turret editor displays a schematic view of the turret, with tools loaded in it. The right pane of the turret editor displays the library of all available tools.
- Tools that are already mounted into the turret have greyed-out icons near them, while other tools have colour-coded icons, with the colours matching the station colours in the turret.
- If some stations hold tools that are used in the current part, these station numbers are displayed with a highlighted background.
