Export/Import CAD Routes
CAD routing is supported in Praxis. Use factory routes and export/import to assign and edit the CAD routes. The Export CAD routes command will export the assigned routes to a CSV spreadsheet. The Import CAD routes command validates and imports the edited sheet. The Reset CAD routes will reset the defined routes to the default.
For cutting machines, Praxis defines the dimension and thickness limits. The Export command uses these constraints and exports the default route sheet when this command is used without setting the custom routes. The sheet includes a list of all raw materials and machines. The first three rows define the sheet data, the length unit, and the columns. The rest of the rows enumerate the individual CAD routes.
A route contains the condition that a part would be matched against as well as machine flags that are enabled or disabled. A flag value of 1 enables the machine, and an empty or 0 value suppresses it.
Route Conditions
The route condition includes parameters like Material, SpecialTool, MinWidth, MaxWidth, MinHeight, and MaxHeight. Except for the material, all others are optional.
Material
This column defines the raw-material condition. Use this to assign the appropriate machine to a particular raw material. For instance, this condition can be used to assign bus-bar materials only to the Franklin and EHRT machines.
MinWidth and MaxWidth
Use these optional columns to override the machine table sizes or retarget parts to different machines based on part size.
The image below displays one such example. With these rules, the tooling for the Steel-25 parts would be assigned to different machines based on the part’s width. For Steel-15, the width condition is not defined, so all Steel-15 parts would get tooled for assigned laser machines.
Special Tool
This section is used to define custom tools/shapes-based routes.
Route Matching
The CAD routes defined in this sheet are matched at the time of the cut and bend tooling. The part being auto-tooled is matched against each route for every cutting machine and is tooled for the target machine if any of the routes permit the machine. Care must be taken while adding the routing entries to avoid overlapping conditions.
Editing the Routing Table
The typical workflow for adding CAD routes to Praxis is:
- Export the default route sheet
- Edit the sheet
- Import it back
Praxis would warn if there were an error in the edited sheet. When a new machine is added, the exported routes include the machine in the machine’s column. The machine is not enabled in the individual route’s rows, and you will need to enable it by setting the spreadsheet cell value to 1 for the relevant rows. The entry for new raw materials will have to be made manually. By default, the parts will tool up for all machines if the raw – material entry is missing.
