The Stock Material Library

Introduction

This topic will explain the Stock Material Library, describe how to access it, the parameters found in it, and will provide links to related topics.

Stock Material Library

The Stock Material Library contains all of the information for the available stock materials. You can create and modify the Material Groups which contain multiple Material Types. Material Types can also be created, modified, and added to the Material List. The Material List groups the materials by grade and lists them in alphabetical order.

 

The feeds and speeds for each Material Type are fully adjustable, and these parameters are set in the Stock Material Feeds and Speeds dialog box which is displayed when you click Add Material or Modify Material in the Stock Material Library dialog box.

 

All jobs contain a Stock Material item in the tree that defines the stock material from which the part is cut. The selected material type is used for automatic feeds and speeds calculations in the CAM Wizards.

Navigation

To access the Stock Material Library, do one of the following:

 

  • In the CAM Tree, right-click CAM Defaults, and click Material Library.

 

This method is used when you want to create or modify the stock materials and/or the speeds and feeds of a material.

 

  • In the CAM Tree (under Stock or Sheets), right-click the current Material Name, and click Edit.

 

To set the default Stock Material for the job:

 

  • Select the desired material in the Material List, and click OK to close the dialog box and update the material selection.

 

This method is used to select the Stock Material type that is used for the job. This is done to define what calculations are used in the wizard for automatic Feeds and Speeds.

 

You can still create or modify the parameters in the Stock Material Library before selecting the desired stock material for the job.

Parameters

Material Group - lists the general classifications of available materials such as aluminum, cast iron, or plastic. Click the desired material type to populate the Material list with all the available material types for that group.

    • Add Group - opens the Add New Material Group dialog box. Type the name of the group, and click OK to add the new group to the Material Group list.
    • Delete Group - removes the selected Material Group from the list. A dialog box appears to confirm. Click Yes to remove the selected Material Group. Click No to cancel deleting the group.
    • Rename Group - allows you to edit the selected Material Group name. Type the new name and press Enter to finish. Renaming can also be accomplished by slowly clicking the Material Group twice.

 

Material List - shows all of the available materials for the selected Material Group. The materials are listed in alphabetical order by Material Type and they are grouped by material grades. Each material type shows the SFM (surface feet per minute) or SMM (surface meters per minute, CLF (chip load per flute), and Plunge CLF for each tool material type, such as Carbide or HSS.

 

All of the following options are used with the Material List. You must first select the desired material in the Material List, and then select one of the following options.

 

    • Set As Default - makes the selected Stock Material the default material in the CAM Tree.
    • Move To Favorites - moves the selected material to the Favorites - Material Group folder. This folder is automatically created the first time you click Move to Favorites.

 

Important: When selecting Move To Favorites, the selected material is removed from the current folder and added to the Favorites folder. The information is not copied.

 

    • Add Material - opens the Stock Material Feeds and Speeds dialog box. Type all necessary information for the new material and click OK. The new material is added to the Material list in the selected Material Group.
    • Delete Material - removes the selected material from the Material List. A dialog box appears to confirm. Click Yes to delete the material, or click No to cancel deleting the material.
    • Modify Material - opens the Stock Material Feeds and Speeds dialog box to allow you to modify the parameters of the selected material. Click OK to accept the changes. You can also double-click a material to modify its parameters.

 

 

  • Import .ccond - displays the Open dialog box allowing you to import Cutting Conditions files from earlier versions of BobCAD-CAM. When you import a cutting condition file (.ccond), the information is automatically placed in a Material Group called Old Cutting Conditions. The cutting conditions files default location for older versions was C:\BobCAD-CAMCAD-CAM V##\Milling Technology\Cutting

 

  • Save Material Library - is used to save the Stock Material Library information immediately. Otherwise, the library information is automatically saved when you exit the software. This information is saved to an .xml file in the BobCAD-CAM Data folder.

Related Topics

The Stock Material Feeds and Speeds Dialog Box

The CAM Overview