Good file management is absolutely critical at all stages of the project, as with any assembly, all associated files need to be kept together in a separate project folder

Reference Model

You should have a part file of your tool – this is your Reference Model – what you going to create. We use the geometry in this model to guide the tool path – edges, curves, surfaces, volumes, holes, etc. – this is dependent on which mill geometry or sequence type you are generating.  It may not be an exact image and may have to be adapted to produce the desired geometry.

 

Workpiece (optional) – the stock material

The optional Workpiece defines the extents of the stock material (as this could be larger than the reference model) and therefore where the machine will create tool movement data.

You will need to resize the default Workpiece to represent your stock material.

 

Setup Process:

in Windows Explorer navigate to TeachDoc/Loughborough Design School where you will find various CNC template folders.  Copy the the appropriate this folder to your personal workspace

1. Rename .asm to your project name – include _mfg in the name to identify it as a manufacturing file rather than a standard assembly file

2. Start Creo 

3. File > Open

4. Navigate to your Individual Workspace, RMB on your CNC project folder, choose ‘Set Working Directory’ – this will now be your default folder

5. Open your CNC assembly (.asm) 

 

 Assemble Reference Model

You MUST use the Assemble Reference Model function to assemble the reference model into the manufacturing environment*

DO NOT drag and drop the reference model

DO NOT use any other method of assembly

Assemble the reference model relative to the workpiece

 

Now you are ready to define the area you wish to machine through a Mill Window and create machining sequences to remove material

 

 

Starting a new Manufacturing file from the current lab default files

New file > Manufacturing file > mfg template

 

 

As in the video above, this will give you the bare bones for starting machining, assemble a reference model, don’t worry about a workpiece and jump straight in with a Mill Window and some roughing.

This process is reliant on some default files and configuration settings which have been installed on the lab PCs.

 

 

* There are potentially lots of components in the NC assembly once you start adding clamps, jigs and fixtures. Your assembled mould tool part is labelled as the Reference Model so that all other geometry is ignored by the NC sequences when generating tool paths.