machining STRATEGIST is a powerful 3D CAM product that generates optimum roughing and finishing CNC toolpaths from the complex shapes generated by all major 3D modelling systems. With demands for ever-shorter lead times and improved quality, High Spped Machining (HSM) is becoming more widely adopted in many mould, tool and die shops both in the CADCAM office and on the shop-floor to machine hard materials with increased feeds.

machining STRATEGIST has fast become the technological leader in this area with many unique machining strategies for generating world-class machining programmes. At the same time, many of these strategies can improve the productivity of older CNC machines with dramatically reduced air cutting time and programmes with smooth arcs which help to maintain continuous machine tool motion. Installed in a CADCAM office or on the shop-floor, machining STRATEGIST can take your machining capabilities to new levels and productivity to new heights.

Advanced Rest Machining - Steep and shallow areas are machined in a single toolpath with different strategies - steep and shallow machining - for each. Crucially, rest machining can be calculated in areas where the final cutter is smaller than the curvature of the part.

Point Reduction - All machining passes operations now support enhanced point reduction and arc fitting. Arc fitting is enabled by default for those operations where it is likely to have the biggest benefit. In benchmarking, reductions of over 50% in NC file size have been observed.

Horizontal Finish Machining - Horizontal surface machining has been designed to use a flat-based cutter. This strategy will dramatically reduce the time it takes to finish machine the flat areas on a complex 3D mould, and in finish machining pockets in aerospace components.

Rest Roughing - The system will calculate the rest areas of a selected toolpath - areas left on the surface that have been insufficiently machined - generate a stockmodel with this information, and edit passes to it.
This is a good way to generate efficient toolpaths, reducing air-cutting and shortening the machining time.

Morph Machining - Each pass in a morphed "patch" - the toolpath prior to linking - echoes the shape of the one before, while suggesting the shape of the one after. Akin to machining with the flow of a surface but by creating a set of boundaries with control points, the operator can exercise tight control on how a toolpath flows as it is mapped onto the model.
It is now possible to access two advanced machining presets quickly and easily from the menu, consolidating pencil milling and constant surface stepover.

Parallel Pencil Milling Passes - A set number of passes are offset from an active boundary or existing single line toolpath.
Tapered cutter support extends to carbide insert button cutters, predominantly used for roughing. To leave a tapered finish, it is critical to rough with taper to leave a material-on condition.