[Delcam_Gadsden]

Find out more at http://www.powermill.com/rc9 - video based tutorials on what's new in PowerMILL 9

[SnakeD0ct0r]

Does powermill have any way of controling the feed rate when the tool is in contact on both the bottom and side in steep areas while surface machining?

[Delcam_Gadsden]

By default the feedrate in PowerMILL is constant and is defined on the ‘Feeds and Speeds’ form, it does not take into consideration how much of the tool is engaged in material.

There is an option on this form to make an automatic adjustment of feed and speed based upon the working diameter of the tool. The user simply enters the depth of cut and the slope angle and PowerMILL will adjust the speed and feed accordingly. This adjustment is made for the WHOLE toolpath.

The only other solution is to manually edit the feederate within a localized region of the toolpath using a boundary. The feederate within this boundary is defined as a percentage of the nominal feederate.

[AM_MCM]

Could you go into more detail about this feature? Is it only available in PowerMILL 9?

[D.L]

Re to SnakeD0ct0r,
Yes it can, this is one of the key features.
This software is much more complex for machining than say Mastercam or older Hypermill.
Only trouble is, there are no cad drafting functions, pity.
Step over can be controlled evenly on any surface which is it's winning ticket as well as feed control.

[locksmith]

o

[D.L]

Well Powermill Ver7 was like this, cad cam is like a hammer or a screwdriver.
Don't keep updating just measure how big your member is.
Clunkey old no frills Mastercam V8 is good enough for home use.
If you are not a hobbyist then a business could benefit from saving 10 seconds per part over 65 seconds, but I am not here for that.
Shake hands with a sales rep if business is your bag.