Regardless of the options you use to define the tool shape, each and every tool will allow you to enter the Profile Radius (4). This is the main radius of the tool.

The most prominent aspect of the tool is its main radius (M), and the position of that radius. This is referred to as the Profile Position, and requires two parameters to define it properly.  The first is the Axial definition. The axial definition can be defined with either Distance(M), which is the height of the arc center from the tool tip, or with the Reference Diameter, which is what the diameter at the tool tip would be if there were no corner radius. In the table below, you will see each choice, the parameter it presents, and an image of that parameter.

The Flute Height by parameter gives you the option to define the height of the flutes by either the upper diameter, or the flute length. In the table below, you will see each choice, the parameter it presents, and an image of that parameter.

There are three options when it comes to the corner radius of the tool. You can choose between either None, Corner, or Full. When None is chosen there is no parameter added and no corner radius is added. When Corner is chosen the Corner Radius (5) is added to allow you to enter the specify radius to use. When Full is chosen there is no parameter added, no additional parameter is added, but the tool will utilize the widest point of the radius from the center of the tool to round the bottom as shown in the image below. In the table below, you will see each choice, the parameter it presents, and an image of that parameter.

Choosing the Contact point option then allows you to specify how that contact point is defined with the Contact point definition parameter. You can place this contact point on the tool by defining either:

This topic will explain a little about Barrel Mills, describe how to access them, will list the operations they can be used for, and will explain the definition of the Advanced type in detail.

The values used for the contact point are between 0 and 1 which represent 0% to 100% of the flute height, or along the profile line.

While many barrel mill tools are fairly easy to define, such as the Tangent or Taper styles, some of the barrel mill style tools can go a little outside the scope of the standard definitions. In cases like these, use the Advanced Barrel Mill. The Advanced Barrel Mill is the only one of the barrel mill types that allows you options on particular features when defining the profile of the tool.

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This example will also display images showing the what the current state would look like in simulation although it never instructs you to simulate the part. This example is designed to help illustrate:

Important: Distance(M) (8): This value will typically be negative, unless the arc and its center are on the same side of the revolved axis as seen in the images below.

In the Tool axis control page, you can set Tool axis will ... to Be tilted relative to cutting direction. You will then have the option to Set side tilt by. This tilt of the tool can then be defined by either:

Note: While the Full profile is active for all tools, the Barrel section is available only for Barrel Mill tool types. The Convex tip section option is only available for the Double Profile, and Lens barrel types.

This example will demonstrate a generic job being finished with a Tangent barrel tool. This short example will display images of the toolpath as it would appear if you were to Compute at that time although it does not instruct you to calculate until the end.

By utilizing the contact point, and setting a To value, you can force the tool to begin the toolpath at one contact point, and end at another:

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To create or edit Barrel Mill tools you will need to access the Tool Library. This can be accomplished in one of the following ways:

Tip: In general it is good practice to use a much looser tolerance than required so you can calculate after every value or parameter you update. This way you will not have to wait long to see the result, and you will be able to see what the result is from the single change made instead of wondering which of the changes you made contributed to which aspect of the updated toolpath.

The second definition needed to describe the main radius of the tool (M), and its position, is the Profile Position by (Radial). This can be defined by either the Distance(M), or the Max Diameter. The Distance(M) describes the distance from the center of the main radius to the center of the tool. The Max Diameter describes the full diameter of the tool itself, and not necessarily the radius (M) of the profile. In the table below, you will see each choice, the parameter it presents, and an image of that parameter.