Maple Leaf

Two Rail Sweep

This tutorial demonstrates how to create a maple leaf from vector
artwork using the Two Rail Sweep relief option that has been
introduced to ArtCAM Insignia.

Preparing the model

You will begin by opening a previously saved ArtCAM model of vector
artwork made by the bitmap-to-vector tool.
1 From the Start panel, click
displayed.

Open Model. The Open dialog box is

2 Select the Maple Leaf.art file, and then click Open. If you want to
work in inch values, from the Model toolbar, open Maple Leaf
inch.art. The ArtCAM model is opened, with vector artwork in the
2D View window:

3 To Hide the image click on the lightbulb next to Bitmaps in the

Project Tree. This will toggle off all Bitmap Layers.

Maple Leaf 1

4 Click

Two Rail Sweep in the Relief Creation toolbar.

5 This opens the two rail sweep dialog box.

Select the vector to the right of the leaf and

then the Select button for Top Drive Rail
under Select Control Vectors. The vector
should now be marked as A and have
arrows pointing in a downward direction.

Select the second vector to the left of the

leaf and then the Select button for Bottom
Drive Rail. The vector will be marked as B
and should have arrows pointing in the
same direction as A.
To change the direction of the sweep
you can click the boxes under Reverse
Direction of Drive Rails.
The Z control vector option is not used in this tutorial, but it
allows you to specify a vector to control the Z modulation of the
sweep.

6 Select the longer of the two wavy vectors at the top and then the
Add Cross Section button in the second part of the dialog box.
You will see a new label 1 on the top of the rail vectors.

Select the shorter vector at the top and then the Add Cross
Section button. A new label 2 will appear at the bottom of the rail
vectors.
You can edit the cross section pattern by adding the first
wavy vector again, and change the position of any cross
section by clicking
the position button. To delete a cross
section click
the red cross.

7 Set the Combine mode to

Add and click Calculate. Close the
dialog box and switch to the 3D View tab.
8 Select
View

Toggle Vector Visibility to view the vectors in 3D

9 Select the leaf outline vector and open the

select Zero Rest and close.

Shape Editor,

10 Select the stem vector and open the

Shape Editor, set a
Dome relief at 45, Start Height 3.5mm (0.13), Merge High.
11 Switch back to 2D View.
Now you will add texture to the leaf face using the original bitmap
image of the leaf.
12 Select

Texture Relief in the Relief Editing toolbar.

13 Select the leaf outline vector

and then Selected Vector
14 Choose the From File radio
buttons in the dialog box and
Click File... Open maple-leaf1.jpg
15 If you are working in inch,
change the Z Height to (0.025")
16 Switch back to 3D view and in
the dialog box click Add and
close.

Maple Leaf 3

Machining
1 Click
Toolpaths in the Projects tree and then
Relief.

Machine

2 Make sure Whole Relief is selected as the Area to Machine and

then click the red text below Finishing Options.
3 Use Ball Nose 1.5mm (Ball Nose 1/16 inch) with 0.25mm
(0.0075) stepover. Set the Tolerance to 0.02mm (0.001)
A nicer finish can be achieved by changing the toolpath to fit
the part. In this case change the finishing raster Angle to 90
so the machining direction flows with the leaf shape.
4 Under Roughing Options use End Mill 12mm (End Mill
inch) with 3mm (0.1) stepdown.
5 Check Define Material. Set Material Z Zero to the top and then
click Calculate Now.
6 In the Projects tree right-click
Toolpaths and then select
Simulate All Toolpaths followed the Simulate Toolpaths.
7 To apply a material to the simulation, click Simulation in the
Projects Tree, select one from the Material list box and click
Apply.
8 To save the calculated toolpaths, click
Save Toolpaths
under Toolpath Operations. The Save Toolpaths dialog box
is displayed with all of the generated toolpaths in the Toolpaths
to save window.

11 In the Save Options area, select the check box to Save

Toolpaths to Separate Files

12 In the File name box, type Leaf and Browse to where you
wish to save the files.
13 Click Save. The toolpath files are now ready for you to load on
your machine.

Maple Leaf 5