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Transforming objects in Manufacturing...

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FG4608

Mechanical
Jun 15, 2009
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Is there a way that I can "lock" the tool path so that NX doesn't recalculate it?

Here is my scenario:

I will make a single cavity prototype mold for our customers to approve. After they approve it, I will make a production mold which will have somewhere between 4 and 1000 or so of that same cavity in different locations and rotations.
The problem is that when I move my single cavity into position on the mold layout and start "arraying" (usualy via instances) NX is regenerating every single cavity. This is extremely time consuming in some cases.
Another issue that arised on one of my later projects when I had a raidial cut patern with an arbitrarily selected center point, was that said point did not translate with the cavity, which made the toolpath completely different.

Our customers expect exact duplications of the cavity and if/when they are regenerated that is not always the case anymore. And, all these re-calculation are extremely time consuming and hog my computer resources to the point that I cannot do much of anything else.

I realize that in the case of the radial center point I could have constructed an assosiative point that would have translated with the rest of my cavity. I'm looking more at a broad view here though and need to come up with a system that is secure and stable...

Thanks Beforehand!
 
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in NX6 you can Lock and Approve tool paths.
You can still re-generate them but you will get a message that it is locked. The approve option allows you to Approve an out of date operation.



John Joyce
Tata Technologies
1675 Larimer St.
Denver, CO

NX3,4,5,6 Solid Works, Pro/e, Solid Edge
 
John!

Thank You so much!

I feel like an idiot for not think of that myself but you have no idea what headache you just made dissapear for me!
I thought that function would basically only disable editing of the tool path...

Thanks.
 
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