Remaining Stock Model

Prospector’s Remaining Stock Model (RSM)

The RSM feature always knows and displays where and how much stock is left on the job.  This information is absolutely essential for programming efficient cutter paths.  Unless you know precisely where the stock is, it is simply not possible to create the most efficient programs.

The first part of the process of creating a new program in Prospector is isolating the area(s) in which you want to machine.  A computer-generated image - the RSM View - of the remaining stock is displayed in a separate tabbed view.  The image is color-coded to reflect how much stock is present.  By working with a slider control, the image can be manipulated to highlight specific ranges of stock depths.  This allows you to better understand the stock condition which leads to making better decision about where to machine and how to machine.  Think of it as your own high-tech guidance system telling you where to machine next. 

The RSM View in Prospector

When you indicate where you would like to machine, information to those specific areas is reported.  This includes:

• Minimum radius - the smallest radius in the area.  This is a key piece of information to make a wise choice for tool selection.  Typically your PowerSource rules for tool selection will factor in minimum radius when choosing a tool for the job to make sure the radii can be effectively machined.

• Depth - indicates how deep the area is.  This factors in both part and stock condition.  Understanding the depth for each area is important to selecting tool setups.  Often times if makes sense to program areas of shallow depths together so a shorter tool setup can be used and return later to program the deeper areas with a longer tool setup.
• Stock - reports the maximum amount of stock inside an area.  If a certain area has much more stock than others that you've chosen, it may make sense to machine that separately using a different strategy or an option to walk the cutter down into the stock.

Benefits of the RSM

• Never miss an area.  RSM ensures that an area is the job is not accidentally missed.  It's crystal clear where the stock is so it is just not possible for an operator to miss an area.

• No wasted machine time.  Why cut in areas where the stock has already been removed?  This is probably the #1 problem today with traditional CAM systems that force you to program "blind".  The tendency is to over-machine the job or be too conservative just to "play it safe".
• Smart machining decisions.  The precise information about candidate areas to machine allows PowerSource and the user to make optimal choices for machining strategy, tooling, speeds and feeds as well as ordering of programs.
• RSM data is cumulative and always current.  Starting from either a block or a constant amount of stock over the entire part, the RSM information reflects the affects of all the programs prior to the one you are currently creating.  This is true even if the previous programs were edited or their order was changed.  Even programs run previously in a different setup on the machine are factored into the RSM display.