Finishing sculpted, freeform 3D surfaces by scanning the tool back and forth. Step-over and step-down control how finely the surface is covered.
Typical tools
Ball nose endmills
Controls shown for this operation
Adjustable rows are sliders you can constrain (drag the range handles, type a value, or lock it).
Read-out rows update automatically as you change the others — they show you the effect, but you don’t set them directly.
Tool deflection(mean)
Adjustable
microns /thou
How far the tip of the tool is predicted to bend away under cutting force.
Why it matters: A bending tool cuts where it isn’t supposed to — the result is lost accuracy, tapered walls and chatter. Tightening this limit protects dimensional accuracy and finish, especially with long or slender tools.
Break point
Adjustable
%
How close the cutting forces are to the level that would damage or snap the tool, shown as a percentage of the safe limit.
Why it matters: Your safety margin against a broken tool. 100% means you are right at the edge — keeping this lower trades a little speed for a lot of peace of mind.
Material removal rate
Read-out
cm³/min / in³/min
The volume of material the cut removes every minute.
Why it matters: A productivity read-out, not something you set directly. Watch it rise as you make the other settings more aggressive — it’s the headline number for how fast a roughing job will run.
Workholding security
Adjustable
N / lbf
The sideways force the cut exerts on the part and the fixture holding it.
Why it matters: If this force gets too high it can pull the part out of the vice or fixture mid-cut. Tightening it keeps lightly-clamped or awkward set-ups safe.
Maximum geometric cusp size
Read-out
microns / thou
The height of the tiny ridges (“cusps”) left between adjacent passes.
Why it matters: A read-out that predicts how smooth a finishing or scanning pass will be before any hand-blending. Smaller cusps mean a finer finish but more passes.
Surface roughness
Adjustable
microns (Ra) /thou
The predicted finish quality of the cut surface, expressed as an Ra value.
Why it matters: Lets you dial straight to a finish specification. Lower Ra is smoother but usually means lighter, slower cuts.
Feed per tooth
Read-out
mm/tooth / in/tooth
The thickness of the chip each individual cutting edge takes as it passes through the material.
Why it matters: The fundamental health metric of a cut. Too low and the edges rub instead of cut (rapid wear, heat); too high and you overload the edge. A read-out here that the other settings feed into.
Chip load
Adjustable
mm / in
The thickness of the chip being removed.
Why it matters: Drives tool life, heat and finish. The explorer keeps it in a healthy band for the tool and material; constrain it if you have a preferred chip load for your tooling.
Feed rate
Adjustable
mm/min / in/min
How fast the tool travels through the material (the table feed).
Why it matters: The speed you actually feel on the shop floor. Faster feeds finish the job sooner but raise cutting force, heat and the load on the tool.
Surface speed
Adjustable
m/min / ft/min
The speed of the cutting edge as it sweeps past the material (the cutting speed, Vc).
Why it matters: Set by the material and tool coating — it’s the main driver of cutting heat and tool life. Together with the tool diameter it determines the spindle speed.
Spindle speed
Adjustable
rpm
How fast the spindle turns.
Why it matters: Derived from the surface speed and the tool’s diameter. Constrain it if your machine has a sweet spot or a maximum you need to respect.
Spindle power(mean)
Adjustable
kW /hp
The average power the cut draws from the spindle.
Why it matters: Has to stay within what your machine’s spindle can deliver. Lowering the limit keeps heavier cuts within reach of smaller machines.
Spindle torque
Adjustable
Nm / hp
The twisting force at the spindle.
Why it matters: Matters most for heavy cuts at low rpm, where torque rather than power is the limit. Keep it inside your machine’s torque curve.
Stock to leave
Adjustable
mm / in
A thin layer of material deliberately left on the surface.
Why it matters: Leaves clean-up material for a later finishing pass, so the roughing cut doesn’t mark the final surface. Set it to match your finishing allowance.
Step over
Adjustable
mm / in
The distance between one finishing pass and the next, measured across the surface.
Why it matters: The finish-versus-time dial for surfacing. A small step-over leaves a finer surface with smaller cusps but needs many more passes.
Step down
Read-out
mm / in
The vertical distance between passes as the tool scans down a surface.
Why it matters: A read-out for the vertical pass spacing on a scanning pass; works with step-over to set how finely the surface is covered.
Tool approach direction
Adjustable
degrees
The angle at which the tool approaches the surface on a freeform pass.
Why it matters: Changes which part of the tool does the cutting and how cleanly it contacts the surface — a useful lever for finish on sculpted shapes.