Setting up tools
ReliefCAM computes exactly where a cutter's tip has to be so that its shape touches the relief and does not cut into it. That is only as good as the tool you describe — measure your cutters rather than trusting the packaging.
Types
- Ball nose — the usual finishing tool for reliefs. Its round end follows curves smoothly.
- Flat end mill — fast roughing; leaves steps on slopes.
- Bull nose — a flat end with rounded corners: a roughing tool that leaves less on slopes.
- V-bit — a cone of a given angle; fine detail, but a sharp point wears quickly.
- Tapered ball — a ball end on a cone: fine detail with a strong shank, for deep reliefs.
Numbers
- Diameter — the cutting diameter. For a V-bit or a tapered ball it is the widest part that cuts; the tip diameter and the angle describe the point.
- Flute length — how deep the tool can cut. Roughing never steps down further than this.
- Tool number — the number used in tool-change lines (
T1,T2…) and, with G43, the tool table entry. - Feed, plunge feed and spindle speed — the defaults for operations that use this tool. Each is checked against your machine's limits.
The starter set
Add the starter set creates six common tools — a 6 mm flat end mill, 6, 3 and 1.5 mm ball noses, a 6 mm tapered ball with a 1 mm tip and a 90° V-bit — with conservative feeds for wood. Edit them to match the cutters you actually have.
A tool used by a project cannot be deleted; archive it instead, and it stops appearing in the lists.