<!DOCTYPE html
  PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">

<!--
Copyright (c) 2006 UGS Corp.

All Rights Reserved.

This software and related documentation are proprietary to UGS Corp.
-->
<html>
   <head>
      <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
      <title>Form Tools</title>
      <script language="javaScript">
        abridged="false";
        displayConditions=new Array();
      </script>
      <link type="text/css" href="../css/main_styles.css" rel="stylesheet">
   </head>
   <body class="bodydocs" onload="top.pageLoader()" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
      <div class="title_topic4" id="xps10_pagetitle">Form Tools</div>
      <hr noshade="true">
      <p class="para_topic">Form tools have no standardized shape, but are often custom-made tools for a specific use in a part shape. Any type of form tool may be used in NX Turn providing its geometry is saved on layer 2 in its part file.</p>
      <p class="para_topic">There are two different ways to define the shape of a form tool with multiple radii:</p>
      <ul>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Load the geometry description from an NX' part file by retrieving the tool from an external database and providing a tool assembly part file.</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Model the tool parametrically in NX, ensuring that the geometry is found on layer 2.</p>
         </li>
      </ul>
      <p class="para_topic">Defining the tool's shape in a separate part file (may be an assembly) is the easier of the two methods. In this case, the geometry will be converted to a sequence of lines and arcs and stored in the graphics of the cutter tool.</p>
      <p class="para_topic">In the other case the user may enter the line lengths and the radii parameters of the tool shape into the form tool dialog. At the beginning, the polar angle and the length of the first edge have to be specified. The polar angle is specified relative to the positive rotation axis at a tool orientation angle of 0 degree.</p>
      <p class="para_topic">After this, up to 30 elements can be added, each of which contains the following information:</p>
      <ul>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Nose Radius</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Nose Angle (the included angle to the previous edge)</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Edge Length</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Tracking Point Location</p>
         </li>
      </ul>
      <p class="para_topic">An included angle between two subsequent edges with a value &quot;&lt; 180&quot; implies that the included arc is CLW; a value &quot;&gt; 180&quot; implies that the included arc is CCLW.</p>
      <p class="para_topic">Values of 0 are admissible both for radius and edge parameters.</p>
      <p class="para_topic">When Display Tool is pressed, the system will show the profile description of the special tool in the graphics window and also perform a validity check of the tangential condition for all radii included. Also, if the tool shape was taken over from modelled geometry, this test is carried out.</p>
      <p class="para_topic">Eventually, the tool's orientation angle (as with grooving tools) and the spindle direction (CLW, CCLW) must be specified, unless predefined via tool mounting and database access. Here, tool orientation is determined by the angle between the positive rotation axis and the initial edge in the tool description. The other optional attributes mentioned below are the same as in the grooving tool dialogs.</p>
      <p align="center"><img align="bottom" src="graphics/parent_tol_turnfr09.gif"></p>
   </body>
</html>