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28 MMS June 2014 mmsonline.com rapid traverse Machining Technology in Brief W hat happens when the programmer clicks the button to start generating tool paths in CAM software? Truth is, it's hard for the program- mer to tell what the lines of code and the algorithms they represent are going to do. The only way to accurately judge is to evaluate the results after executing the finished program. An interesting look at "what goes on inside" CAM software when it generates a tool path comes from the Dynamic Motion option in CNC Software's Mastercam. The developers say this approach to generating tool paths is unusual because the set of rules followed by this software function are expansive and dif- ferent from the rules most CAM sof tware has traditionally followed. Dynamic Motion Moves Past Old Boundaries BY M a r k a lB e rt The rules for generating a tool path in Dynamic Motion are designed for efficient cutting, not just efficient coverage of an area set by boundaries in the part geometry. Using full flute engagement whereever possible is one rule, for example. Dynamic Motion was originally introduced with the X4 release of the software in 2009. First applied to 2D pocketing, this new approach set the direc- tion for the development of additional applications in toolpath generation. The concepts of Dynamic Motion now underlie five 2D tool paths (including roughing and contouring routines), four 3D tool paths, one routine for rough turning, and two rewrites of blending and peel milling routines. 0614_MMS_rapid.indd 28 5/14/2014 10:00:31 AM