Plan the machining of an additively manufactured SS316L hydraulic valve body, and check the plan virtually in Siemens NX CAM.
Project “Additive Manufacturing of LBM Parts”. Floor facing, planar milling and threading operations, with toolpaths, simulation and collision checks in Siemens NX CAM. No physical machining was performed.
SchematicOriginal drawing. Generic geometry, not the real part; not a screenshot. Left: generic build-layer lines. Right: existing fixtures, provided (not designed by me).
I developed the virtual CNC machining process and simulation in Siemens NX CAM.
Physical machining trials were not conducted.
I developed the virtual CNC machining process and simulation in Siemens NX CAM. Everything in the chain below happened on screen.
Step through the sequence. The drawing is an original schematic of generic geometry. It shows how the stages relate; it is not the real part and not an NX screen.
The starting point is an additively manufactured hydraulic valve body in SS316L, built by laser beam melting (LBM).
The drawing is a generic block with build-layer lines. It shows the idea of an additive starting form, not the real geometry.
The part is placed in a virtual machining setup in NX CAM. Existing fixtures were integrated into the setup and checked for clamping, accessibility and collisions.
Fixtures were integrated into the setup; I did not design them.
The first operation is floor facing. NX CAM generates the toolpath for it, with the tool selected for the operation.
The second operation is planar milling, also planned and simulated in NX CAM.
Only these two values are shown. Other values for this operation are not published here.
The third operation is threading: thread milling with a thread mill, G1/4. The cutter diameter is about 9.9 mm, derived from the report's cutting data (not a catalogue value).
Collision checks were run in NX CAM as part of the virtual process, including the fixtures in the setup.
The drawing shows the idea of a clearance envelope around the tool and holder. It shows no measured clearance. Section 4 has an interactive version.
Each operation was simulated in NX CAM. The outcome is a virtual process. No part was machined, so there is no physical result to compare it with.
Real NX output from the report is shown in section 4.
| Operation | Cutter Ø | Vc | Spindle | fz | Feed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor facing | 8 mm | 80 m/min | 3180 rpm | 0.02 mm | 255 mm/min, stepover 60 % |
| Planar milling | not shown | 30 m/min | ≈ 1190 rpm | not shown | not shown |
| Thread milling (G1/4) | ≈ 9.9 mm ¹ | 60 m/min | 1930 rpm | 0.01 mm | 77.2 mm/min contour feed |
“Not shown” means the value is not published on this page. No depth of cut is shown for any operation.
¹ Derived, not a catalogue value: 60 m/min at 1930 rpm gives about 9.9 mm, and the ratio of the report's centre-path feed (19.1) to contour feed (77.2) gives the same diameter for a G1/4 thread.
The setup brings the part, the provided fixtures and the tool into one virtual scene, so that clamping, accessibility and collisions can be checked.
SchematicOriginal drawing of generic geometry. The callouts name the checks; they show no result.
Fixtures were integrated into the setup; I did not design them.
Two original explanatory drawings first, then the real NX output from my project report. The drawings explain how things work; the report figures are the documentary evidence.
IllustrativeOriginal abstract raster pattern. The tool marker shows how a toolpath progresses; nothing is removed.
IllustrativeThis shows how a collision check works. It is not a result from the project and shows no measured clearance.
Left to right: toolpath, then simulation, for each operation. Real NX output on the real part, published unchanged. Simulation only; no part was machined.
The evaluation was on screen: toolpaths, simulation and collision checks in NX CAM. None of it was compared with a machined part, because none exists.
Physical machining trials were not conducted. No part was machined.
The skill shown is virtual CNC/CAM process planning. It is not machining experience on a machine.