Modeling and Mold Making

Rhinoceros ®
Advanced Training Series
Modeling and Mold Making

for Jewelry Designers
Rhinoceros Modeling and Mold Making for Jewelry Designers
Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved.
Rhinoceros is a registered trademark and Rhino is a trademark of

Robert McNeel & Associates.
Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. ii

Table of Contents
Introduction ...........................................................................................1
To use the tutorial 1
Product links 2
Start modeling with Rhino 2
Draw the first curves 3
Edit the second curve 4
Define the side profile 5
Connect the curves 6
Create the inner edge 7
Draw the side profiles 9
Create the first surface 10
Reshape the surface 14
Add interest 16
Mirror the surface 18
Finish the interior 20
Trim half the ring 22
Hollow the ring 23
Cap the surface ends 29
Create the first mold part 30
Create the gate 32
Create the second mold part 35
Create the second part 36
Analyze the model 37
Using VisualMill ....................................................................................40
The machining process 40
Open the model 40
Orientation the part 41
Create a stock box 43
Create cutting tools 45
Check speeds and feeds 46
Define a machine operation 47
Remove material from flat areas 50
Use analysis tools 52
Remove stepover notches 53
Define regions 54
Finish the registration keys 56
Final finishing 58
Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. iii
Compare the part and stock 60

Generate tool paths 60
Set up the second part 62
Create cutting tools 63
Create a machine operation 63
Define regions 65
Define parallel finishing 65
Define pencil tracing 67
Set speeds and feeds 68
Final finishing 69
Generate the tool paths 71
Congratulations! 71
Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. iv

Introduction
The purpose of this tutorial is to make a two-part mold that will let you produce a ring, or
actually, half of the ring. Wax will be poured into the mold and the finished pieces will be
used in lost wax technique production.
Rhinoceros and VisualMill, the latest advanced computer modeling and manufacturing
programs, make it easy to:
• revise and change designs
• create a line of pieces based on one model
• reproduce fine detail
• create a library of reusable parts
This tutorial covers the basic steps for creating and milling a mold for prototyping or
manufacturing.
Model the part
` Create a model of a ring shape in Rhino.
Model the mold
` Use the model of the ring shape to create the mold.
Create cutting instructions
` Import the model of the mold into VisualMill to create cutting

instructions for a milling machine.
` Send the instructions to the machine to cut the part. This process
varies according to the machine and is not covered in this
tutorial.
To use the tutorial

1 If you do not have the VisualMill program installed, install the Evaluation version
from the tutorial CD.
2 Work through the tutorial steps.
Start by designing the curves that are needed to build the surfaces of the ring you
are going to produce, and then you will work through the steps required for the
construction of the two-part mold.
Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 1

Product links
Rhinoceros
Start with sketches, drawings, physical models, or only an
idea—Rhino provides the tools to accurately model your
designs ready for rendering, animation, drafting,
engineering, analysis, and manufacturing.
www.rhino3d.com
VisualMill
VisualMill is a 3-axis solid/surface milling package, which
seamlessly integrates fast, gouge-free tool path generation
with cut material simulation in an easy and fun to use
package running on standard Windows hardware. VisualMill
can drive a machine such as a CNC router or milling
machine such as those manufactured by Techno-isel or
Roland Digital Group of America. www.mecsoft.com
Roland Digital Group of America

Affordable desktop CNC scanning and milling machines
such as the CAMM3, PNC 2500, and the new MDX 500 for
use in the jewelry and educational markets.
www.rolanddga.com
Techno-isel
CNC routers for the sign making, woodworking, prototyping
and educational markets. www.techno-isel.com
Start modeling with Rhino

You can start with a blank file and create the model yourself or you can open the model
provided and follow along with the parts that are already there.
To start a new model
If you want to actually create this model yourself, you can start a blank Rhino file
and draw all the parts as directed in this tutorial.
1 From the File menu, click New (File menu: New).
2 In the Template File dialog box, select Centimeters.3dm and click OK.
To open the sample model
If you want to simply open the model provided, you can turn various layers on and
off to see how the curves and surfaces were created.
1 From the File menu, click Open (File menu: Open).
2 In the Open dialog box, select Competed Mold.3dm, and click OK.
The initial curves are displayed on layers 01 Curves 1, 2, 3, 02 Curves 4, 5,
and 03 Curve 6.
In addition, the Properties command for each curve lists the curve name, so you
can follow along with the tutorial instructions.

To set the grid snap spacing
1 Open the Document Properties dialog box (File menu: Properties).

2 On the Grid page, set the Grid Snap Spacing to 0.5 and click OK.
3 On the Status bar, click Snap to turn snap on.
Draw the first curves

While constructing the curves, it is very important to check their symmetry and
appearance as you go along. Spend some time changing them or shaping them. The shape
of the surfaces depends on the construction of the original curves.
There is never one single strategy in building a surface. You can use your imagination to
create the shapes you want, but keep the limitations of the manufacturing processes you
are going to use in mind.
To draw curve 1
Curve 1 is the center circle of the ring.

1 Start the Circle command (Curve menu: Circle > Center, Radius).
2 At the Center of circle … prompt, type 0,0,0.
This sets the center of the circle at the origin point in space.
3 At the Radius … prompt, type 8 or drag the radius 8 units.
Curve 1 is a circle.
To draw curve 2
Draw the left half of the outline of the ring.

1 Start the InterpCrv command (Curve menu: Free-form > Interpolate Points).
2 At the Start of curve … prompt, start the curve on a snap point on the centerline
(y-axis).
3 At the Next point of curve … prompt, draw another point to define your curve

4 At the Next point of curve … prompts, continue to draw points, ending on a grid
snap point on the center line.
Draw curve 2.
Edit the second curve

You are going to make a mirrored copy of curve 2 to create the other half of the outside
ring profile. This brings up an important point about the point where the two mirrored
curves will meet. There should be no dip or point when the curves meet. To accomplish
this requires just a little point editing on the curve.
To edit the control points for curve 2
1 Turn on the control points for curve 2 (Edit menu: Control Points > Control Points
On (F10)).
2 Look at each end of the curve.
The important factor is that the control point at the end of the curve and the next
control point are perfectly aligned horizontally.
The important factor is that the control point at the end of the curve and the next
control point are perfectly aligned horizontally. If they are not, move the second
control point using grid snap, a construction line, Ortho, or the SetPt command
(Transform menu: Set Points). This will ensure that after it is mirrored, the
transition between the two halves of the mirrored curve will be tangent and
horizontal.
For more information about this, see the Rhino Help file topic on continuity.
Line up the two control points at the top end of the curve.

Line up the two control points at the lower end of the curve.
To mirror the curve
` Mirror the curve across the y-axis (Transform menu: Mirror).

Use End object snap and Ortho so the ends of the curve touch each other exactly.
This creates curve 3.
Mirror the curve in the Top viewport.
Define the side profile

Design curves 4 and 5. These curves define the shape of the ring seen from the right side.
It is important to carefully place the start and end points of both curves with respect to
the curves you have drawn so far. In the Perspective viewport you can see that the
curves start at the endpoint of the mirrored curves.
Curves 4 and 5 in the Perspective viewport.

In the Right viewport, you can see that they end directly over the inner circle.
Curves 4 and 5 in the Right viewport, showing the relationship to the center circle.
To draw curves 4 and 5
1 Select the inner circle so you can see it highlighted and use it as a guide.
2 Start the InterpCrv command (Curve menu: Free-form > Interpolate Points).
Start drawing the curves in the Perspective or Top viewport.
Use grid snap for the start of the curve to accurately place the beginning and end
points.
To design your curve more freely, you can turn off grid snap for the intermediate
points.
3 Continue drawing the curve in the Right viewport.
4 Use grid snap or point filters (.x, .y, .z) to line the end of the curve up with the
circle.
Connect the curves

To complete the side profile of the ring, draw a curve to connect curves 5 and 6 then
mirror the side profile curves to examine the whole shape.
To complete the side profile of the ring:
1 Use the InterpCrv command to draw curve 6 to connect curves 4 and 5 (Curve
menu: Free-form > Interpolate Points).
Curve 6 connects curves 4 and 5.

You have defined the complete half of the outline of the ring viewed from the right
side and from the top.
At this stage it is a good idea to check all the proportions and to see if some
adjustment might be needed to give the ring a better shape.
2 For a better idea of how your design is developing, Mirror curves 4, 5, and 6
across the world y-axis in the right viewport so that you can see the complete ring
profile as seen from the right side (Transform menu: Mirror).
You will not be using this mirrored curve for constructing the model, so you can
delete it when you are satisfied that the shape is what you want.
Mirror the curves to study the design of the entire profile.
Create the inner edge

You are now going to create a curve that defines the inner edge of the ring. This curve is
shaped the way curve 6 is in the right view and the way curve 1 is in the top view. It is a
sort of bent circle. Rhino has a command that creates this curve based on these curves.
To create curve 7 from curves 1 and 6
1 Select curves 1 and 6.
Curves 1 and 6 are used to create curve 7.

2 Use the Crv2View command to create curve 7 (Curve menu: From 2 Views).
Curve 7, the top edge of the ring.

3 If curve 7 is not a single object, use the Join command to join the parts of the
curve into one (Edit menu: Join).
Refine the curve

There may be too many control points in this curve. Curves with very high number of
control point create dense surfaces. It is better to use only as many control points as are
necessary to maintain the shape you want.
The next step will be to reduce the number of control points in the curve.
Curve 7 has too many control points.
To rebuild the curve
1 Turn on the control points on curve 7 (Edit menu: Point Editing > Control
Points On).
2 Press Esc to turn off the control points.
3 Use the Rebuild command to set the number of control points to 10 (Edit menu:
Rebuild).
Preview the curve to check whether the rebuilt curve is going to be too different
from your original curve.

Use the Delete input option to remove the original curve.
Rebuild the curve with 10 control points.
Draw the side profiles

Design the curves that define the profile of the ring when viewed in the Front viewport.
It will be useful to draw the line (curve 8) that will be used for finding the point where a
line drawn from the center of the original circle intersects curve 2. This is the point where
the side profile curve starts.
To draw the side profile curves
1 Use the Line command with Snap or Ortho to draw a horizontal line from the
center of the original circle to out beyond curve 2 as shown (Curve menu: Line >
Single Line).
Construction line for drawing the side profile.

2 Use the Curve command and the Intersection object snap to draw a curve that
starts at the intersection of curve 2 and your construction line (Curve menu: Free-
form > Control Points).
Use the Front viewport for drawing the curve. It should end touching curve 7.
Again, the control points should line up. In the example curve, there are only three
control points, which form a right angle.

Draw the side profile curve.

3 Trim away the left half of the curve that forms the upper edge of the ring at the
side profile curves (Edit menu: Trim).
You now have all the curves you need for creating this model.
Use these curves to create the ring surface.
Create the first surface

You are about to build your first surface from the curves. You will be using only the curves
on the right half of the model.
To create the first surface
1 Extrude with the Straight option the profile curve a short distance to the left
(negative x-direction) as shown (Surface menu: Extrude > Straight).
Extrude the profile curves at the bottom.

2 Extrude the other profile curve and the outline curve as shown (Surface menu:
Extrude > Straight).
Extrude the profile curve at the top and the outline curve.
This creates a series of construction surfaces. The NetworkSrf command can use
these surfaces to establish a direction for the surface.
3 Hide the curves so they do not interfere with selecting the surface edges (Edit
menu: Visibility > Hide).
Hide the selected curves you used to extrude the construction surfaces.
4 Start the NetworkSrf command (Surface menu: From Curve Network).
Select the edges of the dummy surfaces, the top curve, and the interior profile
curve as shown.
Set the Edge matching to Curvature for the surface edges (B, C, and D in the
illustration) and Position for the open curve at the top edge (A in the illustration).

Create a surface from curve network.

The surface may take a few minutes to generate.
The surface from curve network.

5 Rebuild the surface with 8 points in the u-direction and 15 in the v-direction. (Edit
menu: Rebuild)
The u and v-directions may be different for your surface. The direction depends on
the order you selected the curves for the NetworkSrf command.

Rebuild the surface.

Be sure your picture looks like the image on the left, not the image on the right
below.
The surface should look like this. Not like this.

6 Mirror the ring half (Transform menu: Mirror).
Mirror the rebuilt surface across the y-axis.

7 Use the MatchSrf command to match the two surface edges for tangency with the
settings shown (Surface menu: Surface Edit Tools > Match).
Match the two surfaces with tangent matching.

8 Use the MergeSrf command to turn the two surfaces into one (Surface menu:
Surface Edit Tools > Merge).
When selecting the surfaces, pick near the top of the ring in the Front viewport.
Reshape the surface

The surface is quite dense in spite of efforts at keeping the control point count low on the
input curves.
To make the surface easier to work with, rebuild the surface so that it has fewer control
points.
To reduce the control point count for the surface
1 Turn on the control points of the surface (Edit menu: Point Editing > Control Points
On).
As you can see there are plenty to allow for modifications.
Control points on the surface.

2 Select one control point in the fourth row from the larger edge like the one shown
below.
Select one point in a row of points.

3 Use the SelV command to select all the control points in the same v-direction row
(Edit menu: Control Points > Select Control Points > Select V).
Select the row of points with the SelV command.

Note: The surface direction may be different from the example model. If this is
the case, use the SelU command to select the row of points so it matches
the image above.
4 Use the Scale2D command to move all the control points in this row toward the
center of the ring (Transform menu: Scale > Scale 2-D).
5 For the origin point, type 0,0,0.
This is the center of the inner circle if you have not moved your model.
6 For the first reference point, in the Top viewport, drag the line out from the origin
to near the row of points.
Scaling brings all the points toward the center.

7 For the second reference point, drag the line down toward the center of the circle
until the control points in your selected row are near the next inner row.
Watch the isocurves. Make sure the isocurve associated with the row of points you
are scaling does not cross over the next row toward the center. This will cause an
undercut in the ring surface.
Use Scale2D to move the row of points in.
Add interest
The free-form modification of the surface is not over yet. You need to work on it a little bit
more to make it more interesting. In the next step you are going to edit groups of control
points to add some bulginess to the surface.
To create bulges in the surface
1 Select the three groups of control points shown below: the three rows at the top
center and matching groups on each side.
Select rows of control points.

2 Use the Scale2D command to move all the control points in this row away from the
center of the ring (Transform menu: Scale > Scale 2-D).
3 For the origin point, type 0,0,0.

4 For the first reference point, in the Top viewport, drag the line out from the origin
to the row of points.
Use grid snap to maintain control over the location of your reference points.
5 For the second reference point, drag the line up to the grid snap point two units
away from the original point.
Scale the control points out from the center.

This creates three bulges in the ring surface.

6 Use the EMap command to examine the ring with a gold texture map (Analyze
menu: Surface > Environment Map).
The EMap command displays the ring with a gold texture.

You can see that the overall shape of the ring, especially from the top looking at the
border, is changing considerably. Working with control points might be sometimes a bit
time consuming, but it is a method for manipulating surfaces that is worth trying.
Feel free to try any solution you may find interesting or useful to modify the control
points. This is just one of many possibilities.
Mirror the surface

Mirror the ring half, match and merge the two ring halves into one surface.
To create the other half of the ring
1 Use the Mirror command to create the other ring half (Transform menu: Mirror).
Use the Front or Right viewport.
Mirror the ring half.

2 Use the MatchSrf command to match the tangency of the surface edges (Surface
menu: Edit Tools > Match).
3 Use the MergeSrf command to make the two surfaces into one (Surface menu:
Edit Tools > Merge).
4 At the Select untrimmed surface to merge … prompt, set the Smooth option
to No.
Since you already matched the surface edges so they are tangent, you do not need
to smooth the surfaces together with the MergeSrf command.
The merged ring halves.

5 Check the ring with the Zebra command (Analyze menu: Surface > Zebra).
Check the surface with Zebra analysis.

Finish the interior

You now only have the interior surface of the ring to finish. Use the Loft command to
complete this surface.
To create the interior surface
1 Start the Loft command and select the two edges of the surface as shown below
(Surface menu: Loft).
Loft the surface edge curves.

2 At the Adjust curve seams … prompt, press Enter if the curve seams line up as
they do in the image below.
Adjust curve seams.

3 Accept the default Loft Options.
Default Loft options.

4 Join all the parts to create one object from the interior loft surface and the main
ring surface (Edit menu: Join).

5 As a clean-up of the finished product, use the FilletEdge command to create a fillet
with a 0.5 mm radius at both of the interior edges of the ring so that there is a
smooth transition between the two surfaces (Solid menu: Fillet Edge).
Check model for unjoined edges
` Use the ShowEdges command to check the joined ring model for unjoined (naked)
edges (Analyze menu: Edge Tools > Show Edges).
Since the model will eventually be exported to a milling program, a closed model
will be required. It is a good idea to check the model at intervals to catch modeling
problems like this early.
Check for unjoined edges.
Examine the finished ring with environment mapping
Look at the ring in its entirety using the EMap command.

1 With the EMap command, try polished_gold.jpg to represent the material to be
simulated (Analyze menu: Surface > Environment Map).
Examine the finished ring with environment mapping.

2 Use the Turntable command to continuously rotate the view of the ring.
Any modification to the finished piece should be done now, because the next steps
concentrate on making the mold.

Save a copy
In the next sections you are going to cut up the ring to make mold parts, so make a copy
of the completed ring surface and store it on a separate layer.
To prepare the ring model for making the mold model
1 Use the Copy command with the InPlace option to create a copy of the ring (Edit
menu: Copy).
2 Use the ChangeLayer command to place the ring copy on a new layer (Edit menu:
Layers > Change Object Layer).
3 Turn the new layer off.
Trim half the ring

A surface is needed that will subtract an amount of volume from the thick part of the ring
in order to make it hollow.
One of the strategies used to accomplish this task is to create section curves of the ring
surface. Since the upper and the lower part of the ring are evidently symmetrical, only the
lower half is needed.
You created the whole ring so you could complete the design, but you only need half the
ring to make a mold, so before you start, trim away the top half the ring.
To split the ring into two halves
1 In the Right viewport, use the CutPlane command to draw a cutting plane along
the world y-axis that extends beyond the ring (Surface menu: Plane > Cutting
Plane).
Create a cutting plane through the ring.

The cutting plane.

2 Use the Trim command to trim away the top half of the ring with the cutting plane
(Edit menu: Trim).
3 Delete the cutting plane surface.
The trimmed ring half.
Hollow the ring

Create a box from which to subtract a part, leaving a hollow space that will be exactly
shaped like half the ring. If you were to use the entire ring as it is now, it would make a
heavy, solid lump of metal that require a lot of time-consuming and expensive handwork
to bring it to an acceptable weight.
The finished mold parts.

For the next part of this tutorial, you will create a hollow in the ring. You want to produce
a mold that lets you control the thickness of the finished piece. To finish the piece, a
goldsmith will weld the two parts and complete the finishing process.

Create curves on the surface

First make curves that lie on the ring surface. Then offset these curves by 1 mm toward
the inside. These inner curves will be used to create the hollowing surface.
You might think to use the OffsetSrf command in this case, but it will create a surface
that passes through itself. Unfortunately, the solution is not that easy. Offsetting surfaces
that have complex curvatures may cause self-intersecting surfaces. This is unacceptable,
so an alternative solution will have to be found an in order to build the surface. Offsetting
curves does not create this problem, so you can offset curves based on the surface and
use those curves to create the new interior surface.
To create section curves
1 Use the Section command to create curves that radiate out from the origin point
(Curve menu: From Objects > Section).
2 At the Select objects for sections prompt, select the ring half.
3 In the Top viewport at each Start of section prompt, type 0,0,0 and drag the
section-defining line out beyond the ring as shown below.
4 Draw one section along the x-axis and one along the y-axis.
Draw a section line through the ring along the y-axis.
Draw a section line through the ring along the x-axis.

5 Place two more sections more or less evenly spaced between the x- and y-axes as
shown highlighted below.
Draw two more section lines.
Offset the curves

Offset these sections to obtain smaller curves and from these build a surface inside
the ring.
The Offset command requires that the curve be parallel to the construction plane. Since
the curves do not fit this requirement, set the construction plane to temporarily match a
curve, offset the curve and then set the construction plane to match the next curve.
To offset the section curves
1 Before you start, use the Lock command on the ring surface so you can see it, but
not select it (Edit menu: Visibility > Lock).
This will help you keep track of where you are.
Lock the ring surface.

2 In the Perspective viewport, use the CPlane command with the Object option to
align the construction plane with the first curve (View menu: Set CPlane > To
Object).
Set the construction plane to the section curve.

3 Use the Offset command to create the inside curve (Curve menu: Offset Curve).
4 Set the distance to 1.
5 At the Side to offset … prompt, click to the inside of the ring.
Offset the curve toward the interior of the ring.
The offset of the first section curve.

6 Use the CPlane Object command again to change the construction plane to the
next section curve (View menu: Set CPlane > To Object).

7 Use the Offset command to create the next inside curve (Curve menu: Offset
Curve).
Repeat the offset for each section curve.

8 Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other two curves.
9 When you have offset all the curves, use the CPlane command World Top option
to set the construction plane back to its normal position (View menu: Set CPlane >
World Top).
Reset the construction plane to World Top.

10 Use the Mirror command in the Top viewport to mirror the new offset curves to
the other side of the ring (Transform menu: Mirror).
Do not mirror the curve that lies on the y-axis.
Mirror the offset curves across the y-axis.
Create the hollow surface

Once all the curves in the right position, offset the borders of the ring surface (internal and
external borders shown in yellow), 1 mm to meet the end points of the offset curves. Use
these curves to help define the surface.

To loft the inner surface
1 Unlock the ring polysurface (Edit menu: Visibility > Unlock).

2 Use the Offset command to create the edge curves for the inner surface (Curve
menu: Offset Curve).
Start the Offset command before selecting the surface edges.
You cannot pre-select surface edges, but once you start the command, you will be
able to do this.
Offset the edge curves of the ring surface toward the interior.
3 Hide the ring surface (Edit menu: Visibility > Hide).
4 Use the two smallest offset curves at the x-axis to Trim the offset border curves
since you will use only part of them (Edit menu: Trim).
Set the UseApparentIntersections option to On in the Top viewport.
You want the results to look like this:
The curves defining the interior surface.

5 Select all these curves and use the NetworkSrf command to make the inner
surface (Surface menu: From Curve Network).
Accept the default settings in the Surface From Curve Network dialog box.

The surface from curve network.

6 Rebuild the surface to reduce the complexity.
Use enough control points to keep the shape. In this case 33 points in the
u-direction and 18 points in the v-direction were used.
The rebuilt surface.
Cap the surface ends

A surface at the ends is needed.
To create the end surfaces
1 Draw a Line to connect the ending points of the surface (Curve menu: Line >
Single Line).
Use the Endpoint object snap.
A line defines the top edge of the end surface.

2 Use the PlanarSrf command selecting the line and the surface edge to create the
end (Surface menu: Planar Curves).

Select the line and the edges of the surface to create the end surface.
The end surface.

3 Repeat this for the other side.
4 Use the Join command to make these three surfaces into one (Edit menu: Join).
5 Use the Cap command to close the resulting polysurface.
6 Turn off the layer for the hollow.
Create the first mold part

The mold will be created in two parts: one half for the ring surface and one half for the
hollow surface. You are now going to build the ring surface part of the mold.
To create the mold part
1 Turn on the layer with the ring surface.

2 Use the Box command with the Center option to create a box with its top face
lying on the construction plane (Solid menu: Box > Corner to Corner, Height).
The box has to be deep enough to enclose the ring surface.
Start the center of the box at 0,0,0.

Make the Length and Width 50 mm and the Height -10 mm. This will center the
box and make the top of the box line up with the construction plane. Remember
that the lower half of the ring is below the construction plane.
Create the mold box.

3 Use the BooleanDifference command to create the ring shape in the box (Solid
menu: Difference).
Set the DeleteInput option to No. You may need the original ring surfaces later.
Cut the ring shape into the mold box with a Boolean.
4 Use the Sphere command to create four registration keys (notches) at the corners
of the mold half (Solid menu: Sphere > Center, Radius).
Use the Snap to draw the spheres with a diameter of 2 mm.
You can draw one sphere and then use the Mirror command to create the other
three.
Create the spherical registration keys.

5 Use the BooleanDifference command to cut the registration keys into the mold
(Solid menu: Difference).
Set the DeleteInput option to Yes. The spheres were easy to draw and you will
not be needing them again.
Registration keys help get a perfect alignment between this part of the mold and
the other half. The second half will have four protruding half spheres that fit into to
the four notches.
Cut the registration keys into the mold box with the spheres.
A very little touch-up is needed to finish the mold: filleting where the four little
hemispheres join the upper face of the mold. This is to allow easier coupling between the
two parts of the mold.
To round the corners
• Use the FilletEdge command to create the rounded edge of the notches (Solid
menu: Fillet Edge).
The fillet radius is 0.5 mm.
The rounded edges.

This part of the mold is complete.
Create the gate

There is one missing part: the gate. The gate is the spout where the wax will be injected
into the mold. To build the gate, use three closed curves as shown below.

The curves that define the gate.

Here is what the curves look like in the Front viewport.
The gate curves in the Front viewport.
To create the gate:
1 Use the Circle command to draw a circle at the edge of the mold box (Curve menu:
Circle > Center, Radius).
2 Use the Rectangle command to draw two rectangles, one inside the edge of the
ring surface and one about half way between the box edge and the ring edge
(Curve menu: Rectangle > Center, Corner).
The rectangle closest to the ring is placed slightly below the other curves so that
the wax will reach the part to be filled.
This is visible in the Right viewport.
The easiest way to do this is to create the circle and rectangles on the construction
plane and then move them into place in the Right viewport.
The gate curves in the Right viewport.

Considering the geometry of the piece, the rectangular shape is used to eliminate
undercuts.
To create the gate
1 Use the Loft command to create a surface that connects the three closed curves
(Surface menu: Loft).
Use the Straight sections style option.
The gate surface.

2 Use the Cap command to close off the ends of the gate surface and make it into a
solid (Solid menu: Cap Planar Holes).
The capped gate surface.

This makes it easier to use the BooleanDifference command to cut the gate into
the mold box. The Boolean commands work best when you use closed solids.

3 Use the BooleanDifference command to subtract the gate surface from the mold
box (Solid menu: Difference).
Set the DeleteInput option to No. You will use this part later to cut the gate into
the upper part of the mold.
4 Hide the gate cutting solid (Edit menu: Visibility > Hide).
The mold part.
Create the second mold part

The mold is made of two halves. You will create the second half the same way as the first.
To create the second mold part
1 Use the Lock command on the mold part 1 you just created so you can work
around it without accidentally selecting it (Edit menu: Visibility > Lock).
2 Use the Box command to create a new box right on top of the box used for mold
part 1 (Solid menu: Box > Corner to Corner, Height).
The second mold part.

3 Use the Sphere command to draw four small spheres with a radius of 1.95 that
will form the other half of the registration keys (Sphere menu: Center, Radius).
Use grid snap to center the spheres inside the notches you created in part 1. These
new spheres will be slightly smaller than the ones used for the notches. This is to
ensure some tolerance when the two pieces will be coupled. You can reasonably
use a parting tolerance value of 0.05 mm; therefore, use a radius of 1.95.
Draw the spheres for the registration keys.

4 Unlock mold part 1 and Hide it.
Create the second part

The second part of the mold is similar to the first; however, the model parts protrude from
the box solid instead of being cut into it.
To cut and join the mold parts
1 Make the hollowing surface visible.

2 Use the BooleanUnion command to join the spheres to the box to create the
registration keys for this half of the mold (Solid menu: Union).
3 Use the BooleanUnion command to join the hollowing solid to the box.
If the Boolean fails, try moving the solid surface very slightly up toward the box.

4 To create a gate in this part, use BooleanDifference command to subtract the

gate solid you created earlier (Solid menu: Difference).
The model of the two-part mold looks complete at this point. Spend a few moments
checking what you have just built.
The GhostedViewport mode has given an almost transparent appearance to the
mold so you can see how things are looking where the wax will be poured.
For illustration purposes only, the two parts of the mold are now placed side by side
and opened up.
Analyze the model

Rhino lets you analyze a surface in several ways. You will first analyze the model to
determine if there are unjoined edges. Most machining programs require that the model
be a closed solid with no unjoined edges.

To check for unjoined edges
` Use the ShowEdges command to check for unjoined edges (Analyze menu: Edge
Tools > Show Edges).
Make sure your part is a closed polysurface (no naked edges).
Mold top half with edge analysis.

You should also examine the model for minimum radius of the curved surfaces. This will
tell us what can be machined by tools of various radii.
To analyze the surface for minimum radius
1 Select mold part 1.

2 Use the CurvatureAnalysis command to check the surface (Analyze menu:
Surface > Curvature Analysis).
Use the Min radius option.
3 Set the red upper limit to .4.
4 Set the blue lower limit to .5.

Curvature analysis with isocurves on (left) and off (right). The red areas are easier
to see with the isocurves turned off.
The red areas of this piece have a radius smaller than the upper Min radius value.
This means that a tool with a radius of 0.4 mm will leave a fraction of material
uncut.
The curvature analysis is a representation of the tooling that will be used in the
machining phase. In most extremely small radius situations, you will have to
compromise between the uncut material and the reasonable size of the tool. As you
will see in the VisualMill part of this tutorial, the smallest tool used is a 1-mm
cutter.
5 Do the same analysis on mold part 2.
At this point you have completed the modeling and analysis.

Using VisualMill
The next step of the project will be to import the mold parts into VisualMill, and to develop
a cutting strategy. Models are saved to use for this purpose, so you do not have to
complete the model.
VisualMill will read both Rhino NURBS model files and Rhino mesh files. Normally, you can
simply read in the Rhino model into VisualMill, but sometimes it works best to create the
mesh in Rhino. In either case, export only the mold parts or a mesh created from the mold
parts to a separate model.
The machining process

Numerically controlled (NC) machines, use a variety of cutting tools similar to drills or
router bits to cut a piece of stock material to a shape. Milling programs such as VisualMill
generate a list of instructions (G-Code) for the milling machine from a 3-D model. The G-
Code instructions for the machine list which cutters (tools) to use, in what order, and
where to cut (tool path). G-Code files are typically loaded by the NC controller and then
“played” in order to move the cutter over the stock.
In the first stages of machining, called roughing, the object is to quickly remove the bulk
of the waste material. This leaves stair-stepped shapes in the material.
In the final stages, called finishing, smaller, more refined tools are used to form the final
profile, removing the stair-steps left behind in the roughing procedures.
After final machining stage the piece normally still needs hand polishing and finishing work
before the article is complete.
Open the model

There are several ways to import geometry produced in Rhino into VisualMill 4.0. You can
export your model as an STL, VRML, or RAW mesh file, or you can export it as an IGES or
Parasolid file. VisualMill can also open Rhino files directly and use either the surface data
or mesh data in the Rhino file.
The RhinoCAM plug-in for Rhino V3 is another option. If you have VisualMill 4 installed,
with RhinoCAM you can be in a Rhino session and open the entire Rhino file or just
selected objects in VisualMill. RhinoCAM eliminates the need to save your Rhino data to an
intermediate file format before opening it in VisualMill.
In the first half of this tutorial, you will open the Rhino file that contains the top half of the
ring mold you created in the first part. You will be guided through all of the steps required
to generate the machine G-Code required to actually cut the part.
Each new operation will be shown in detail. If an operation is repeated in the tutorial, less
detail will be provided, since you will have seen it before. For specific information on
VisualMill options, see the VisualMill Help file.
The second half of the tutorial will cover the bottom half of the ring mold.
Warning: Operation of machine tools is a dangerous business. Cutters and material can
break and fly around at high speed causing serious injury. Before actually
milling a part with the G-Code generated in this tutorial, you should be well
versed with all of the safety procedures required for safe operation of your
equipment.

To export the part to VisualMill with the RhinoCAM plugin
1 Select the top half of the mold.

2 In Rhino, select the mold top half and from the RhinoCAM menu, select Export
Selected to VisualMill (RhinoCAM menu: Export Selected to VisualMill).
VisualMill automatically preserves the location, orientation, and units from the
Rhino file.
Mold top half in VisualMill.
Orientation the part

Once the geometry has been successfully imported into VisualMill, you will orient the
model for machining and set the machine zero position. The machine zero position is the
reference point for all the machining operations (MOPs) and represents the initial physical
position where the tip of the cutter will be positioned. For example, if the zero position will
be the center-top based on the part’s bounding box, you will move the cutter tip to the
upper center point of the stock material when it is loaded in the milling machine.
The part is in the same orientation (upside-down) that it was in Rhino. It will need to be
flipped so it can be cut.
To set the part orientation
1 In the Machining toolbar, click the Set Cutting Direction button.
Button Function
Set Cutting
Direction
2 In the Set Cutting Direction dialog box, change the direction to the bottom as
shown in the image below.

This will flip the part so the detail is positioned under the cutting tool. The cutter on
a 3-axis mill cuts from the top of the part.
Set cutting direction.
To set the zero position
1 In the Machining toolbar, click the Set Machine Zero button.
Button Function
Set Machine Zero
2 In the Set Machine Zero dialog box, set the machine zero position to the top
center of the part box as shown in the image below.

Set machine zero.

The image below shows the part flipped and the machine zero position set.
Part setup complete.
Create a stock box

The next step is to create a stock box. The stock box represents the ideal raw stock that
will be loaded into the mill. Assume the highest point (z) on the part will be even with the
stock. Leave a little offset space around the sides in the x- and y-directions to allow for
easier loading of the stock into the mill. After you create the stock, hide it.

To create a stock box
1 From the Machining bar, click Create/Load Stock and from the menu, select
Part Box Stock (Stock menu: Part Box Stock).
Button Function
Create/Load Stock
2 In the Part Bounding Box Stock dialog box, set the X Offset and Y Offset values
to 1 as shown in the image below.
Part box stock.
To locate the part within the stock
1 From the Machining bar, click Locate Part Within Stock.
Button Function
Locate Part Within Stock
2 In the Locate Part Within Stock dialog box, set the Object to Move to Move
Stock and the Z Alignment and XY Alignment to Center as shown in the
image below.
Move the part to the center of the stock.

To hide the stock
` From the View toolbar, click the Hide Stock button (View menu: Hide Stock).
Button Function
Hide Stock
Create cutting tools

You are now ready to create a set of virtual cutting tools that will be used to machine the
mold half. Normally, you will have created a library of cutting tools that you maintain for
your mill. No library has been created for this tutorial, so you will create the tools you
need. The virtual cutting tools you create in your milling program must match the actual
cutting tools that are used in your milling machine. There are many different mill
manufacturers and cutting tool makers. Each cutting tool has its own dimensions (tool
length, flute length, diameter). Each tool you create for your VisualMill library must match
an actual tool you have for your milling machine.
To create a cutting tool
1 From the Machining toolbar, click the Create/Select Tool button (Tool menu:
Create/Select Tool).
Button Function
Create/Select Tool
2 Using the Select/Create Tools dialog box, Ball End Mill and Flat End Mill pages,
create three cutting tools with parameters as shown in the table below.
Label the tools descriptively so you can easily tell them apart.
Name Tool Length Flute Length Diameter
Ball 1 mm 90 10 1
Ball 2 mm 90 10 2
Flat 4 mm 90 60 4

Select create tool.
Check speeds and feeds

Typically, at this point, spindle speeds, and tool feed rates are established. These settings
depend on the size of the cutting tool, the cutting tool composition, the stock being cut,
the make, model, and condition of the milling machine, and the experience of the
machinist.
To check the feeds and speeds
1 Click the Set Feeds/Speeds button (Feeds/Speeds menu: Set Feeds/Speeds).
Button Function
Set Feeds/Speeds

2 Look at the current settings.
Set Feeds/Speeds dialog box.

If the cutting tool you are going to use were very small or the cuts were deep, it
would be necessary to slow the cutting speed and rate of movement of the stock
part through the machine. You do not need to change these settings for this
particular operation, but it is a good idea to be aware of this issue at all times.
Note: A meaningful discussion of the topic of machine speed is beyond the scope of this
tutorial. Consult the proper references for information on this subject. The
information that comes with your milling machine will have some information on
this subject. In addition, an industry standard work on the subject is Machinery's
Handbook, by Erik Oberg, Franklin Day Jones, Henry H. Ryffel; Industrial Press;
ISBN: 0831126256.
Define a machine operation

The first cutting strategy you will use is horizontal roughing. This operation uses a
relatively large tool and is used for the majority of the stock removal. The horizontal
roughing operation removes material in levels. The tool starts at the top of the stock and
removes material moving only in the xy-plane. Once this level is completed, the tool
moves to the next lower level and removes material in this xy-plane. With each successive
operation you get closer to the finished part.
The ability to determine which cut strategy works best for each situation comes from
experience and training as a machinist.
To define a horizontal roughing operation
1 To set the active tool, in the Select/Create Tools dialog box, select the Flat 4
mm tool (Tool menu: Create/Select Tool).
Button Function
Create/Select Tool

Check the status bar to verify that this tool is active.
Flat 4-mm tool.

2 From the Machining toolbar, click the 3-Axis Machining button, and then from
the menu, select Horizontal Roughing (3 Axis Milling menu: Horizontal
Roughing).
Button Function
3-Axis Machining
3 In the Horizontal Roughing dialog box, on the Cut Parameters page, set the
values as shown below.
Set horizontal roughing parameters.

4 In the Horizontal Roughing dialog box, on the Cut Levels page, set the values
set the parameters as follows:
Stepdown Control Distance: 0.5
Cut Levels Ordering: Level First
Cut Levels Bottom: -8.5
Horizontal roughing parameters.

To generate the milling operation tool paths
1 In the Horizontal Roughing dialog box, click the Generate button to create the
milling operation (MOP) tool paths.
Horizontal roughing tool paths

2 Using the View toolbar, hide the part model, the grid, and the tool path, and show
the stock.

3 On the VCR toolbar, click the Simulate button.
Button Function
Simulate
This will process the tool paths and display what your stock will look like after the
initial roughing process.
Horizontal roughing simulation.

4 In the browser pane, click the Mops page.
5 Double-click an option that defines the roughing operation to change its
parameters.
You can also rename the operation to make it more descriptive. If you make a
change, a red star appears on the Stock option in the browser to indicate the
display is not current with the MOP definition.
6 In the VCR toolbar, click the Simulate button update the display.
Remove material from flat areas

You will use plateau machining to remove the remaining stock from the flat areas. In
plateau machining the cutter is restricted to machine areas in the part that are shallower
than a specified angle from the horizontal plane. Plateau machining is used to finish areas
that were not machined completely by a roughing operation.
To define a plateau machining operation
1 Be sure the Flat 4 mm tool is active.

2 From the 3-Axis Machining menu, select Plateau Machining (3 Axis Milling
menu: Plateau Machining).
Button Function
3-Axis Machining

3 Set the parameters as shown below.
Plateau machining parameters.

The Region Control Angle is defined in degrees from the horizontal. Any area
within the flatness region will be machined. A value of 2 degrees will ensure that all
of the flat parts will be cut down to a maximum of a 2-degree angle.
4 Click Generate to create the milling operation.
5 On the VCR toolbar, click Simulate to update the stock model display.
Button Function
Simulate

Use analysis tools

At this time, run the comparison of the part to the stock. This will show you the
differences between the modeled part and the stock material remaining.
To compare the stock to the part
1 In the VCR toolbar, click the Part/Stock comparison button.
Part Stock comparison.

2 In the Part/Stock Comparison dialog box, set the Tolerance Band value to 0.3,
and click the Apply button.
Part/Stock comparison dialog.

In the roughing machine operation, a stock thickness of 0.3 mm was left. In the
plateau machining operation, the additional stock thickness was eliminated so the
flat areas of the mold were cut to final elevation. Setting the Tolerance Band to
0.3 will accurately show the areas of the stock model that still have excess material
to be machined away. The green areas indicate good finished surfaces. The dark
blue areas indicate where more material still needs to be removed. The remaining
machining operations you create will remove the remaining excess material.
Note: VisualMill 4 has two different simulation methods for modeling the Part/Stock
comparison display: 3 and 4-Axis simulation model. Depending on the geometry of
your model, one method may create a more accurate display than the other. The
trade-off is speed. The 3-axis method is faster while the 4-axis method is more
accurate. For the images in this demonstration, the 4-axis method is used. The
setting can be changed from the Preferences menu, Machining Preferences.

Part/Stock comparison.
Remove stepover notches

In the top view shown below, you can see excess stock around the four registration keys.
This is left over from the relatively coarse step-over value used in the plateau machining
operation. You will use a horizontal finishing strategy to remove this excess stock.
Top view showing extra material at registration keys.
To define a horizontal finishing operation
1 With the 4-mm flat-end mill active, from the 3-Axis Milling menu, select
Horizontal Finishing (3 Axis Milling menu: Horizontal Finishing).
Button Function
3-Axis Machining
2 On the Cut Levels page, under Cut Levels, set the top value to –4.5 and the
bottom value to -5.12.
This will limit the machining to a horizontal finishing pass in a single level and
single path. The distance from the top of the part to the flat surface is 5.131. There
is no need to use a cut level any higher than –4.5 since the tool will cut nothing at
that level. Try setting a higher level and generate the tool paths. You will observe
that additional tool paths are created, but there is no material left to cut at that
level.
The Stepdown Control moves the tool down 1 mm (25% of the tool diameter) with
each pass. Experiment with the control to get as close as possible to -5.131.

3 Click the Generate button the machine operation

4 On the VCR toolbar, click Simulate to update the display
Button Function
Simulate
5 Turn on the tool paths to verify the route the tool will take.
If there is more than one tool path around the areas to be cut, the Top level is too
high. If there is only one tool path around the whole piece, the Bottom level is too
low.
Horizontal finishing tool path.
Define regions
Now that the final machining for the flat areas is substantially completed, you are down to
finish strategies for the four registration keys, ring-hollowing plug, and gate. It would be a
waste of time to let the cutter go over the flat regions of the stock since they are
complete. Restricting tool paths to regions is more efficient. First, create the six regions.
Then make them active and generate tool paths within the active regions.

To set up the display
1 Set your display to the top view with the part model displayed.
2 Hide the stock and tool paths.
3 Set the display for the grid at your choice.
4 Make sure you do not have Hide Machining Regions turned on.
You will want to see your regions as you create them.
Your display should look something like this:
Top view.
To create machining regions
1 From the View menu and select Toolbars (View menu: Toolbars > Curves/Regions
Bar).
2 Turn on the Curves/Regions toolbar.
3 Use the rectangle, circle, and polygon/polylines tools to create regions around the
six regions that define the four registration keys, the gate, and the ring.
The region creation has a few basic pointing tools to assist you in creating the
regions including object snap and grid snap.
It is not critical to precisely match the region boundaries to the part features. The
regions should just completely surround the features with a minimum of extra
space. These regions are only used to minimize unnecessary tool paths in areas
that do not need to be machined.
After creating the six regions, your display should look something like this:
Machining regions.

To activate the regions
1 In the Machining toolbar, from the Select Regions button menu, select the
Single tool.
Select regions.
2 Select the four regions that surround the four spherical registration keys.
They will turn yellow to indicate they have been selected.
Pres and hold the Ctrl key to add all four regions.
Active regions highlight yellow.
Finish the registration keys

You will now use a ball-end tool and parallel finishing to finish the registration keys.
To finish the registration keys
1 From Create/Select Tool button menu, select the 2 mm ball end mill (Tool
menu: Create/Select Tool).
Button Function
Create/Select Tool
2 Check the status line to verify this is the active tool.

3 From the 3-Axis Milling menu, select Parallel Finishing (3 Axis Milling menu:
Parallel Finishing).
Button Function
3-Axis Machining
4 Set the parameters as shown below:
Parallel finishing settings.

5 Click Generate to create the tool paths.
6 Show tool paths to see them.
They will only be created within the four active regions.
Detail of parallel finishing on a registration key.

7 Turn off the part model, turn on the stock, hide the tool paths, and run Simulate
to see the results of the machining operation.
Result of parallel finishing for the registration keys.
Final finishing
Use the same process and settings to create two more parallel finishing machine
operations for the ring and gate regions using the 2 mm ball end mill.
An additional option to consider when creating the machining operation for the gate is to
rotate the angle of the tool paths. The default Angle of Cuts is zero (0). This orients the
tool paths across the gate. Changing the Angle of Cuts to 90 degrees will align them
with the gate.
If you forget to activate the proper regions or tool before you generate the tool paths, you
can select them later. Just right-mouse click on the appropriate parameter within the
machining operation definition, make the correct selection, regenerate the tool paths, and
run simulate to update the stock model.
After these two parallel finishing machining operations, your stock model should look like
this:
Final parallel finishing.
Finish the gate

The only area where there is still an excess of stock is in the gate itself. This is because it
transitions from a circular cross-section to a rectangular shape. The 2-mm ball end mill
has left a some uncut stock. You will use a smaller tool and a new machining strategy to
remove more of this excess material and complete the gate.

To finish the gate
1 Make the 1 mm ball end mill tool current and make the gate-machining region
active (Tool menu: Create/Select Tool).
Button Function
Create/Select Tool
2 From the 3-Axis Milling menu, select the Valley Re-Machining strategy (3 Axis
Milling menu: Valley Re-Machining).
Button Function
3-Axis Machining
Set the parameters as follows:
Valley Re-machining settings.

3 Generate the tool paths and run Simulate to update the stock model. This half of
the ring mold is now completed.
Valley re-machining results.

Compare the part and stock

Use the Part/Stock Comparison tool to see if the machine operations you created
removed all of the excess material. The only excess material appears to be on the
backside of the ring. This apparent excess is because the surface was modeled slightly
undercut. Since a 3-axis machine cannot cut undercuts, this excess material can be
ignored in this case. This situation is normal and does not adversely affect the purpose of
this modeled feature. It is very rare when all of the excess material can be removed by
machining due to the physical size limitations of the tools used and the modeling
techniques employed in the original idealized model.
Part to Stock comparison.
Generate tool paths

The last step is to post process your tool paths to produce G-Code for your particular NC
controller. This post-processes the tool paths, tool changes, speeds and feeds, into the
particular “flavor” of G-Code the NC controller on your mill requires.
To produce machine G-Code
1 From the Post Process menu, select Post Process (Post Process menu: Post
Process).
Button Function
Post Process
2 Select the appropriate post processor for your controller, specify a file name and
location for your file, and click OK.
Note: This feature is disabled in the demo version of VisualMill.
If your controller is not listed, contact technical support at MecSoft
([email protected]) for help is selecting or creating a post processor.

Select the appropriate post-processor.

VisualMill will process the information and create the specified file. When this is
complete, the output file will be displayed in the Windows Notepad editor where it
can be reviewed and modified (if needed) by an experienced CNC code writer. It is
common to add descriptions and tool requirements to the file for archiving
purposes.
It is beyond the scope of this tutorial to enter into a discussion of G-Code editing.
Final G-Code.

Set up the second part

The second part of the tutorial uses many of the same machining strategies as the first
part. A few new strategies will be introduced and a new tool will be needed to efficiently
machine this part.
To export the second part to VisualMill
` Select the lower half of the mold model in Rhino, and from the RhinoCAM menu,
select Export Selected to VisualMill.
Note: If VisualMill is not currently running, it will be launched and the geometry will be
exported to VisualMill. If an instance of VisualMill is already running, the geometry
in the current VisualMill session is overwritten with the geometry sent from Rhino.
The machining operations are not overwritten. They can be used with the newly
exported geometry if they are appropriate. In this case they are not.
The second mold part in VisualMill.
To set machine zero position
` Use the Set Machine Zero tool to set the following:
Locate Zero Set to Part Box
Zero Face Highest Z
Zero Position Center
To create stock box definition
` Use the Create/Load Stock tool to define a Part Box Stock model with the
following settings (Stock menu: Part Box Stock):
Offset Value
Z Offset 0
X Offset 1
Y Offset 1

Stock box and part.
To locate the part within the stock
` Use the Locate Part Within Stock tool to set the location of the stock as follows:
Action Setting
Object to Move Move Stock
Z Alignment Center
XY Alignment Center
Create cutting tools

You will need three ball end cutting tools to machine this part. Create them with the
following settings (Tool menu: Create/Select Tool):
Name Tool Length Flute Length Diameter
Ball 1 mm 90 10 1
Ball 2 mm 90 10 2
Ball 3 mm 90 10 3
Create a machine operation

The first milling operation for the second part is a horizontal roughing operation. This MOP
will remove most of the excess material.
To define the horizontal roughing operation
1 Make the 3 mm ball end mill the current tool (Tool menu: Create/Select Tool).
Verify the current tool in the status bar.
2 From the 3-Axis Milling menu, select Horizontal Roughing (3 Axis Milling menu:
Horizontal Roughing).

3 Set the cut parameters as follows:
Name Value
Global Parameters Intol: 0.03
Outol: 0.03
Stock: 0.3
Cut Pattern Stock offset
Cut Direction Climb
Offset: Pocket Start Point Inside
Stepover Control 25% of tool diameter
4 Set the cut levels as follows:
Name Value
Stepdown Control Distance: 0.5
Cut Levels Ordering: Level first
Cut Levels Bottom: –6.5
5 Generate the operation, hide the part, hide the tool paths, and Simulate the
operation to update the stock model.
Horizontal roughing.
To check for excess stock
` Use the Compare Part/Stock tool to see where the excess stock material is.
Use a Tolerance Band setting of 0.3, the amount of excess stock left over after
the roughing MOP. The green areas are finished while the dark blue areas indicate
excess material thicker than 0.3 mm when compared to the ideal stock model.

Part to stock comparison.
Define regions
Define machining regions to isolate the pockets of excess material for efficient removal in
subsequent machining operations.
To define and set machining regions
1 Using the Curves/Regions toolbar, create the regions around the registration
keys, ring area and gate area as shown below (View menu: Toolbars >
Curves/Regions Bar).
Use the top view using the part model as a reference.
Create regions.
Define parallel finishing

The next step is to set the active machining regions and current cutting tool, and then
define a parallel finishing operation for the four spherical registration keys.
To define parallel finishing operations
1 Use the Select Regions tool to activate the regions around the registration keys as
shown below.
Button Function
Select Regions
The first parallel finishing operation will use these regions.

Select regions.
2 Use Create/Select Tool to make the 2-mm ball end tool current (Tool menu:
Button Function
Create/Select Tool
Verify the selection in the status bar.

3 From the 3 Axis Machining menu, select Parallel Finishing (3 Axis Milling menu:
Button Function
3-Axis Machining
Use the following parameters.
Name Value
Outol: 0.03
Stock: 0
Cut Direction Mixed
Start Side Bottom
Angle of Cuts 0
Stepover Control Distance: 0.1

4 Generate and Simulate the MOP to update the stock model.
Parallel finishing for the registration key cavities.
To machine the ring and gate cavities
` Create another parallel finishing milling operation that uses the regions that
surround the ring and gate cavities.
Use the 2-mm ball end tool and the same parameters and as the previous parallel
finishing MOP.
Parallel finishing of the ring and gate cavities.
Define pencil tracing

A new milling strategy called pencil trace machining can be used either as a pre-finishing
or a re-finishing operation. Pencil trace operations typically use a ball end cutter restricted
to follow a path where two or more contact points are maintained with the part. This path
typically follows the valleys and the corners of the part. Pencil trace can clean up the
scallops left after a parallel finishing operation, or it can be used to remove excess
material from valleys and corners.
Warning: For any cutting strategy you use, consider the shape and material you are
working on. If the tool is forced to take deep cuts and work with a very large
amount of material on its blades, it creates a very dangerous situation. Tools
and stock can shatter, sending sharp metal projectiles in all directions. Never
overload a tool. It is much safer to take several shallow cuts than a few overly
deep ones.

A pencil trace operation with a stock value of zero will generate a tool path that drives the
cutter along the valleys and corners of the part model, thereby eliminating all the excess
stock where the ball end mill has a double tangency condition. Double tangency is where
the side and the point of the tool are cutting at the same time.
To define a pencil trace operation
1 Use the same 2-mm ball end tool for the pencil trace operation (Tool menu:
2 From the 3-Axis Machining tool, select Pencil Tracing (3 Axis Milling menu:
Pencil Tracing).
You will use it as a pre-finishing operation. Set the parameters as shown below,
then generate the MOP.
Pencil trace settings.
Set speeds and feeds

Before you update the stock model by simulating the MOP, change the speeds and feeds.
This is not intended as a discussion on specific settings. In light of the hazards associated
with the increased tool load from the dual contact point strategy used in pencil tracing, it
is probably a good idea to reduce the feed rate.
To set the feed rate
` In the Set Feeds/Speeds dialog box, reduce the feed rates to the settings shown
below, Generate the tool paths, and Simulate to update the stock model
(Feeds/Speeds menu: Set Feeds/Speeds).
Button Function
Set Feeds/Speeds

Speeds and feeds settings.
Results of the pencil trace operation.
Final finishing
The final parallel finishing operations use the smallest cutter with a very small stepover.
These operations will be confined to the ring cavity and gate regions. The only difference
will be the Angle of Cuts setting. The two MOPS will be generated with the tool paths set
90 degrees to each other.
To define the final parallel finishing operations
1 Set Ball 1 mm as the active tool (Tool menu: Create/Select Tool).

2 From the 3-Axis Milling menu, select Parallel Finishing (3 Axis Milling menu:

Use the following settings to generate the two MOPs.
Name Value
Outol: 0.03
Stock: 0
Cut Direction Mixed
Start Side Bottom
Angle of Cuts 0
Name Value
Outol: 0.03
Stock: 0
Cut Direction Mixed
Start Side Bottom
Angle of Cuts 90
3 Generate the tool paths and Simulate the stock removal to update the stock
model.
Final finishing results.

4 Check the part with the Part/Stock Comparison to see how well they match.
This looks like a good job, and will require very little, if any, hand finishing.
Part stock final comparison.
Generate the tool paths

Use the Post Process tool to generate the G-Code instructions for your mill and save the
file (Post Process menu: Post Process). (Note: This feature is disabled in the demo version
of VisualMill.)
Button Function
Post Process
Congratulations!
You now have completed everything required to machine both halves of the ring mold.
Hook up your machine and go!

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Rhinoceros ®

Advanced Training Series

Modeling and Mold Making

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved.

Rhinoceros is a registered trademark and Rhino is a trademark of

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. ii

Compare the part and stock 60

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. iv

` Create a model of a ring shape in Rhino.

Model the mold

` Use the model of the ring shape to create the mold.

Create cutting instructions

` Import the model of the mold into VisualMill to create cutting

To use the tutorial

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 1

Roland Digital Group of America

Start modeling with Rhino

To start a new model

To open the sample model

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 2

To set the grid snap spacing

1 Open the Document Properties dialog box (File menu: Properties).

Draw the first curves

Curve 1 is the center circle of the ring.

Draw the left half of the outline of the ring.

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 3

Edit the second curve

To edit the control points for curve 2

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 4

To mirror the curve

` Mirror the curve across the y-axis (Transform menu: Mirror).

Mirror the curve in the Top viewport.

Define the side profile

Curves 4 and 5 in the Perspective viewport.

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 5

To draw curves 4 and 5

Connect the curves

To complete the side profile of the ring:

Curve 6 connects curves 4 and 5.

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 6

Mirror the curves to study the design of the entire profile.

Create the inner edge

To create curve 7 from curves 1 and 6

1 Select curves 1 and 6.

Curves 1 and 6 are used to create curve 7.

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 7

Curve 7, the top edge of the ring.

Refine the curve

Curve 7 has too many control points.

To rebuild the curve

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 8

Use the Delete input option to remove the original curve.

Rebuild the curve with 10 control points.

Draw the side profiles

To draw the side profile curves

Construction line for drawing the side profile.

Copyright © 2003 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved. 9

Draw the side profile curve.