TRAINING
GUIDE
SURFACE TOOLPATH OVERVIEW
Surface Toolpath Overview
STANDARD SURFACE TOOLPATHS
The following information is a summary of chapter 7 of the Mastercam Reference Guide* provided with
Mastercam Software and produced by CNC Software, Inc. More detailed information is available in the
Guide which is included with your copy of Mastercam Software as a PDF file.
*Mastercam Reference Guide
Copyright 2009 CNC Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
First Printing July 2005
Toolpath Type Image Uses
Parallel Toolpath Surface Rough Parallel
Remove the bulk of
material quickly.
Surface Finish Parallel
Machine over all the
surfaces in parallel passes.
Radial Toolpath Surface Rough and Finish
Radial
Cut from the center point
outward, creating cuts like
the spoke of a wheel.
Project Toolpath Surface Rough and Finish
Project
Project either geometry or
a toolpath from an earlier
operation onto surfaces.
Surface Toolpath Overview -1
Mastercam Training Guide
STANDARD SURFACE TOOLPATHS
Toolpath Type Image Uses
Flowline Toolpath Surface Rough and Finish
Flowline
Follows the shape and
direction of the surfaces
and creats a smooth and
flowing toolpath motion.
Contour Toolpath Surface Rough and Finish
Contour
Works well for parts that
have steep walls. Allows
the tool to step down
gradually in the Z axis
instead of stepping over in
the X and Y axes.
Restmill Toolpath Surface Rough Restmill
A roughing toolpath that
cleans up remaining stock
with a constant Z motion.
Surface Toolpath Overview-2
Surface Toolpath Overview
STANDARD SURFACE TOOLPATHS
Toolpath Type Image Uses
Rough Pocket Toolpath Surface Rough Pocket
Removes a lot of stock
quickly and creates a series
constant Z cuts.
Rough Plunge Toolpath Surface Rough Plunge
Requires a special Plunge
Roughing Tool as it uses a
drilling-type motion to
remove large quantities of
material very quickly.
Finish Parallel Steep Surface Finish Parallel
Toolpath Steep
Removes material from
surfaces that fall between
two slope angles. This
toolpath is usually used
after a finish parallel
toolpath.
Surface Toolpath Overview -3
Mastercam Training Guide
STANDARD SURFACE TOOLPATHS
Toolpath Type Image Uses
Finish Shallow Toolpath Surface Finish Shallow
Removes material from
surfaces that fall between
two slope angles.
Finish Pencil Toolpath Surface Finish Pencil
Follows the path where
two surfaces meet. It
cleans out material by
driving the cutter tangent
to two surfaces at a time.
Finish Leftover Surface Finish Leftover
Toolpaths Removes material left
behind by the larger tool
from a previous operation.
It calculates how much
stock is left over and uses
the information to create
tool motions.
Surface Toolpath Overview-4
Surface Toolpath Overview
STANDARD SURFACE TOOLPATHS
Toolpath Type Image Uses
Finish Blend Toolpath Surface Finish Blend
Creates motion that is
defined by curves that
were created along the
drive geometry.
Finish Scallp Toolpath Surface Finish Scallop
Creates a constant toolpath
over the entire surface
regardless of whether the
surface becomes steep or
shallow.
Surface Toolpath Overview -5
Mastercam Training Guide
SURFACE HIGH SPEED TOOLPATHS
Surface high speed toolpaths are a set of machining strategies that are specifically designed to produce
the smoothest, most efficient tool motions when machining surface models (or solid faces).
If your application (or your machine tool) is not appropriate for the higher feed rates associated with
high speed toolpaths, you might achieve better results with Mastercams standard toolpaths. The
surface high speed toolpaths will tend to create more retract moves, for example.
Please refer to Chapter 7 of the Mastercam Reference Guide for detailed information on Surface High
Speed toolpaths.
Toolpath Type Example Uses
Core Roughing Core Roughing
Ideal for boss-type
parts. On each Z level,
the tool approaches
the part from the
outside with multiple
offsets.
Surface Toolpath Overview-6
Surface Toolpath Overview
SURFACE HIGH SPEED TOOLPATHS
Toolpath Type Example Uses
Area Clearance Area Clearance
Good for parts that
need to be machined
from the inside out,
such as pockets,
cavities and molds.
Rest Roughing Rest Roughing
Cleans out enough
stock in required areas
so that a finish tool will
NOT encounter and
excessive amount of
material.
Surface Toolpath Overview -7
Mastercam Training Guide
SURFACE HIGH SPEED TOOLPATHS
Toolpath Type Example Uses
Pencil Pencil
Used to clean out
corners and
boundaries between
surfaces.
Horizontal Area Horizontal Area
Good to finish flat
areas.
Scallop Scallop
Also known as
constant stepover
toolpath. Produces a
consistant scallop
height across the
surface.
Surface Toolpath Overview-8
Surface Toolpath Overview
SURFACE HIGH SPEED TOOLPATHS
Toolpath Type Example Uses
Raster Raster
Creates parallel cutting
passes across the
surface. The angle the
cutter passes the
surface can be
adjusted depending on
the part features.
Waterline Waterline
Best for steep areas,
like walls of molds or
cavities.
Radial Radial
Best used when
requiring a toolpath
that radiates outward
from a central point.
Spiral Spiral
Used to create a
toolpath that feeds
into the part in a
continuous spiral.
Surface Toolpath Overview -9
Mastercam Training Guide
OptiRough-OptiArea OptiArea
An area pocketing
approach - used to
remove the maximum
amount of material
with the minimum of
step downs,
significantly reducing
cycle times.
OptiRough-OptiCore OptiCore
A Core from outslide
approach - used to
remove the maximum
amount of material
with the minimum of
step downs,
significantly reducing
cycle times.
OptiRest OptiRest
Performs Rest Milling
Operations to remove
remaining material
with an optimized
roughing motion.
Hybrid Hybrid Finish
Used to machine steep
and shallow areas
utilizing both scallop
and constant Z
approaches in single
toolpath.
3D HST Project 3D HST Project
A common use of
project is engraving
created by projecting
curves onto a surface
as shown to the left.
Surface Toolpath Overview-10
Surface Toolpath Overview
Surface Toolpath Overview -11
