Tabs
Tabs are small bridges of uncut material that hold a part to the stock during edge routing. Without tabs, a part cut all the way through can shift or fly off the spoilboard when the last pass completes.
Tabs are defined as rectangular regions. When an edge route operation passes through a tab, the tool lifts to the tab's Z Top and resumes cutting after the tab. The result is a thin bridge of material connecting the part to the surrounding stock.
Adding Tabs
There are two ways to add tabs:
- Auto place: Select an edge route operation in the CAM panel and click Auto place tabs. The app places tabs automatically at evenly spaced intervals around the part boundary.
- Manual placement: Select the Tabs root node in the feature tree and click Add Tab. Then click on the canvas to position the tab. Alternatively, click the Tab tool in the toolbar.
Tab Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A label for the tab, shown in the feature tree. |
| Z Top | The top of the tab — the height the tool lifts to when passing over the tab. Set this to the stock surface or slightly below to leave a thin bridge. |
| Z Bottom | The bottom of the tab. Usually 0 (the machine table). |
| Visible | Toggles tab visibility on the canvas. |
Editing Tabs
Select a tab in the feature tree to edit its properties. Click Edit Sketch to resize and reposition the tab interactively on the canvas by dragging its control points.
Clamps
Clamps represent physical workholding devices on the machine table. Defining clamps in the project allows the toolpath planner to generate safe rapid moves that clear the clamps.
Clamps are shown on the canvas as rectangles. They participate in collision avoidance during rapid moves — the tool will retract to the clamp clearance height before moving over a clamp.
Adding Clamps
Select the Clamps root node in the feature tree and click Add Clamp. Then click on the canvas to position the clamp. Alternatively, click the Clamp tool in the toolbar.
Clamp Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A label for the clamp. |
| Z Top (Height) | The physical height of the clamp above the machine table. The tool will clear this height on rapid moves over the clamp. |
| Visible | Toggles clamp visibility on the canvas. |
Clamp Clearances
The project-level clearance settings control how much extra space the tool maintains around clamps. These are set in the Project properties panel:
- Clamp Clear XY — horizontal clearance around clamp boundaries.
- Clamp Clear Z — additional Z clearance above the clamp height on rapid moves.
Collision Highlighting
PureCut CNC flags clamp collisions visually, not just in text. A clamp whose zone the toolpath violates is drawn in red instead of blue, and the specific toolpath moves that pass through that clamp below the required clearance are redrawn in amber on top of the normal toolpath — so you can see exactly where the tool would strike the clamp. Rapid moves that the planner automatically lifts to a safe height are not flagged. Move the clamp or the cut, or increase the clamp clearances, until the amber highlight disappears.
Editing Clamps
Select a clamp in the feature tree to edit its properties. Click Edit Sketch to resize and reposition the clamp interactively on the canvas.