Surface clean

Surface clean machines the flat top of closed add or model features around taller add features. Use it for pads, terraces, and stepped surfaces rather than as a substitute for an outside contour cut.

A surface clean toolpath covering the top of an add feature in offset bands, stepping down through the material above it — Surface clean removes the material above a feature’s top in bands, down to the height you set.

The simulated stock after a surface clean, the material above the plate removed to a flat floor with the relief left standing — Surface clean takes the stock down to the feature’s top, leaving a flat face.

Requirements

Requirement	Value
Target features	Closed add or model features; optional closed regions filter the cut
Tool	Flat or ball endmill
Passes	Rough or Finish

Parameters

Shared settings are documented in Common operation parameters.

Parameter	Description
Pattern	Chooses Offset, Seeded circles, Parallel, or Trochoidal clearing.
Angle	Sets the direction of parallel passes.
Finish walls and Finish floor	Control which finishing surfaces are cut on a finish pass.
Stock to leave radial and Stock to leave axial	Reserve material for a later finish pass.

Strategies

Surface clean offers Offset, Seeded circles, Parallel, and Trochoidal clearing. See Clearing patterns, Seeded-circle clearing, and Trochoidal cutting.

Verifying the result

Pocket: clear a closed subtract area instead.
Choosing an operation: compare compatible feature roles.