Adding Tool to Library - flutes and cutting length

#1

Hi everyone. I’m new here. Just got my XXL and in preparation for using it, I’m trying to add Amana Tool bits that I purchased. I download the Amana Tools library someone on here provided so I have some of the tools, but there were 5 bits I have that weren’t in the library (probably bc carbide isn’t selling them currently) For example the 46282-K from Amana.

Now when I go to the tool library and try to add a new tool, I’m not seeing a place to enter the cutting (flute) length and the # of flutes, but after I add the tool and click on it so see it’s profile to the right, it’s showing information on these two things that I didn’t enter.

What am I missing or not seeing here? Thanks for your help!

FYI I’m using the most up to date version of Carbide Create.

#2

I had to figure this out myself a couple of days ago. To access the additional specifications for tools, you need to open the .csv file (basically a spreadsheet) and enter the flute length, number of flutes, etc. there.

Once you’ve created a new custom tool library, the .csv file will be created and you can access it by going to Help/About/Open Data Directory in Carbide Create. Navigate to the tools folder to find the .csv file. Open that file and you will see the hidden fields which you can edit as needed.

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#3

In prior versions of CC, where the speeds and feeds were calculated using an algorithm, the number of flutes and the flute length was important.

Now that CC is moving to a more “recipe-based” approach, those values aren’t used for anything so we don’t expose them. We didn’t delete it from the internal data structures but it’s not used for anything at this point.

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New CC tool entry info
Adding tools in CC440 and later
#4

@robgrz I think it might be useful to have a few of the values exposed for custom tools, anyway. For example I have bits of the same diameter but with different numbers of flutes that I want to add to my library. Being able to add that info when I create the new tool would be handy, even though it’s not used to calculate anything. It would just be there in the tool details so I can know which tool I picked. On the other hand, I can just add the number of flutes to the tool name so it shows up in the Select Tool menu.
E.g., End Mills / 2mm Downcut or End Mills / 1/8" 2-flute
Maybe that’s simpler.

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#5

The numbers being there is useful to me, since I’m envisioning pulling the .csv into TPL to further improve automation there.

#6

That was our thought when we weighed out all the options. Easier to add info to the name than to make the tool entry page look like a bad copy of Microsoft Access with a ton of fields to enter.

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#7

So cut length of the actual flute isn’t used for anything? I guess that makes sense as you think about the cutting process and how the actual bit is exposed to the material.

Separate question from this but still related to tool entry, how would I go about entering the 46282-K? It’s a ball nose 5.4 degree taper bit. The bit is 1/4", but the diameter at the tip is 1/16". Is this considered a V style bit because that seems to be the only place I can enter a degree. And how do I account for the 1/16" (or do I not because V bits consider everything comes to a point or 0" and I just enter the 1/4" as the diameter)

#8

Newb here…
Adding a bit to the user library. I saw somewhere that I needed to enter 1/2 the bit angle???
90 degree bit is entered as 45??
60 as 30???
Or did I misread something?

#9

Entering half the angle (using taper rather than nominal) was for older versions (CC316 and earlier).

For current versions use 90 and 60 respectively.

#10

THANK YOU very much.