- [Instructor] Once SOLIDWORKS CAM
automatically detects a feature,
it assigns a machining strategy to that feature.
The feature strategies that SOLIDWORKS chooses
for your feature may not be the ones
that you want to use in your machining process.
One example of this
is that you might want a whole feature
to be reamed, instead of drilled.
Another example is that you might want a pocket feature
to be rough milled with an edge break,
instead of rough milled and then finish milled.
You can see what default strategies SOLIDWORKS
has associated with your features
if you look to the right of the feature name
in the CAM feature tree.
We see that this face feature
is going to be finish milled.
This perimeter open pocket
is going to be rough and then finish milled.
And then this slot is going to be rough,
rough rest and then finish milled.
And both of these holes are going to be drilled.
The available default strategy options
are defined in the technology database.
But they can be customized
by clicking the default feature strategies button
in the CAM toolbar.
You find that right here in the middle of the CAM toolbar.
I'm going to go ahead and click on that.
This brings up the Default Feature Strategies dialog box.
This dialog box is where you can select
the default machining strategy to use
for a particular feature.
If the default strategy that you want
is not listed here,
then you can add it by editing this list
in the technology database.
If you've already run the automatic feature recognition tool
and SOLIDWORKS CAM has assigned
a different machining strategy to your feature
than the strategy you want to use,
it's very easy to change the particular strategy listed
in the CAM feature tree.
To do this, we go into the Parameter dialog box
by right clicking on the feature
in the feature tree.
This brings up the parameters menu
where you can assign a given strategy
for that particular feature,
which we've clicked on.
Note that the different types of features
will have different strategies available.
For example, a reaming operation
does not make sense for creating a pocket.
So that option will not be listed as available
as a strategy for sheening a pocket.
In this case, I have a hole.
The hole can be drilled, bored, reamed or threaded
or only drilled.
Once you select the strategy
that you want to use,
you can go ahead and close the dialog box
and note that the CAM feature tree has been updated
to reflect the new strategy.
So if I switch this to bore and then click OK,
right here in the feature tree,
this hole is now going to be bored instead of drilled.
Just remember that if you want
to change the default strategies associated
with each feature, you can update that information
in the technology database.