The “Tool” section is where you identify the product you need the running parameters for.

1. Enter the Tool # (sometimes referred to as the Product ID) for the Harvey Tool or Helical Solutions product you are using for the project. Once the “Tool #” is entered, the product details will populate in the gray box.
2. Review the details before proceeding to ensure the correct Tool # has been selected.

Learn more about Harvey Tool or Helical Solutions cutting tools.

The “Material” section allows you to input/select the specific material that will be machined.

1.  Select the “Material” you will be working in.
2.  Once “Material” is selected the  “Subgroup” drop-down list only contains materials within the selected “Material” type. Input/ select the appropriate option from the list.
3.  Finally  select the “Condition” if applicable (not all materials have a condition available for selection)

The hardness values (HBS, HBS, HRB and HRC) will autofill after steps 1 – 3 are completed. You may over-ride the default values by entering a known value in one of the 4 hardness boxes. Click the “Reset”  button to change the hardness values back to default.

Learn More about Material Types and Subgroups

Use the “Operation” Section to specify the operation and tool path for your project.

1. Select your “Operation” type from the drop down list.
2.  Then choose one of the available selections in the “Tool Path” dropdown list.

Tool Path Info

For additional information about the different tool paths, click the gray “Tool Path Info” box. This will open a pop-up with additional information about the different tool paths. Selecting one of the images will populate the “Tool Path” input.

Learn more about different Tool Paths

The “Machine” section allows you to input/select applicable machine, holder, and fixture information.

1.  Select the appropriate item from the: “Spindle” drop-down list.
2.  Select the appropriate item from t he “Holder” drop-down list.
3.  Enter the Machine’s “Max RMP” and “Max IPM”

The recommended’ speeds/feeds will not exceed the maximum speed feed values you enter for “Max RPM” and “Max IPM”. If these values are left blank  your recommended values may be higher than the capacity of the machine.

If necessary, use the slider bar to adjust how rigid/secure your fixture is. Clicking on the ”Reset” button  will move the slider back to the center.

NOTE: lt may be tempting to move the slider all t he way to the Rigid right (toward “Rigid”), but this may result in recommendations that are too aggressive for your particular setup ( if it is not truly rigid) . It is best to be honest about your setup, RPM and IPM.

The “Parameters” section allows you to further refine your recommendations.

Once Sections 1-4 (Tool, Material, Operation and Machine) are complete, the “Parameters” section will auto-fill with the suggested starting parameters.

For some products the “Parameters” section will allow you to override these starting values to further define your application. These can be adjusted two ways:

1. Next to each parameter, there are 2 boxes. The top box is the absolute value. The bottom box is the percentage (related the the cutting diameter). You can manually change the defaults for each parameter by updating the values in either of the boxes.  Updating the absolute value of a parameter will auto-fill the percentage, and vice versa.

2. These values can also be adjusted by dragging the sliders on the “ADOC/RDOC Adjuster”.

Learn more about the parameters within Machining Advisor Pro! (https://www.harveyperformance.com/machining-advisor-pro-help/#parameters)

Once all the information is filled in for the workpiece, end mill, machine setup, and programming parameters the “Recommendations” section will show speed and feed values that are appropriate for the tool, material, set-up, etc.

Speed/Feed Dials

The Speed/Feed Adjustment dials to the right of the “Recommendations” allow you to individually adjust the speed and/or feed to more conservative or more aggressive values.

• Adjusting the “Speed” dial/slider to the left will reduce the SFM, and adjusting it to the right will increase the SFM.
• Adjusting the “Feed” dial/slider to the left will reduce the IPT, and adjusting it to the right will increase the IPT .

Pressing the “Reset” button below either dial will return the dials/sliders to their start position.

Corner Adjustment Box

The Corner Adjustment area will only be activated if you selected High Efficiency Milling as your Tool Path.

1. If you selected “High Efficiency Milling” as your tool path, an option to adjust the “Inside Corner Radius of Wall” will appear.
2. Click the down arrow to select “IPM Inside Corner” or “RDOC Inside Corner” to populate the “Inside Corner Radius of Wall”.

Without this adjustment there will be increased engagement on the tool when it enters the inside corner, which could result in tool failure. Two methods to reduce this risk are to decrease your feed rate or decrease your axial depth of cut. Machining Advisor Pro generates the necessary adjustment based on the method that you selected.

NOTE: The recommended values provided by Machining Advisor Pro are references to get you started. You must still exercise sound judgment and experience to determine how to run your endmill. The “Speed/Feed Adjustment” dials/sliders are another tool to help you get these theoretical numbers closer to actual values needed for your specific situation.

Click below to download a PDF version of the Getting Started Guide.