What’s New in the Milling Toolpaths in Inventor 2023 CAM

The Inventor 2023 Milling functionality hasn’t changed dramatically with the latest release; however, there are a number of new settings/options that you can now use in some of the Toolpaths. I haven’t found a complete list in the What’s New list for Inventor, so I thought I would provide you with a list of new options that I found helpful. 

Face Toolpath: It is now possible to define the direction of the passes by selecting a linear reference to define the direction. By default, the direction is assigned based on the X-Axis. 

2D Adaptive Toolpath: For open pockets (i.e., edges that don’t have a closed boundary), you can now set an Extension Method that defines a closed contour for the tools path.  

Bore Toolpath: In previous Inventor releases, the geometry selection methods for a Bore toolpath only allowed you to select a circular face; in 2023, an additional selection method (Diameter Range) has been added, as shown below. This is convenient when using the Bore toolpath in a template, which has multiple toolpaths that are drilling holes in your model. Each of these toolpaths can now be assigned the same diameter range, whereas previously the bore geometry needed redefining when it was used in a hole template. 

Parallel Toolpath: Similar to the Face toolpath that I mentioned above, this toolpath can now also specify the direction for the passes. This is a good alternative to simply changing the direction with an angular value, especially if you don’t know the angle. Additionally, the Machine straight on option is new and can be used to avoid machining along the steep areas by allowing the system to choose the best direction for the passes. 

One final miscellaneous thing that I noticed while working in Inventor 2023 is that when I have assigned my Work Coordinate System (WCS) to a specific stock box point, it often randomly changes it while I select the reference directions. I could always get the WCS the way I wanted; it was just the reselection of the stock box point that could be a bit of a nuisance.  

I hope that this list helps you.  

About the Author

Manager – Learning Content Development<br><br>Trained in Instructional Design, Jennifer uses her skills to develop instructor-led and web-based training products as well as knowledge profiling tools. Jennifer has achieved the Autodesk Certified Professional certification for Inventor and is also recognized as an Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI). She enjoys teaching the training courses that she authors and is also very skilled in providing technical support to end-users. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree as well as a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Dalhousie University.

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