Impact User Guide

Stripping Knives

Modified on: Wed, 28 Aug, 2024 at 2:39 PM

Edit Bar controls: Knife, Mode, Interactive, Angle vertical, Offset, Offset vertical, Infer along, Infer horizontal, Settings, Cut palettes.

This tool allows you to add strip knives relative to the design or sheet extents of the current layer to separate the waste board.

The tool supports the creation of T , L or straight perimeter strip knives. The placement of the strip knives can be dependent on a number of factors including how the waste is being removed and if there is a blanking unit.

Settings - lists the predefined settings for the stripping knives.

Cut palettes - lists the cut palette settings. Only the palettes specified in the setting will be used to calculate the design extents and are available for being snapped to; typically this will be set to cut type entities only.

Angle Vertical - stripping knives are created at 0, 90, 180, 270 or 360 degrees only. If the entity chosen is an arc or a line not at 0, 90, 180, 270 or 360 degrees, then the direction of the strip knife will be dependent upon this option. If checked, the strip knife will be vertical, if not checked, the strip knife will be horizontal.

Strip Knife - with this option enabled you can select stripping knives as well as normal cut entities. This option is only available when using Gutter mode.

Infer along - infer along instructs the tool to check for the same configuration of entities and blocks along the same vertical or horizontal axes and automatically place strip knives at these points.

Infer horizontal - infer horizontal is only applicable to external horizontal strip knives (i.e. when the Knife option is set to Perimeter). When adding horizontal strip knives this option allows you to add strip knives in line to the side lay and off lay at the Y point specified.

Knife - lists the waste area the strip knife is to be applied to. From the list select the option required, this will then populate the Mode list.

Gutter - this option allows you to place a strip knife between two cut entities

Internal knife - this option can be used to create a grid of strip knives in a large internal waste area.

Perimeter - this option is used to apply strip knives relative to the outside waste extending out from the design/cut extents of the drawing to the sheet or dieboard extents.

Perimeter slot - this option is used to create a U or L type stripping knife enclosing a slot waste area.

Mode - the options listed here are dependent upon the Knife option selected; see Creating strip knives below.

Creating strip knives

First select the Strip knife setting and Cut palette settings.

Gutter

To create a gutter strip set Knife to Gutter and then select the Mode for creation:

Offset from end

This mode allows you to place a gutter strip knife Offset by the specified amount from the end of a picked entity.

Offset vertical / offset horizontal - if this option is enabled the offset distance will be relative the vertical/horizontal axis, otherwise it will be applied along the length of the picked entity.

To create the strip knife define the offset distance and pick the entity close to the end and side you want the strip knife to be created. The strip knife will extend to the next cut entity.

Offset from entity

This mode will create a gutter strip knife Offset by the specified amount to the side of the picked projecting between two cut knife entities. The picked entity must be horizontal or vertical.

To create the strip knife define the Offset value and the Number of knives to create at the defined offset value, then pick the entity from which to create the new strip knife ensuring your cursor is to the side the knife is required.

Snapped point

This mode will create a gutter strip knife at the snapped point projecting between two cut knife entities. To create the strip knife choose the snap mode and then pick the entity from which to create the new strip knife ensuring your cursor is to the side the knife is required.

Internal knife

To create an internal strip set Knife to Internal knife and then select the Mode for creation and then pick a point inside the hole; the entities surrounding the picked hole are highlighted in white. If the area detected is only part of the area you wish to add strip knives to, you can hold the Shift key down while picking additional areas - these will be added to the stripped area. Similarly holding Control down will remove picked areas. This part of the tool is similar to the Hole Finder tool. Once the hole has been identified press the Accept button. Then you can create a pattern of strip knives using any combination of the modes below.

Replicate - instructs the tool to check for holes of the same configuration of entities and blocks as the hole selected and automatically creates the strip knife geometry.

Rewind - will delete the last strip knife/knives added

Add strip knives using the modes available; once complete press OK to create strip knives or Cancel to cancel the internal knives.

Once the internal shape is complete you can create further copies by checking the option Copy last hole and picking the hole to copy to. You can Mirror or Rotate the original geometry by changing the values on the Edit Bar before accepting the new hole.

Distribute from ends

This mode allows you to add multiple strip knives specifying an initial Offset from the picked end points and with either a defined Separation distance or the Number of strip knives.

Offset vertical / offset horizontal - if this option is enabled the offset distance will be relative to the vertical/horizontal axis, otherwise it will be applied along the length of the picked entity.

Set the edit bar options and then pick the two end points between which the strip knives will be created.