"what exactly Does saving processes do?"
What is below is how Shannon M. describes Processes in the Gibbs Mill Book. It took me awhile to type it out.
In my opinion Processes are the *Cats Ass* because they cut programming time and repetitive input.
If you really get into Processes you might want to adopt cadman's file naming structure. I did cause my file naming structure sucked.
"Pre-Defined Process Groups: A Process Group is the collection of Process Tiles
contained in the Process List at any one time. A Process Group contains all the
tooling and machining information to generate a specific set of operations. A
Process Group can be saved as an external file that can be loaded into other part
files. This capability allows the user to access and reuse common machining and
tool data for multiple part files quickly and easily without having to recreate
tools and processes. Process Groups can be saved by selecting Save from the
Processes Menu when the Process List contains the completed Process Tiles that
will compose the group. The system will ask for a file name and a location to
save the file. Once a Process Group file is saved, it can be loaded into any
part file by selecting the Load item from the Process Menu. Another way to
quickly load Process Groups is by choosing a directory that contains Process
Group files. The directory is chosen by selecting the Set Directory item from
the Process Menu. When a directory is set, all the Process Group files contained
in that directory will appear in the lower half of the process menu. For a quick
load, simply select the name of the Process Group file to be loaded from the
list. When a Process Group is loaded into a part file, any Process Tiles
currently in the Process List will be removed and replaced by the loaded
Process Group. (If this removes Process Tiles that were needed, simply select
Undo from the Edit Menu.) If the Tool List contains Tool Tiles, those tools
will become deselected, but not removed from the list. The system will search
through the existing Tool List to find the necessary tools for the loaded
Process Group. First, the system will search for an exact tool match. If an
exact match is not found, the system will search for a close match which would
be a tool with a longer tool or flute length. A tool identified as a close
match will be used. Failing to find an exact match or a close match the necessary
tools for the loaded Process Group will be created and added to the Tool List
in the first available positions. Added tools will be highlighted. Once the
Process Group is loaded into the Process List, select the appropriate Geometry
to act as the cut shape and click on the Do It button to create the operation
and the toolpath."
jon
"I may have many faults, but being wrong ain't one of them." ... Jimmy Hoffa