Need Help!- Flat Z-level surfaces

[BGTI]

This is such a simple issue, its probably addressed somewhere but I could not find it...

I am trying to machine a part which is pretty much a 2.5 axis job. It has lots of vertical surface and small flat surfaces (i.e. parallel to the XY plane) scattered about that part at different depths.

The problem is that neither "Z level rough" nor "Z level finish" properly cut Z depths of flat surfaces! "Z level rough" cuts at increments, so all you flat Z surfaces will by cut only to the last higher incremental depth. And "Z level finish" does not even look at flat surfaces - only the vertical sides.

That leaves Slice Planar, and perhaps pocketing. There are lots of there little flat surfaces, so pocketing would be a hugh PITA (creating boundaries, etc.) For the most part, this applies as well to slice planar to do it right. I could slice planar the entire part with 0 XYZ allowance, but this tends to mess up my "Z level finish" as it leaves vertical marks where the end mill plunges and retracts up and down the sides of the vertical surfaces.

So what am I missing? How does one go about milling all these little flat surfaces? Am I really stuck with "slice planar" as my only option to properly cut flat surfaces?

Thanks in advance!

[The One]

Pocketing is really your best bet. Here is a way that might make it a little easier to do:


Click Utilities => Extract Edges => Single.
Select all of your flat surfaces. Do not use window pick, just left click on the desired surfaces.
Right click and left click OK to complete the operation.
Now click on Other => Contour.
Drag a box around everything.
Right click an left click OK.
*Now you should have the boundaries for your pockets and you should be able to select an entire boundary by clicking on one spot.*
All you need to do now is add the necessary pocket features. If you have multiple shapes that are all the same depth you can assigne them to the same feature.

Regards

[BGTI]

Yeah, this is pretty much what I ended up doing.

Just seems like there should be a 3D solution if this in fact 3D software. Having to jerry-rig 2D toolpaths to generate a 3D (actually, 2.5D) part is, well, disappointing.

Oh well.

Thanks for your reply though!