Build your operations, sync your channels, and take control of the shared spindle.

Pinch milling brings two or more cutting tools together in a coordinated machining operation. In ESPRIT EDGE, that means planning the cuts, synchronizing the participating channels, and defining which channel controls the shared spindle. Here’s a simple way to approach the workflow—from the initial setup to the final verification.

1. Build the pinch milling operations

Before you sync anything, start with the cut itself. Define what each tool will machine, then confirm the machine configuration, workholding, stock, tool assemblies, and channel assignments. A clear plan makes the coordinated sequence easier to review.

Work through these checks before moving on:

• Identify the geometry for each tool and its intended cutting direction.
• Confirm tool reach, holder clearance, and a machining cycle supported by your machine configuration.
• Review each toolpath, including its approach and retract, before evaluating the tools together.

2. Sync the participating channels

With the cutting operations in place, turn your attention to how the channels work together. Operations created in Operations Manager are automatically added to Program Manager, where you can organize the multichannel sequence using syncs and machining patterns.

Place program syncs at the intended wait and start points for tool changes, links between operations, and the operations themselves. Review the sequence as a whole: when should each tool approach, when should it cut, and when should it retract? The goal is a coordinated process, not simply two tools starting at the same time.

3. Set the master channel

Synchronization and master-channel control serve different purposes. Syncs coordinate the sequence; the master-channel setting identifies which channel governs spindle speed and unit when channels machine in parallel on the same spindle. Set this deliberately rather than assuming the first channel is always the master.

1. Show Program Manager using Home → Show/Hide → Program.
2. Open the context menu in Program Manager for the intended channel and choose Set as a master channel, where available.
3. Confirm that the designated channel and spindle settings match the intended process and the machine’s supported configuration.

Keep in mind: The master does not have to be Channel 1, and setting a master channel does not, by itself, synchronize the cutting paths.

4. Verify before machining

Once the operations, syncs, and master channel are in place, review the complete process with full-machine simulation and collision detection. Look beyond the cutting passes to include the tools, workpiece, and machine components throughout the sequence.

Check both tools’ engagement, approach and retract clearance, channel timing, and shared spindle control. Then review the posted output and machine-specific synchronization behavior through your established prove-out procedure. Simulation supports that review—it does not replace machine safety procedures.

The takeaway

A clear pinch milling workflow comes down to four steps: build the cuts, coordinate the channels, assign shared spindle control, and verify the complete sequence. Keep those tasks separate as you program, then review how they work together before taking the job to the machine.