Feature-based CAM systems provide a standard set of machinable features using common shop terms such as slot, groove, pocket, hole, side or face. To further improve automation and machining productivity,

companies need to look for a CAM system that lets them develop their own sets of custom features along with specialized machining processes.

For example, many companies have one or more elaborate or unusual holes they frequently drill. Not only can a company reap the benefits of adding these custom holes to the library of standard features for easier selection, they also can associate custom drilling cycles with these features. Every aspect of an elaborate hole configuration can be combined into a single easy-to-use feature.

A user-defined feature (UDF) can define virtually any 3-D shape along with associative machining parameters to suit a company’s own design and programming needs. UDFs result in faster, more consistent programming because programmers only need to manage a single feature for a complex shape and the same machining parameters are encoded into each UDF they create.