Using a Solid Edge Sketch for Blank Stock Creation

CAMWorks for Solid Edge is embedded in Solid Edge and provides many options for defining your blank stock.  Using CAMWorks Automatic Feature Recognition and producing tool paths using the CAMWorks Technical Database produces excellent results but the default blank stock setting uses a bounding block to define the blank stock.  As you can see in this video, the first roughing operation cuts the 4 corners of the octagon shape since the blank stock is set to bounding block:

For this example I want to define my blank stock as the outer perimeter of the octagon shape as if the perimeter has already been machined.  Notice in the image below I can use a Solid Edge sketch to define my blank stock and CAMWorks will extrude the sketch to define the thickness of the blank stock.

As you can see in this video, the first roughing operation does not cut the 4 corners of the octagon shape since the blank stock is using the Solid Edge sketch to define the blank stock:

This example is just one of the many benefits of using an integrated CAM solution.  The overall machining time is greatly reduced by being able to work inside of Solid Edge and eliminate unnecessary tool paths by using a sketch that was already created.