Face Milling¶

In one sentence: Generate a surfacing pass to flatten the top face of the stock and establish a consistent Z datum.

Overview¶

Workbench: CAM
Menu: CAM → Face Milling
Command: CAM_MillFace
Shortcut: none

Generates a facing toolpath that passes back and forth across the top of the stock (or selected faces) to remove stock material and produce a flat, consistent surface. Typically the first operation in a milling programme.

Intuition¶

Before machining a part, the top of the stock is often uneven — slightly bowed, with mill marks, or at an imprecise height. Face Milling skims the top to give a flat, clean datum that all subsequent depth measurements are referenced from.

When to use it¶

As the first operation in a milling job to establish a flat Z datum.
When the stock top surface needs to be cleaned up before profiling or pocketing.

Key parameters¶

Parameter	Description
BoundBox	Which faces to surface: selected faces, job stock, or all
Pattern	ZigZag, Offset, or Line
Step Over Percent	Radial step-over between passes (% of tool diameter)
Finish Depth	Extra depth beyond the face to ensure a clean cut

See Common Parameters for depth and height parameters.

Common mistakes and pitfalls¶

Face Milling cuts too deep

If Final Depth is set below the model top face, the facing pass will cut into the part. Set Final Depth to skim only the stock surface above the model's top.