Differences in NC file between mirrored and original steel parts

Tekla Structures
Not version-specific
Tekla Structures
DSTV
CNC
mirroring
copying
Environment
Not environment-specific
Question:
I have a plate with weld-prepared edges. When I mirror it, the mirrored image does not give the same NC file, even though it is exactly the same part. Why does this happen, and what can I do to get complete NC information?

Answer:
In Tekla Structures, when you copy/mirror a part, the geometric shape is mirrored, but the orientation of the faces does not change. For example, if in the original part, the front part is pointing west (see the picture below - 'v' face) when the part is mirrored, the front face will remain unchanged and it faces the same direction, even though the shape of the part has been mirrored.
Since the AK block information of NC files is based on front/back/top/bottom faces, in mirrored parts a certain face (for example, 'v' face) refers to different geometries, as shown below. In the example below, the 'v' face of the mirrored part contains weld preparation information, whereas this is not the case in the original part.
The solution would be to order the NC file to display both the front and back face, so that no information is lost. There is an advanced option which enables you to do this: XS_DSTV_WRITE_BEHIND_FACE_FOR_PLATE. Set the option to TRUE.

Image
image_mirrored_image.png
Was this helpful?