You will see OP quite often in PAMSTAMP. It means operation. Then the software shows stages as well, and now we have two things to organise before we have even run anything.
The distinction is fairly simple. An operation organises a process step and its tools. That operation can contain several simulation stages, such as positioning, holding and stamping.
Open the OP Manager
If your imported dataset already created operations, look through them first. Check their names, order and tools. An OP20 label belongs to that study; the number alone doesn’t explain the sequence.
With plain CAD, create the operation in OP Manager before defining its tools. You can edit and reorder operations here too.
Set the direction with the tools visible
Open the operation in OP Editor and display the tipping direction. Tools created for that operation share the documented direction.
Now rotate the view until you can see how it relates to the press movement. Don’t look only at the axis—look at which way it points. A reversed sign is still a different direction.
If you find yourself using “up on the screen” as the reference, go back to the frames explanation. The camera can make that misleading very quickly.
Which setup method should you choose?
The Data setup choice allows the Process Editor or a macro. We will use the Process Editor for the standard workflow. I have put macros in a later post, once the stages are more familiar.
You can also define symmetry. Use it when the geometry and process conditions support it, not just because the outline looks symmetrical.
Return to the visibility tree and select the operation. Try All objects if a supporting curve or frame seems missing.
That is our operation organised. Next we need the blank, including the thickness that will matter when we build offset geometry.
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