In the "out of Memory" thread there was mention of using blend surface tool path - I am a reletive newcomer to Mastercam and machining but wanted to learn more about when it would be appropriate to use this blended surface toolpath.
I am working on a pattern to use for making a cast part. It is a shifter link for a motorcycle, it has a parting line in the middle of the part and I have made models of the top and bottom halves. Picture a rectangular section with rounds on the top edge and draft on the sides.
A bit of history on what I have tried; I ran a contour path with depth passes and 2 deg walls, then a contour with a 2 degree cutter, then a finish surface to create the rounds on top - I picked all the surfaces except the bottom. The problem with the finish surface tool path is that I expected that it would not touch the cuts made with the contour tool paths...but it did. I am using a tree J325 to machine the part and it has been "upgraded" to use Mach3 for the control
I attached a file that has a view of the finished part in the upper right. All suggestions would be welcome.
My ultimate goal would be to create the top and bottom and have them meet perfectly in the middle where the parting line is. I do drill two holes for alignment but so far alignment is far from perfect.
Thanks,
Bill