[redvanth]

Hi All

Just need know how to do the following

I need to be able to nest many shapes across a number of sheets

eg

I have 20 squares, these squares will take up 3 sheets of board. How do i create the toolpath for all 3 sheets.

Can a toolpath be made so all 3 sheets are on it or is each sheet a seperate toolpath?? I have tried to select all vectors in the edit tab
but seems to only select the vectors on the sheet im looking at, any help would be great

We really dont want to save a toolpath for each sheet then be required to run each toolpath seperatly on our machine

Hope this makes sense

Thanks
Anthony

[ger21]

Hope this makes sense

No, not really.

I have 20 squares, these squares will take up 3 sheets of board. How do i create the toolpath for all 3 sheets.

After you nest the sheets, you create the toolpaths for each sheet.

Can a toolpath be made so all 3 sheets are on it or is each sheet a seperate toolpath??

I don't believe so.

Can you actually fit all 3 sheets on your machine? That's the only scenario that makes sense from what I'm reading. If that's the case, you'll need to manually move parts so they don't fall between the sheets.

[redvanth]

Hi gerry

Thanks for the reply,

My machine has a working area of 3600x1200

We are cutting into MDF sheets 3600x1200, once we have drawn our 20 squares into v carve we attempt to nest these. Given all the squares wont fit onto 1 board V carve then creates 3 boards/Sheets.

So now we create the tool path, but we can only select the vectors that appear on the current sheet. We would like to select all the vectors on all the sheets and create 1 toolpath rather than 3 toolpaths (eg 1 TP per Sheet)

It seems this is not possible???

thanks
Anthony

[ger21]

If only one sheet will fit on your machine, then why do you want a toolpath for more than one sheet??
What you're asking makes no sense to me.

[redvanth]

Hello

Reason is because every job we do will always have multiple sheets. Normally 5 or above.

My understanding is by saving individual toolpaths per sheet we will need need to run each toolpath as a seperate file on our machine?

I would assume for example a Kitchen manufacturing company producing many cabinets would not load a tool path for each sheet they cut. There must be a way to create one toolpath per job and at the end of each sheet the machine will pause so we could replace a new sheet then resume and so on

thanks
Anthony

[ger21]

I would assume for example a Kitchen manufacturing company producing many cabinets would not load a tool path for each sheet they cut. There must be a way to create one toolpath per job and at the end of each sheet the machine will pause so we could replace a new sheet then resume and so on

You're making an incorrect assumption. That's actually what my day job is, programming for a high production cabinet shop, using $20,000 software and a $100,000 router. Each nested program is loaded individually for each sheet.

Some of the higher end controls may have the ability to "link" the multiple programs together similarly to what you want, but I've never seen on that will run one program across multiple sheets.

[kenrbass]

If the parts are the same, just nest as many as will fit on one sheet and run that same file 5 times.

You should have a repeat file button on your machine.

You still have to clear the parts and vac the table between sheets though.

[smdysmf]

You could copy the second sheet tool path and paste it at the end of the first, and with some minor editing make the machine pause between the two.
Maybe as easy as changing an M30 to a M00 depending on how your programs are structured.

[davy182]

In Vcarve you can save all three sheets into one tool path as the order you want. All you would have to do is have someone make you a new post proccessor to pause, go home and press cycle start to begin next profile (sheet). Or if you know the codes and don't mind editing you can do it yourself.

[ger21]

In Vcarve you can save all three sheets into one tool path as the order you want. All you would have to do is have someone make you a new post proccessor to pause, go home and press cycle start to begin next profile (sheet).

Yes, it appears that you can output all the toolpaths for all the sheets. But, looking through the post processor manual, I don't see any way to know which sheet the toolpaths are on. Which means the post would have no idea when to pause or stop between sheets.

Manual is here.

Vectric Forum • View topic - Guide to editing a Vectric Post Processor

[davy182]

Hey Gerry,

Do you think he can set up the same tool but different number and call for a tool change and in his macro have a wait for cycle start.

[aarggh]

I've been following this thread thinking that I might learn something interesting here, but as hard as I try, I just keep coming back to "Why?"

While I'm always happy to defer to the greater knowledge and experience of others, who may provide a very valid reason for this requirement, given the objects ARE ALL THE SAME for each sheet as the OP seemed to indicate, why on earth wouldn't you just hit the "run" button again after changing the sheet at each run?

The only time I could imagine why you'd split a toolpath over multiple sheets is to join them into a larger assembly as I'll be doing with my LED faux nightsky when I get around to it, or when you have dissimilar parts being cut out. But if you don't have a material autoload system, you still have to manually intervene, making the whole thing moot again.

This kinda looks like a solution looking for a problem.

Cheers,
Ian

[ger21]

Hey Gerry,

Do you think he can set up the same tool but different number and call for a tool change and in his macro have a wait for cycle start.

I think that would be a far more difficult alternative, especially if you have more than one tool on each sheet.
You'd need multiple duplicate tools to keep track of.
See,s to me that the additional programing time and confusion would be far worse than just loading separate programs for each sheet.

[ger21]

I've been following this thread thinking that I might learn something interesting here, but as hard as I try, I just keep coming back to "Why?"

While I'm always happy to defer to the greater knowledge and experience of others, who may provide a very valid reason for this requirement, given the objects ARE ALL THE SAME for each sheet as the OP seemed to indicate, why on earth wouldn't you just hit the "run" button again after changing the sheet at each run?

I don't believe they are all the same. I think he gave a bad example, but actually said this:

I need to be able to nest many shapes across a number of sheets

Which I read as multiple differently shaped parts.

[davy182]

I agree, if anything just trying to help someone get what they wanted out of a program. I just ran a 45 sheet program with 17 different tools path. All I did was label my toolpaths sheet 1 qty 4 etc and loaded them separately.

[redvanth]

HI guys

Great to see the responses, thanks
As i mentioned we are super new to this and learning so much every day.

Here is what we have learnt and now came up, actually as i type the wife is next to me building our new PP. the benefits of loving a computer programmer!!

Hopefully this might help others?

example- same tool, many different shapes squares/circles etc over 4 boards.

-Firstly nest your shapes, which will take up 4 sheets in total
-then select each sheet calculate toolpaths and call each sheet/toolpath for example sheet 1 sheet 2 etc
-Save all toolpaths to one file.

Press run and first Toolpath/Sheet will run. At the end of this sheet/toolpath is where a modified PP comes in

In our PP we have programmed a "New segement" this consists basically of a Temp Stop, gantry will return to a set location " possibly home" We
can then load a new sheet and press the start button on controller.
This will then begin the next toolpath/Sheet 2

and repeat process for sheet 3 etc etc

Now when needing a toolchange or a newsegment/toolchange together the
process will be the same.

As we now know and have learnt you must create toolpaths for each sheet but these can be outputed to the machine in one file making a run of multiple sheets very easy. And running the next toolpath is simply a press of 1 button.

The trick is to have the customized PP set up

Thanks to all
Anthony

[ger21]

In our PP we have programmed a "New segment" this consists basically of a Temp Stop, gantry will return to a set location " possibly home" We
can then load a new sheet and press the start button on controller.
This will then begin the next toolpath/Sheet 2

This will only work if you use a different feedrate or spindle speed for each sheet. If the feedrates and spindle speeds are the same, then "New Segment" will not be used.

[redvanth]

Hello

There is no need for a feedrate or spindle speed change.
A new segment can be added, the manual states the following on pg21

NEW_SEGMENT
+---------------------------------------------------
+ Commands output for a new segment ( new toolpath with current toolnumber)
+---------------------------------------------------
begin NEW_SEGMENT
“Commands”
For an example of a NEW_SEGEMENT section, see the file: Mach2_3_ATC_Arcs_inch.pp
Commands that are output when a new toolpath uses the currently selected tool, but
perhaps a different spindle speed is required or the machine requires additional instructions.
Any commands that are used in the NEW_SEGMENT section should not need to be included
within the TOOLCHANGE section as a tool-change will also automatically call the instructions
in the NEW_SEGMENT section.
Variables that are commonly used include.
Spindle Speed = [S] R.P.M.
M3 M Code often used to turn spindle on (Clockwise rotation).
M5 M Code often used to turn spindle off.

Vectric also mentioned this solution in email as well.

In all so far so good!! keep you all posted

Thanks
Anthony

[ger21]

I thought I had checked first and it didn't work, but I apparently did it wrong.

Yes, it will work as you describe. Good luck.

You probably want to use M1, and set up Mach3 for optional M1 Stop. Assuming you're using Mach3, of course.

[aarggh]

I don't believe they are all the same. I think he gave a bad example, but actually said this:



Which I read as multiple differently shaped parts.

Ahhh!

That makes sense, I was reading it as all the sheets were the same, so it made no sense to me based on that. It sounds like a "project tree" concept for the software would be the useful.

cheers,
Ian