Hi All,
I'm hoping someone might be able to tell me where I'm going wrong here. I'm trying to create tool paths for this part. It needs roughing and finishing on two sides and a simple bore on a third face.
I followed along with MadCAM 4 axis milling video, the one making tool paths to cut a head since it's very close to the process I want. Here's what I did:
1. Open part. It has a stock model (red) and the part, first pic.
2. Madcam Options => Axis setup => 4 axis
3. Select Cutter (4mm flat end)
4. Select stock model
5. Set Cplane World Bottom (I want to start from the bottom as this leave more stock to support the part for cutting the top)
6. Set clipping planes top Z bottom = 0
7. Create 3D Roughing toolpath. It looks OK except it has gone outside the stock model (Pic. 3 below)
8. Set Cplane world top
9. Create 3D roughing toolpath. This time it ignores the clipping planes. In the video the clipping planes appear to reset appropriately when the Cplane is set? Not sure what's going on here. Anyway, I set the clipping planes lower limit to Z=0 again. Then I create tool path and find it's reset the clipping planes to encompass the entire part again. So I reset them to lower limit Z=0 yet again, and try again. This time it doesn't overflow the stock model and respects the clipping planes, this is how I wanted the bottom tool path to look as well (highlighted in 4th pic.
Can anyone suggest why I'm getting a different size tool path when cutting the top vs. the bottom? Also any explanation that could help me understand what is going on with the clipping planes in this operation?
Is a stock model required for indexed 4th axis work, or can I use the box size setting instead?
I've tried doing the steps in a different order and every other combination I can think of and so far cannot get it to work. If I could resolve it while I still have some hair left, that would be great
Many thanks,
Jason