[Zeppelin1007]

hey guys, forgive my newbieness...ive been using solidcam now for about 6 months and really have only used the simple 2D or 2.5D operations..pocket, profile, face, drill...etc..

So my buddy asks me to cut him a guitar body...a very bowed surface guitar body...similar to a les paul in bow, only more complicated profile geometry

Ive been digging around in solidcam but cant seem to find the straight forward method of doing this. Ive tried HSM, and that immediately tries carving the pickup cavities, profile, neck pocket, everything at once..

Ideally, id like to have it rough the surface, then round it...THEN do the pockets...which operations would i be able to find this under is basically all im asking...

i know this cant be that hard! i'd like to do similar to how Vectrec 3D does their curved contours...

Thanks in advance guys!

[Brakeman Bob]

You are on the right track with HSM but you need to set the constraint boundary. I would guess that you have it currently set to "auto box", but if you click the radio button "created manually" you get a lot of options for defining where your tool is going to cut. Personally, I find sketches held in the CAM part work well, but there are lots of other things you can try. Have a look in the HELP screens and for more detail there should be a PDF lurking somewhere in your SolidCAM folder called "HSM Module User Guide" which will give you chapter & verse.

[Zeppelin1007]

Brakeman bob,

Thanks! ive figured out the outer boundary part..thats working..have to play more with it

havent checked help yet, but im of the older school mindset of a softwares help file/manual being near useless.

Now is it one of those operations where you simply do it twice? ie, essentially clone the operation, just one does it with an endmill the other with a ball mill? obviously the step over will be much different..

[Zeppelin1007]

Alright

after much playing and digging, according to solidcam professor...well what i take away with me is, i should use HSR to rough out the stock, and the 3D preview should simulate this, then, HSM will do the "cleaninig"

And the kicker? SolidCAM2012 Hotfix1, does not sync up with what they tutor lol. Theres no advanced constant roughing anymore, theres no "profile" inside of HSR..all i can get HSR to do is go around the outside of my object once, and thats it. If i set the Z top and Z bottom to "float' above my stock, it appears its working in simulation..

However, if i just go back to HSM, and tell it to be choppy about it, it seems to work. Heck 3D Contour seems to do the same thing..

What am i missing guys? Dug though the documentation, that wasn't much help.

So i guess my problem is solved, thing is, I'm not doing it the right way? IE using HSM/3D contour for everything and not HSR/HSM like Solidcam claims i should

[Zeppelin1007]

I knew i wasnt crazy!

Machine guys update to hotfix 2, everything works on the first try!

HSR+HSS.

3 things id like to figure out.

1. how to omit pockets in the solid surface. is a guitar body, i dont want the cutter raising up every time it crosses over the pickup cavities or holes for the bridge. i can do this in HSM...

2. change direction of the HSS ball finishing operation. Currently it goes back and fourth primarily in the x direction and steps over in the y. I'd prefer personally to switch this just based on the nature of my machine

3. weather or not i can swap directions, id like to tell the machine to pause after it hits the end of of the toolpath per pass, in attempt to avoid backlash