[elektrinis]

Hello. I am starting to use SolidCAM and run into problems time to time. Here is a part I'd like to machine:



The part has many narrow pockets, with width=3.2mm. I use 3.0mm endmill.
I'd like SolidCAM's so highly advertized Wizard to calculate feeds and speeds automatically, based on material, endmill, machine, etc. However it looks like the wizard is available only with iMachining and 3D iMachining. To me it looks like iMachining is just a combination of the feeds&speeds wizard and adaptive pocket clearing.
It uses adaptive clearing, which requires quite wide pocket. It will simply ignore narrow pockets.

Q: Is it possible to machine these narrow pockets using iMachinig? Alternatively, how should I use standard pockets and calculate feeds&speeds?

[glovebox20]

imachining probaly won't work when your using an end mill so similar in size. I would draw another sketch that will allow my end mill to go completly off my part, with one end being 'open', other end being 'closed'. Then just use a profile operation to mill the slots out. You might be able to program just one slot, than use 'transform operation' to the other slots, if your post is set up for it. This would make defining the Geometery easier. I would also use a Profile opertion for the closed slots and have a very small radius or 'normal' lead in/out. Then use this geomtery to created a drill opertion to drill out the plunge spot of the end mill.


Good Luck.

[elektrinis]

Hm. That looks like a lot of work. Seeing the price and all the advertisements I was expecting a bit of automation...

I can't see a problem for SolidCAM to do adaptive feedrate not only in adaptive clearing, but in other operations as well. But it seems like it is available only in adaptive clearing...
Is it possible to use the wizard to calculate feeds and speeds for non-iMachining contour?

Also, iMachining offers only one direction milling: climbing or conventional. Our machine is very slow and milling one way and then going all the way back takes double the time it could. That is, air cutting is almost the same as material.
Is there a way to set it to go both ways?

[glovebox20]

There marketing oversells their product. Don't even get me started on the integration thing. Call up tec support and ask them about their feature recognition/machine process and see how far you get. I don't use the imachining much so I can’t answer all your questions, but I believe it only cuts one way.

[cncDecoder]

Hm. That looks like a lot of work. Seeing the price and all the advertisements I was expecting a bit of automation...

I can't see a problem for SolidCAM to do adaptive feedrate not only in adaptive clearing, but in other operations as well. But it seems like it is available only in adaptive clearing...
Is it possible to use the wizard to calculate feeds and speeds for non-iMachining contour?

Also, iMachining offers only one direction milling: climbing or conventional. Our machine is very slow and milling one way and then going all the way back takes double the time it could. That is, air cutting is almost the same as material.
Is there a way to set it to go both ways?

iMachining works on the principal of points in contact of your milling cutter flute, and sets rpm & feed to suit based on SolidCAM's research of optimal speeds & feeds.
It will work best with a 45degree helix with 4 or 5 flutes.
iMachining can have automated s&f due to the function being based on cutter flutes, helix angle, depth, and material tensile Mpa. Other milling functions have more deciding factors on the s&f - and so are case based not as easily automated.

As climb milling is generally considered best for milling, iMachining will do only climb milling - and not zig-zag the clearing.
The re-positioning feedrate should be set in your iMachining machine settings as your machines maximum feedrate, a relatively modern machine should be up over 20,000 mm/min.
If your machine's maximum feedrate is slow, then iMachining probably isn't your best option. If your SolidCAM rep did not explain this to you before purchase, then I'd say he's a bit of a con :devious:

What is also critical to getting iMachining working well is to ensure you set up your material database accurately - each materials tensile Mpa needs to be set correct to the actual material you want to cut.

Cheers

[elektrinis]

Thanks for explaining this.
I actually was trying a demo, so nothing was purchased and no harm done yet.

I do understand some basics behind iMachining, I also know why climb milling is better than conventional and where the engage angle comes from. Yes, climb milling at like 45 degrees will be faster than slot milling in considered a wide normal pocket. However in many cases there are narrow pockets where standard 'adaptive' iMachining is not the best strategy (as it is now anyway). I would prefer it go up to 180 degrees angle (full width) and to reduce feedrate as much as needed to pull it off safely.

Our machine is quite slow, max repositioning speed is 8'400 mm/m and it is light, so we can not go with deep cutting. Usually we work with soft materials, such as plastics, aluminum and brass, so our feedrates are often in the range of 6'000-8'000 mm/min, which is very close to repositioning.
This is why constant repositioning wastes almost half of our machine time during iMachinig. And in case of narrow pockets, we still have to use slot operations and pick the feedrates by hand, based on experimentation and previous experience. This slows down the process badly.

A word so SolidCAM team: you are going the right direction and iMachining looks ok. However it is far from what customers expect from such advertisements, so do it to the completion.
Also is was very buggy: not saving the CAM data inside the SW file or the data is not visible in the CAM part list.

Using the free HSM express for now. No iMachinig, but it works.

[Hirudin]

I really like iMachining and agree that they should expand it to the other machining strategies as well. I hate using G-Wizard and/or FSWizard when I paid a ton of money to get iMachining.

An option could be to use a smaller bit. Not ideal, just an option.