[Forrest C]

When doing a simple outline cut the 2d profile feature always wants to add a finish pass at the end and automatically select a tool for it. Is there not a way to turn this off?

Forrest

[SBC Cycle]

Which version of BobCAD? In V26 you simply remove the Profile Finish from the machining strategy. In previous versions setting the finish tool to a zero diameter does the trick for a one time omission of the finish pass.

[Forrest C]

I'm in BobCam V3. I assume its pretty close to V25. I've wondered why there isn't a check box to turn it off. You would also think that if all of your allowances are set at 0 it would omit such a pass. I mean at that point there is nothing left, right?

Forrest

[BurrMan]

I don't have The V3 version, but usually if you want to eliminate something like that more than just entering no allowance and 0 for the tool size (wont output after that) you would edit a toolpattern, and remove the finish tool from even being in the feature.

[Forrest C]

Hi Burr, if there is a toolpath that does a simple outline pass I don't think I have it. What I'm doing is using 2D profile. That allows me to select just the outline geometry which shows up in the next screen. The next screen is for rough pass and after selecting the tool and going thru all the other steps it automatically selects a finish tool. Am I missing something here? Would it be better to use one of the 3D toolpaths?

Forrest

[jrmach]

Forrest,if you enter "0" for the finish tool size and "0" for stock remaining,does that not work ?

[Machineit]

Hi Burr, if there is a toolpath that does a simple outline pass I don't think I have it. What I'm doing is using 2D profile. That allows me to select just the outline geometry which shows up in the next screen. The next screen is for rough pass and after selecting the tool and going thru all the other steps it automatically selects a finish tool. Am I missing something here? Would it be better to use one of the 3D toolpaths?

Forrest

Go to the finish tool and make the diameter 0.0. Or set the finish tool to "manual: and set it to tool #"0". Generally if you don't leave a side tolerance, you won't get a finish tool most of the time, it will not show a diameter.

Mike

[BurrMan]

Hi Burr, if there is a toolpath that does a simple outline pass I don't think I have it. What I'm doing is using 2D profile. That allows me to select just the outline geometry which shows up in the next screen. The next screen is for rough pass and after selecting the tool and going thru all the other steps it automatically selects a finish tool. Am I missing something here? Would it be better to use one of the 3D toolpaths?

Forrest

I understand forest. WHat I was referring to though is the "tool pattern". In the new system they have "Dynamic machining strategies" to handle it. The older systems used "tool Patterns". You can edit it for just the current part, or the default ones too. You can create a profile toolpattern that only contains a single rough tool. The default one contains a rough and a finish tool.

I don't have a computer with BobCad at the moment, so maybe someone can show you some direction with this. Otherwise, it will have to wait till I'm up and running.

[Forrest C]

Guys, I did the 0" diameter thing and it works fine. Still don't understand why if you use 0 allowance for the first tool it still wants to use a finish tool by default. There is nothing left to finish.

Forrest

[Machineit]

Guys, I did the 0" diameter thing and it works fine. Still don't understand why if you use 0 allowance for the first tool it still wants to use a finish tool by default. There is nothing left to finish.

Forrest

I'm still using V23, and it does the same thing. Sometimes it uses the finish tool and sometimes not, even if no material left for finishing. I just check the finish tool each time I see it there and zero it out if I don't want it.

Mike

[mmoe]

I understand forest. WHat I was referring to though is the "tool pattern". In the new system they have "Dynamic machining strategies" to handle it. The older systems used "tool Patterns". You can edit it for just the current part, or the default ones too. You can create a profile toolpattern that only contains a single rough tool. The default one contains a rough and a finish tool.

I don't have a computer with BobCad at the moment, so maybe someone can show you some direction with this. Otherwise, it will have to wait till I'm up and running.

This is what I'd do as well. If you go to the tool pattern setting in the CAM tree, you can change it so that when you check the "chamfer" box, it does a different set of operations from when you leave it blank. Since I rarely use the chamfer option anyways, I set up the "chamfer" operation to eliminate the finish pass instead (or eliminate the rough pass depending on what you are trying to do). That way, it works normally if I leave the chamfer box unchecked, of I can do just a single pass by checking the chamfer box even though I'm not really doing a chamfer. If you do chamfers, this may be less ideal, but otherwise it works well.

V26 just totally eliminates the problem by separating the operations and allowing you to pick and choose which you want to include or exclude. It's really a fantastic change to the system that takes getting used to, but pays pretty big dividends in terms of flexible and fast part programming.