[miked76]

hello i need some help from a real mastercam expert. I am trying to create a slot but i dont want the cutter to plunge unit 3 in from the edge of part. i need it to cut .25 deep and stop 3 in from end of part and retract straight up. please help! thanks

[wudbutcher]

Cad model? Can you create geometry of your slot? Can you locate an origin on your part and relate it to your geometry?

[miked76]

yes its just a simple slot. i have the geometry created but having trouble with the lead in lead out. here is a screen shot.

[wudbutcher]

Can't tell much from that picture. What material are you cutting? Can you plunge into the part? Ramp into it? You have options.

[Superman]

Create geometry of what you want the tool to follow
- turn OFF lead in/out
- turn OFF comp type

[gerfmate]

hi there
if you want the lead in and lead out to come out before the end you can select , to lead in and out at the midpoint of a geometry. So if you select the longest edge curve then it will enter and exit at the midpoint of that curve/line . you can also give it a percentage of in and out and remove the arc movement if it is a narrow slot and just have it entering and exiting perpendicular to the geometry, if that makes sense!

[miked76]

thank you it worked!! WOO HOO i don't know why i didnt think of that. only problem i have is that it leaves a little step on the inside of the end of the slot.

[miked76]

thank you, i tried turning off the lead in and lead out and the comp and it worked! i m gonna try your way also. thanks!

[gerfmate]

Hi there , depending on the size of your cutter, you can just set the in and out to 10% which will calculate 10% of your cutter diameter

[fizzissist]

I do a lot of slots, and usually I'll create a line parallel to the length but right down the center. Turn off lead in/out and cutter comp in Profile, and just ramp down into it. Then to finish the walls, I'll turn lead in/out back on (along with Wear comp) and adjust the radius/angle/length parameters so the tool starts in the already machined center and ramps into the finished side. This, of course, requires a cutter dia smaller than the width of the slot... but then, you'd never (almost never anyway) expect a perfect slot in one pass, since you're climb cutting on one side, conventional on the other.

1/8" slot use 3/32" endmill, 1/4" slot use 3/16"...so forth. This method is great for high pressure/high vacuum O-ring grooves.

...btw, I'll create my dummy toolpath geometry in its own level so you can unclutter things and make sure you're cutting what you want on the complex parts.
And don't forget, there are times when it's really Ok to just write some code into your program by hand.