[MetalShavings]

I've been using SprutCAm 7 since buying my Tormach mill several years ago. It took me about three years to figure it out enough to be able to turn out some decent parts but, there is still a whole lot more I don't know how to do in SprutCAM than there is that I do know how to do.

One of the things I haven't been able to figure out is how to leave material on vertical surfaces so that I can run a clean up path to give me a better surface finish. Don't get me wrong; the surface finish I'm getting now on most of my parts are acceptable but, I think that if I could figure out how to leave a couple of thousands of material after my roughing passes, that would allow my finishing passes to leave me with less post production clean up work.

The problem here too is that as I scroll through the various SprutCAM setup pages, I'm not sure what fields to enter my dimensions in so that extra material gets left on the roughed out parts.

Picture a 1"X6"x1/2" thick piece of 1018 steel with three evenly spaced 1/2" diameter divots milled .28" deep. What I'm wanting to do is rough out the three divots with a 3/8" end mill so that there's a couple of thousands of material left to their diameter so that I can then do a finish pass with a finer end mill to bring the divots to their final diameter.

This is just an attempt to paint a picture for your mind's eye. I hope it makes sense. The actual parts I'm milling are a little more complex in shape.

Can one of you guys clue me in?

MetalShavings

[popspipes]

I use sprut 7 here.

In the waterline op's there is a stock box that will leave stock for a second op, just put in what you want left in the stock box. I do this in the waterline roughing, then remove the stock value for waterline finishing.
in 2d contour there is a stock box as well. then use another 2d contour op with the stock set at 0.

You can also increase the diameter of the cutter when you set up the tool, it fools the software into thinking the cutter is larger than it actually is so the part is cut oversize.

Let me know what ops your using and I should be able to help. I have been using it for a bit over 5 years now, it was a bear to get a handle on initially though.........

[MetalShavings]

Last night I spent a couple of hours playing around with every one of those text fields in each page until I started getting what looked to be the results I was needing. At least it looked like they might be the right results.

When I ran the simulations it looked promising. I'll have to wait and see if what I got in those simulations is what I'll get when I run my next batch of parts.

I've used your suggestion about using a slightly larger diameter end mill when machining soft jaws. It works perfectly for that application but, I never thought of using it for typical roughing and finishing work. That's a good idea.

MetalShavings

[MichaelHenry]

In at least some instances you can also "leave" negative stock to cut deeper than the part in Z, increase perimeters in pockets, or reduce them for bosses.

[MetalShavings]

It was in the "Parameters" page that I found the text field that gave me the choice of how much stock to leave in place so that I could take that final amount off with a finishing pass. I've seen those text field a thousand times but it never occurred to me that's what they were for. I was looking for the answers in the "Strategy" page.

In the "Parameters" page of a waterline tool path the text fields marked "Axial" and "Radial" seemed to be the ones that would allow me to leave what ever amount of stock on my part that I need. "Axial" leaves stock in the Z-axis and "Radial" leaves stock around the sides of the part. I think that's how it works. At least that's how it played out when I ran my simulations.

MetalShavings

[popspipes]

Glad to hear you have it under control!!

I use waterline and 2d contour quite often here. There are quite a few ways to fool cam.

Mike, I use the negative stock for an undercut in one of my parts.

[MichaelHenry]

Mike, I use the negative stock for an undercut in one of my parts.

It's funny how often things like that can be useful when you run a lot of different jobs.