[viroy]

ok I think I figured out what might have been causing that... the tool cutting edge may have been shallower than the pocket at that end due to the taper.
By unchecking 'non-cutting portion' from gouge checking... i get this

now I just need to add a stepdown since I dont want to cut the full depth in one shot, maybe 3mm per pass.

[viroy]

ok with 'axial cut depths' in roughing... I get what looks to be a good result!
I was also able to re-check the 'non-cutting portion' on gouge checking... here is the result
Let me know if you see anything I missed

[adidoro]

ok with 'axial cut depths' in roughing... I get what looks to be a good result!
I was also able to re-check the 'non-cutting portion' on gouge checking... here is the result
Let me know if you see anything I missed ]

Looks good, if your happy with tolerances shown in simulation is ok.

[viroy]

is there a way to get the simulation to show the result compared to the pockets drawn?
I cannot tell if the pockets are indeed cut right to the edge of where they are supposed to be

[RCaffin]

As I said before you can not run A axis along Y, and swapping axis names will only confuse you.
A axis is rotary along X axis, B axis is rotary along Y axis and C axis is rotary along Z axis.
Ah well . . .
I have done that in Mach3 - sort of. In Mach3 settings I put the A axis on the Y axis and it displays correctly, which is what I wanted.
But otherwise there is no difference as far as Mach3 is concerned. If I issue g0 a90 the rotary unit rotates 90 degrees and that is all that matters for me.

At the risk of being difficult, perhaps the problem is a limitation in the CAD/CAM SW? Maybe it is just refusing to do what you want? This does not happens to me as I program directly in g-code.

Cheers
Roger

[adidoro]

is there a way to get the simulation to show the result compared to the pockets drawn?
I cannot tell if the pockets are indeed cut right to the edge of where they are supposed to be

Yes, the simulation always show the differences from part and machined part, that is the propose of simulation.

https://www.cnczone.com/forums/attac...4&d=1682841296

The colors shown in left upper corner are specific tolerances achieved after machining.

[viroy]

ahhh i missed that! so used to solidcam still
Thank you so much for your help adi! You really came through on a difficult situation!!!

[viroy]

rcaffin, I havent checked the gcode yet but im hoping everything will be fine to load into mach3... and if it is like you say, I can define the B-axis as my rotary yes?
I do have a true 4-axis machine with 4 independent controllers. so with the port settings I should be able to configure the rotary to any axis I like

[adidoro]

As I said before you can not run A axis along Y, and swapping axis names will only confuse you.
A axis is rotary along X axis, B axis is rotary along Y axis and C axis is rotary along Z axis.
Ah well . . .
I have done that in Mach3 - sort of. In Mach3 settings I put the A axis on the Y axis and it displays correctly, which is what I wanted.
But otherwise there is no difference as far as Mach3 is concerned. If I issue g0 a90 the rotary unit rotates 90 degrees and that is all that matters for me.

At the risk of being difficult, perhaps the problem is a limitation in the CAD/CAM SW? Maybe it is just refusing to do what you want? This does not happens to me as I program directly in g-code.

Cheers
Roger

Indeed, you can do that, but is not advisable. I make toolpats for 5 axis and even a single sign orientation of axis (+ or -) will ruin your part, or if is a symmetric part and the part come out ok, if you engrave text on that part, your text will be mirrored, not funny.
That's why there is a standard for axis names and orientations. It's easier to change the letter of an axis and the orientation direction on controller side (software) to match your real machine.

[RCaffin]

Indeed, you can do that, but is not advisable.
There is a world of difference between using a CAD/CAM package and doing all the programming yourself in g-code.
In fact, the reason I tell Mach3 to put the A axis on the Y axis is so the display is how I want it. It works fine.
Otherwise, you can make a CNC do anything you want if you program it directly. It helps to be able to visualise what you are doing of course.

Yes, I realise that getting the sign wrong can have unfortunate results. But I always air-cut first, and watch closely.

Cheers
Roger

[RCaffin]

rcaffin, I havent checked the gcode yet but im hoping everything will be fine to load into mach3... and if it is like you say, I can define the B-axis as my rotary yes?
I do have a true 4-axis machine with 4 independent controllers. so with the port settings I should be able to configure the rotary to any axis I like
Aircut first!

Mach3 will sync all 6 axes together: X,Y,Z,A,B&C. That is a fundamental part of its design. Yes, you do need separate controllers for each axis - unless you are running two drives onto each side of one linear axis, but Mach3 can handle that as well. Mach3 seems to have a bit more flexibility than earlier commercial systems, which is nice.

Cheers
Roger

[viroy]

I do have one more thing I would like to accomplish...
The wood blanks I get are usually square stock, I would like to mill it to the general shape of the tapered cylinder, mill the pockets, then take it to the lathe. (rather than lathe/mill/lathe)
I will try this later today, but I'm guessing going about it the same way we just went through, except for the pattern upper/lower, use the two ends of the cylinder.

I'm just imagining the ideal toolpaths here.... use a large square endmill to go longways along each of the 4 square edges to about the same height of the flat sides (resulting in something close to a cylinder), then spiraling down it with a ballnose to get a tapered shape roughly just a few mm above the final shape.
What would be the best way to go about this?

[adidoro]

rcaffin, I havent checked the gcode yet but im hoping everything will be fine to load into mach3... and if it is like you say, I can define the B-axis as my rotary yes?
I do have a true 4-axis machine with 4 independent controllers. so with the port settings I should be able to configure the rotary to any axis I like

Here it comes the hard part of the story, like I said before and many times you need to define your machine in MACH software to match your machine axis names and orientations, to be able to run a posted code with confidence.
Also only this way, I can help you with a postprocessor that will work on your machine.

Attachment 492396

Check the axis from photo, also A,B and C need to have + or - direction, + for CW and - for CCW.

[viroy]

my machine is 24" x 48"
the rotary is 36"

The way it came and the way I have always done is the X-axis is 24" and the Y-axis is 48"
So I run the rotary down the Y because its the only way it fits


From this photo angle, the bottom left corner of the bed would be the farthest negative X/Y
So Y+ would run away from the camera, and X+ would go from the left side of the bed to the right side of the bed
Rotary + would go CW to camera

[adidoro]

my machine is 24" x 48"
the rotary is 36"
The way it came and the way I have always done is the X-axis is 24" and the Y-axis is 48"
So I run the rotary down the Y because its the only way it fits

You need to define your machine like that in MACH software and your rotary to be named Y. Here I can't help you as I don't use MACH software.

[viroy]

I dont understand why the rotary would be Y... I thought by defining 4-axis in camworks it would output the rotary as A or B
I do need the ability to make flat spots on the rotary... a simple example would be, imagine the next operation after what was just done, is to make one end of the cylinder into a square

Mach allows any input to be custom defined... if i wanted to, I can redefine any axis to any axis (so if i wanted to I could change X to Y or whatever)
It deals with the raw input from controllers and has to be defined, so it does not know what motor is what axis, I decide that

[adidoro]

I dont understand why the rotary would be Y... I thought by defining 4-axis in camworks it would output the rotary as A or B
I do need the ability to make flat spots on the rotary... a simple example would be, imagine the next operation after what was just done, is to make one end of the cylinder into a square

Mach allows any input to be custom defined... if i wanted to, I can redefine any axis to any axis (so if i wanted to I could change X to Y or whatever)
It deals with the raw input from controllers and has to be defined, so it does not know what motor is what axis, I decide that

Because in 4 axis, all axis move simultaneous at some point, so swapping only the axis name from X to Y and not the orientation will not work.

Edit: If you want your rotary axis to be A, define your machine as X the longest travel (along the table) and Y the shortest.
Because any CAD or CAM software will make the calculations from standard Cartesian coordinate system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartes...rdinate_system
It's all about math...

[viroy]

I'm either missing the point or we are on the same page.
The orientation defined in solidworks/camworks is identical to the exact orientation of all axis on my machine
home will be center of the bottom (large) end of the tapered cylinder, X+ goes to the right of home position, Y+ runs up the cylinder from home, rotation + is CW

[adidoro]

I'm either missing the point or we are on the same page.
The orientation defined in solidworks/camworks is identical to the exact orientation of all axis on my machine
home will be center of the bottom (large) end of the tapered cylinder, X+ goes to the right of home position, Y+ runs up the cylinder from home, rotation + is CW

Then your good to go...

[adidoro]

Defining your machine in CamWorks is only one easy task to display your part and toolpaths inside Solidworks, to output the g-code format suitable for your machine is the hard task that is handled by the postprocessor. To make a postprocessor that will work with your machine you need to have a kin file of your machine (kinematics), where are specified your axis travel, limits, orientations and so on.. Then the postprocessor need to be programed to output g-code format that your machine controller can handle. not an easy task, as I said before.

P.S. If some administrator read this thread I think it belongs to CamWorks.