Home/Ref Points

[FTI2007]

I have a part in our bridge mill that with the 90 deg head on we cannot clear the top of the part. So we need to move around the sides of it.  Is there a way to use home/reference points to get it to do this without a bunch of hand edits? I have never used any thing on that page. I just need it to move in 1 axis at a time.  So for example I might need to move in Y to clear the part and then move In X or X then Y etc. I hope this makes sense.   Thanks

[Machineguy]

Create a point tool path that will clear the part.  Just have to figure out what it takes to clear the head. Use the points after any ops that need it.

[jlw™]

I've been using contour to position mine. I have separate levels with red and yellow lines all over it. I draw the contour exactly where I want it to go, done.

[crazy^millman]

Curve 5 Axis is another option.

[FTI2007]

Thanks guys.  I will give those a shot and see what works best for me. 

[Colin Gilchrist]

Home/Reference Points will only output a single point for the start/end of the toolpath. The "Point" toolpath is what you want. When you start the path, there is a ribbon bar that pops up, and buttons with "G1" and "G0". These allow you to create point positions in either Feed or Rapid mode. You need to select the points in the order you want to move, and you can toggle between rapid and feed mode as you make your selections.

[FTI2007]

OK.. I used the point tool path and it worked for the most part.  The only issue being I would like to position based on the center line of the spindle and not the tool tip. is there a way to do this without hand edits?  Otherwise we were fighting over travel alarms since tool length varied from tool to  tool and we need to be as far away as possible from the part for rotating the 90 deg head. 

Thanks