Flowline Post Size

[Shoggoth_2150]

Just curious if anyone knows a good way to reduce the size of the post when using 3D toolpaths. Flowline specifically. When doing 2D/2.5D units there is the Arc Filter Tolerance you can use to drastically reduce the size of the code being spit out. Is there a way to do similar in the 3D units?

Under 'Finish Flowline Parameters' tab, the 'Cut Control' box. There are the 2 options for 'Distance' and 'Total Tolerance'; will increasing these values reduce program size, and what adverse effects do they have? 

If anyone has some tips for reducing the size of the file, other than increasing stepover, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks.

[cncappsjames]

On the filter tab you have arc/line tolerance options...

Depending on the geometry of the feature(s) you could do a 2D/3D Swept path plus you still get filtering options as well.

[Shoggoth_2150]

57 minutes ago, cncappsjames said:

On the filter tab you have arc/line tolerance options...

Depending on the geometry of the feature(s) you could do a 2D/3D Swept path plus you still get filtering options as well.

There is only 'Tool Filter' under the Flowline tabs. Not that I can see in 2020.

[cncappsjames]

Look on the 2nd tab and click the tolerance button.

[Shoggoth_2150]

1 hour ago, cncappsjames said:

Look on the 2nd tab and click the tolerance button.

Third Tab on my 2020. 'Total Tolerance' button. Cool. Thank you. I didn't know about it. Should help out!

[cncappsjames]

Was going from memory....  Too much 80's.

Glad you found it. 

[JoshC]

This mastercam video here is a deep dive into arc filter settings which may help you out

 

[JParis]

The biggest issue people have with filtering is it must create an actual arc....that means in either the G17, G18 or G19 planes it would create an arc....

Once you get into organic type surfaces and cuts running at angles and up & down and angles, filtering is not going to change that stuff.

Geometry, especially over the last 20 years has really changed. Designers are able to create surfaces & shapes that are now easily programmed in a modern CAM system. Then you have shops with 20+ year old equipment in many case, not all....where machines didn't come with that amount of memory in the day. In more recent times companies buy machines with limited memory simply because they're cheap and don't think they need it.

Drip feeding can and does help in some of these circumstance but on older machine especially, the baud rate limit is 9600...feed too fast and the machine will start to hiccup.

Expansion cards are helpful to combat the baud rate issue...

So yes, filtering can be helpful but in many cases it will not be the end all answer

[jeff]

One other tip that might reduce file size is under the Gap Settings tab.

Broken/Direct/Smooth/Follow Surfaces.... check your setting and you could make your toolpath transitions "smoother" so to speak and also possibly reducing some file size along the way.