Open Contour ramping

[JB7280]

I am trying to use a Contour (Ramp) toolpath on an open chain.  Is there a way to avoid the return path, and just transition back to the entry point?  When I use one-way it still wants to make a return pass, conventional milling, at a constant z depth.  

[Guest]

Just now, JB7280 said:

I am trying to use a Contour (Ramp) toolpath on an open chain.  Is there a way to avoid the return path, and just transition back to the entry point?  When I use one-way it still wants to make a return pass, conventional milling, at a constant z depth.  

 

Just now, JB7280 said:

I am trying to use a Contour (Ramp) toolpath on an open chain.  Is there a way to avoid the return path, and just transition back to the entry point?  When I use one-way it still wants to make a return pass, conventional milling, at a constant z depth.  

Uncheck Make Pass at final depth.

[JB7280]

14 minutes ago, Thee Byte™ said:

 

Uncheck Make Pass at final depth.

Same situation, unfortunately.  And I tried with one way turned off, and on.

[AMCNitro]

Do you need to ramp down?  If you use Plunge instead of Ramp it will go down a step at each end, but it wont "ramp down"

[JB7280]

1 minute ago, AMCNitro said:

Do you need to ramp down?  If you use Plunge instead of Ramp it will go down a step at each end, but it wont "ramp down"

It's an option, but I'm ramping to try to avoid steps in the finish.

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, JB7280 said:

It's an option, but I'm ramping to try to avoid steps in the finish.

Profile Ramp (Lead In/Lead Out)

Set your 2d contour to do the cut in one shot, use the feed plane to tell mastercam when to start ramping.

[JB7280]

3 minutes ago, Thee Byte™ said:

Profile Ramp (Lead In/Lead Out)

Set your 2d contour to do the cut in one shot, use the feed plane to tell mastercam when to start ramping.

I'm sorry, I don't totally follow.  I haven't used profile ramp yet.  You're saying to turn off the ramp in cut parameters, and ramp with the lead in/out instead?

 

Mastercam tells me that profile ramp isn't allowed on open contours.

[crazy^millman]

Copy the 1st operation and set you depth on the linking parameter to the ramp depth you want the ramp to have at the end of the open contour. Use no other setting in the linking parameters expect for the clearance. Then copy the operation the number of depths you want and change the incremental start and depth for each depth. Now you can do what your after with some work, but do it exactly like you asking. The other option is make the one contour operation and then use Transform Toolpath by Z the amount of each cut you want.

Here are both examples in this Mastercam file.

Example File

[Guest]

1 hour ago, JB7280 said:

I'm sorry, I don't totally follow.  I haven't used profile ramp yet.  You're saying to turn off the ramp in cut parameters, and ramp with the lead in/out instead?

 

Mastercam tells me that profile ramp isn't allowed on open contours.

Yeah, you would have to close it.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, JB7280 said:

I'm sorry, I don't totally follow.  I haven't used profile ramp yet.  You're saying to turn off the ramp in cut parameters, and ramp with the lead in/out instead

Yes.

[JB7280]

31 minutes ago, Thee Byte™ said:

Yeah, you would have to close it.

Gotcha.  I did end up closing it.  I was just trying to avoid cutting air on the closed regions.  But, so be it, the open area isn't that big.  Thanks for the help.

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, JB7280 said:

Gotcha.  I did end up closing it.  I was just trying to avoid cutting air on the closed regions.  But, so be it, the open area isn't that big.  Thanks for the help.

Maybe Trim Toolpath?

I've never used it.

[Guest]

You could also use backplot -> save as geometry and then trim the resulting wireframe and rechain it with contour 3d.

[JB7280]

19 minutes ago, Thee Byte™ said:

Maybe Trim Toolpath?

I've never used it.

I'll play with that.  I've never used it either.

[Guest]

What I like about profile ramp, is that you can ramp in and out seamlessly, it's perfect for finishing without leaving a mark, I used to hand code paths like that for certain parts, the option is new in 2021.

I am hoping they will adapt it to be usable in osciliation paths as well.

[JB7280]

1 hour ago, Thee Byte™ said:

What I like about profile ramp, is that you can ramp in and out seamlessly, it's perfect for finishing without leaving a mark, I used to hand code paths like that for certain parts, the option is new in 2021.

I am hoping they will adapt it to be usable in osciliation paths as well.

I've honestly never used an oscillation path.  Where are they useful?

 

As far as the usefulness of profile ramp, are you referring to somewhere you'd be ramping into a floor?  Similar to the entrys in an area mill toolpath?

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, JB7280 said:

1 hour ago, Thee Byte™ said:

 

I've honestly never used an oscillation path.  Where are they useful?

Extending tool life by reducing notch wear, oscillation evenly disperses wear along the cutting edge.

Let's say you had to machine a buildup of Delrin .75 thick with a sheet of .0625 stainless steel  bolted on top, and you needed to cut long grooves in the stainless steel.

The stainless steel will destroy your tool if you don't oscillate because the wear will make a groove in your tool, and in bad cutting conditions Ramping will cause the tool to overheat or chips to wrap around the tool, oscitation also solves those issues by reducing the amount of material. The trick is that you follow the oscillation by a 2d path to clean it up. 

[Tim Johnson]

Without see what you're trying to do, Try giving your Z depth incremental Z0.