Toolpath Damping - MW Swarf Milling

[Metallic]

Just trying to tighten up a toolpath I am making and I was wondering what this function does? In the help file it says:

" Use this option to smooth out abrupt tool movements when machining. This is useful when handling sharp corners where the tool may quickly plunge or retract quickly. Select User defined to enter a damping value. "

Yet I have no clue what type of value to input. 1? 2? 0.125?

Just not sure what to say in that field.

Thank you for your assistance!

 

Also, as a side note. In this same toolpath, how does one lower the tool tip below the "lower rail" so that you make sure the bottom of the swarf'ed cut is all cleaned up? Like a Z offset?

 

Thanks!

[Leon82]

I hardly ever use it but I think I had to make a surface below the lower rail as a floor surface.

 

That's why I always use old school swarf. It's less twitchy

[DUM1]

 

collision control page on the swarf 5 axis I believe, distance above lower rail as shown.

19 hours ago, Metallic said:

how does one lower the tool tip below the "lower rail" so that you make sure the bottom of the swarf'ed cut is all cleaned up? Like a Z offset?

 

 

[crazy^millman]

Damping has to do with irregllar shape. Normally you don't want to swarf irrgeuallr shapes so I never use it.

The To input box at the bottom of the Tool guidance is what controls the same thing DMU is showing in the old swarf. I use the new swarf a lot and like the linking and the collision control the old school swarf doesn't give you. It can be controlled with 2 chains just like old school swarf and never use a wall surface. Those chains can be solid edges.

[Colin Gilchrist]

20 hours ago, Metallic said:

Just trying to tighten up a toolpath I am making and I was wondering what this function does? In the help file it says:

" Use this option to smooth out abrupt tool movements when machining. This is useful when handling sharp corners where the tool may quickly plunge or retract quickly. Select User defined to enter a damping value. "

Yet I have no clue what type of value to input. 1? 2? 0.125?

Just not sure what to say in that field.

Thank you for your assistance!

 

Also, as a side note. In this same toolpath, how does one lower the tool tip below the "lower rail" so that you make sure the bottom of the swarf'ed cut is all cleaned up? Like a Z offset?

 

Thanks!

Use the "To 0.0" field, below the Toolpath Damping, which you have circled.

Enter "-.25" in that "To" field, and you should see the path drop below the surface.

Damping is about "smoothing out" the quick "drops" or "raises" of the Tool, along the "Tool Axis".

This can occur if you are Swarf Cutting several surfaces, where there is a difference between the "lower rails" of each surface. As the tool goes "into the corner", you can experience a situation where the tool "jumps" from one tool position to the next, with a big distance in change "along the tool axis".

Damping "smooths this out", by putting in extra vector positions, which move between each different "jump point". Imagine the series of vector positions:

|||||||||||||

 

 

 

                           ||||||||||||||||||

 

Damping does something like this:

 

||||||||

                  |

                      |

                          |

                              |

                                  |||||||||||||||||||||||

 

The "damping distance" you enter is the "length along the path" before/after the sudden change in tool position.

So your tool positions start "dropping" before you get to the corner, and continue to transition as you go through and past the corner.

You're asking "so what do I put in here"?

A valid question.

My response is typically "how much drop are you accounting for"? I like about a 4:1 difference (minimum) between the Damping Length, and the "drop distance". I think 10:1 gives you really nice smoothing, but you will get a little bit of 'marking' on the surface as you go through the damping moves, since you're altering the cutting force vector of the cut.

[DUM1]

On 3/30/2021 at 9:53 AM, Metallic said:

Also, as a side note. In this same toolpath, how does one lower the tool tip below the "lower rail" so that you make sure the bottom of the swarf'ed cut is all cleaned up? Like a Z offset?

got me thinking about how to do it on the regular swarf machining its different from the 5 axis swarf path

so I added a floor surface beyond what i deeded and went from there  .

 

 

[Metallic]

On 3/31/2021 at 6:40 AM, crazy^millman said:

Damping has to do with irregllar shape. Normally you don't want to swarf irrgeuallr shapes so I never use it.

The To input box at the bottom of the Tool guidance is what controls the same thing DMU is showing in the old swarf. I use the new swarf a lot and like the linking and the collision control the old school swarf doesn't give you. It can be controlled with 2 chains just like old school swarf and never use a wall surface. Those chains can be solid edges.

Yes I basically never use the "old" swarf toolpath because I dont feel it has as much control

On 3/31/2021 at 7:16 AM, Colin Gilchrist said:

Use the "To 0.0" field, below the Toolpath Damping, which you have circled.

Enter "-.25" in that "To" field, and you should see the path drop below the surface.

Damping is about "smoothing out" the quick "drops" or "raises" of the Tool, along the "Tool Axis".

This can occur if you are Swarf Cutting several surfaces, where there is a difference between the "lower rails" of each surface. As the tool goes "into the corner", you can experience a situation where the tool "jumps" from one tool position to the next, with a big distance in change "along the tool axis".

Damping "smooths this out", by putting in extra vector positions, which move between each different "jump point". Imagine the series of vector positions:

|||||||||||||

 

 

 

                           ||||||||||||||||||

 

Damping does something like this:

 

||||||||

                  |

                      |

                          |

                              |

                                  |||||||||||||||||||||||

 

The "damping distance" you enter is the "length along the path" before/after the sudden change in tool position.

So your tool positions start "dropping" before you get to the corner, and continue to transition as you go through and past the corner.

You're asking "so what do I put in here"?

A valid question.

My response is typically "how much drop are you accounting for"? I like about a 4:1 difference (minimum) between the Damping Length, and the "drop distance". I think 10:1 gives you really nice smoothing, but you will get a little bit of 'marking' on the surface as you go through the damping moves, since you're altering the cutting force vector of the cut.

Thanks for the great response! That answers it super well

On 4/1/2021 at 10:11 AM, DUM1 said:

got me thinking about how to do it on the regular swarf machining its different from the 5 axis swarf path

so I added a floor surface beyond what i deeded and went from there  .

 

 

I was trying to use floor offsetting for this particular toolpath and wasn't getting a result I wanted....It wasn't doing anything to the toolpath! Maybe because I had a lower rail defined? I will try that without a lower rail and see. I will also try Colin's suggestion and play around. Some good information here to chew on!