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Open pocket, from inside, then up the wall


Sigurd
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I am machining the green surfaces on this part. The oblong center bore is solid right now. Is there a surfacing toolpath that will treat this like an open pocket, spiraling inside to outside and follow the radius up as shown in the second picture? Something like Hybrid that starts in the center with a stepover on the flat section and then a smaller stepover in the radius?

My plan right now is to OptiRough it out and finish 2D contour using multipasses and a cutter with the correct radius stoned on. I could also make a cutter on the Deckel, but I have a 3D seat of MC2021 and I'd like to keep improving my skills on it and use the toolpaths. 

This is hard S-7 and there are 16 pieces. File is attached. Thanks for looking.

 

machining areas.jpg

direction.jpg

slide insert test.mcam

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Thanks for the replies. I'll add that this is what I'm trying to end up with. I get that the second blend chain would be the outer border, but what's the inner chain? I'd like this to act like a 2D open pocket where it starts outside, in the center and then steps over until it hits the wall. Except a separate stepover for the flat and the radius. 

 

surfaces.jpg

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1 minute ago, Sigurd said:

Thanks for the replies. I'll add that this is what I'm trying to end up with. I get that the second blend chain would be the outer border, but what's the inner chain? I'd like this to act like a 2D open pocket where it starts outside, in the center and then steps over until it hits the wall. Except a separate stepover for the flat and the radius. 

 

surfaces.jpg

Can you use a point for your inner chain?

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The easy button is Parallel (or Unified with a single curve set to "Parallel" strategy if you're in 2022):

image.png.57e36410582c2e7b329f2b9a68fed5ae.png

Use your surfaces (level 4) because it can't "fill in" the missing surface and understand that you want it machined as if it were solid.    Then just set the curve up to the top edge, set your step over and Tool Axis Control to 3 axis.   Oh, and you'll want the  Cut Pattern > Advanced options.. > Method set to Exact:

image.png.12bb3ae8cf52119cae1dfec6551acab7.png

 

If you don't have multiaxis, then I'd go with a Equal Scallop.  You have to guide it a bit more than Parallel, otherwise it will try to cut the back side of the part.

The easiest way to lead this toolpath is to give a boundary (I used your Containment level (#3), and used "Wireframe > Close Arc" to make it  a complete circle.

Then select your surfaces as your Model Geometry (again, you don't want the gap in the middle).    All of the magic here will be on the Toolpath Control page, here's the important bits:

image.png.b79ee1083ae87c4f692c7a63dae7f819.png

Note the Compensate To & Offset Distance settings.   If you hit Comp to Center, it'll allow the tool to go all the way up to the edge of the compensation chain, then trim the toolpath. In this case, it will really roll over the edge and waste a ton of time:image.png.6d3233a620fe938dcde049eabff26b7f.png

By limiting it to the Inside, it'll cause the opposite problem, it'll trim as soon as you hit the edge it'll trim, so it won't walk up the wall at all.  You can get around that by allowing it to go a smidge over the center by adjusting the Offset distance.  I just gave it .010" to give it some wiggle room less than the stepover, and my first image was the result:

image.png.bb34aed8828d43d217a54b1b964e7d41.png

 

Note that I didn't mess with any linking settings or anything, so that stuff is all ugly.

 

I don't have 2021 installed over here yet, so here's a 2022 file.  I hope my walk-through above helps if you can't get a copy of 2022.

 

 

slide insert test - 2022.zip

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Thanks, Aaron. No, I do not have Multiaxis. I do have 2022 HLE so at least I can see files.

What is meant by "toolpath trimming?

That radius is .030" and we've programmed a cutter with a .030" radius. What if the cutter has a .010" radius and I don't want any scallops on the part? Can I control stepups? Obviously not with Equal Scallop, because that's the point of that toolpath, but maybe another way?

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3 hours ago, Aaron Eberhard said:

WindowsKey+Shift+S, then paste into Paint right now.    Once I get a few more invoices in the door I'll grab a copy of SnagIt.

Use Snip and Sketch in Windows works just like Snag-it. Press the Windows Logo Key + Shift + S and it pops right up just like Snag-it then you can paste into anything you want from the Clipboard. It will never replace Snag-it for me, but on a budget does get the job done.

image.png.5f59c6dcd129d55df13c572029c0cbab.png

 

 

Edited by crazy^millman
Didn't realize I parroted you there. Sorry about that.
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15 hours ago, Sigurd said:

Thanks, Aaron. No, I do not have Multiaxis. I do have 2022 HLE so at least I can see files.

What is meant by "toolpath trimming?

That radius is .030" and we've programmed a cutter with a .030" radius. What if the cutter has a .010" radius and I don't want any scallops on the part? Can I control stepups? Obviously not with Equal Scallop, because that's the point of that toolpath, but maybe another way?

By trimming, I meant how the toolpath reacts when it hits the boundary.  In the case of that Equal Scallop (and most of the 3d High Speed toolpaths), if you're set to "Inside" containment, as soon as the edge of the tool gets to the containment boundary, it will trim the toolpath so nothing gets outside of there.  That's why I had to "cheat" the margin a bit so it was allowed to go outside of the containment a smidge.

ON the second question, Hybrid seems like it would do the job using these settings with the same containment & geometry selections as Equal Scallop:

image.png.291c306cb44123d10d8f25705feb7ddc.png

image.png.5fc0d137f45dea51da5bedc84046306b.png

But I calculates top down, I can't figure out how to get it to go from inside out.

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2 hours ago, Aaron Eberhard said:

But I calculates top down, I can't figure out how to get it to go from inside out.

I also found that about Hybrid. I just don't want to hit full engagement when I hit the floor. I'm shooting for accuracy on depth and surface finish here. 

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