Tips on dynamic facing toolpath - single direction

[ThickChips]

Hi all,

 

I am looking to get some insight on how to dynamically face a feature. The current toolpath is inefficient due to the geometry of the part. Its a 2D simple facing operation and has quite a bit of air cutting.

I was wondering if there's a better solution for increasing chip cut time and what you would recommend trying.

Please see attached file and image. I can't describe it much better.

 

Note:  cut direction must be the same as depicted below due to workholding requirements.

 

Best,

Dynamic_face.mcam

[JB7280]

I think you might have to make multiple facing operations, with appropriately sized boundaries.  I would personally use an Optirest toolpath, but it seems that your workholding limits that.  For the record, I'm not able to download the file at the moment, so there may be a better way.

[gcode]

Create a plane looking down the C.L of the part

draw a circle the diameter of the part and use it with the Trim toolpath

this may work, it may not

[JParis]

Make a stock model of your material and use Area Roughing with DOC's???

[ThickChips]

21 minutes ago, JParis said:

Make a stock model of your material and use Area Roughing with DOC's???

I have area mill. No way to force the cut direction to single direction passes.

[Werktuigbouwer]

I self normally make lines, see attachment. However this does not respect the cutting direction. But it is fast 

Dynamic_face.mcam

[ThickChips]

34 minutes ago, gcode said:

Create a plane looking down the C.L of the part

draw a circle the diameter of the part and use it with the Trim toolpath

this may work, it may not

Clever.

My trim toolpath is worthless. Allows me to select the geometry. Then the entire trim toolpath element disappears if clicked on? V2022

[CNC CHRIS]

OPTI ROUGH?

OPTI ROUGH.mcam

[gcode]

44 minutes ago, ThickChips said:

Clever.

My trim toolpath is worthless. Allows me to select the geometry. Then the entire trim toolpath element disappears if clicked on? V2022

I believe you can tell it to trim inside or outside your circle

or

you may have to get creative and draw a rectangle above the part then define the bottom of it as the stock boundary of your part

 

[AMCNitro]

Do a 2D dynamic to remove the material, leaving .005 on the face.  Then finish with a facemill, finito

[Leon82]

Can't you  dynamic contour and put the extra stock allowance for the with of the cut. I forgot what the exact name was 

[JB7280]

15 hours ago, AMCNitro said:

Do a 2D dynamic to remove the material, leaving .005 on the face.  Then finish with a facemill, finito

That's what I would do, personally.  But it sounds like he has some restrictions with the cut direction.  

[David Colin]

Here is a trick i sometimes use.

Dynamic_face_opti.mcam

[Leon82]

11 minutes ago, David Colin said:

Here is a trick i sometimes use.

Dynamic_face_opti.mcam 914.47 kB · 1 download

I did not look at your file but you could make a youuuge avoidance region and force it to cut one way i think

[Colin Gilchrist]

I used Area Rough, with STL Stock. (Created an "extrude solid" to create the STL.)

Try putting both in your "Downloads Folder", but you may have to re-pick the STL in the Operation.

I had to use "Maximum Depth", to limit the toolpath to the final Z-passes, otherwise the path wanted to "round" the edges.

Dynamic_face_Area-Rough.mcam Dynamic_face_stock.stl

[crazy^millman]

This is what makes this forum what it is.

[Colin Gilchrist]

42 minutes ago, crazy^millman said:

This is what makes this forum what it is.

It is also what makes this forum so much fun. Sometimes I need a 10 minute break from dealing with the stress of my day job, so being able to "play" with something like this feels like a puzzle, and is a welcome respite from some of the things I have to deal with. Always nice to come into a test like this with an open mind, and be able to get a good result that helps someone learn. I'm not always successful, and in those case, there is often someone else who is, so I just end up learning something new from them instead.

[The Chipmaker]

  Why not use a peel mill operation?

[MrFish]

If you have a multi axis license the unified tool paths give good "stock" control. I did have to change the tool geometry as a high feed cutter geometry  wasn't allowed.

Dynamic_face.mcam

[crazy^millman]

53 minutes ago, MrFish said:

If you have a multi axis license the unified tool paths give good "stock" control. I did have to change the tool geometry as a high feed cutter geometry  wasn't allowed.

Dynamic_face.mcam 1.19 MB · 0 downloads

Change to a bull endmill with the correct radius to define it.

[MrFish]

On 12/16/2022 at 12:26 PM, crazy^millman said:

Change to a bull endmill with the correct radius to define it.

yes that is what i did in the example file

[ThickChips]

Hello all,

 

Apologies for not responding and digging up this thread again. End of the year came a bit too fast. Today I am tying up loose ends.

 

I tried @David Colin file. I dont quite understand it fully but I think its using rest material to dynamically mill ? 

 

@Colin Gilchrist

I like the approach but unfortunately violates the requirement of needs to force the cut direction one way. Is it possible to modify? 

 

Thanks for everyone's help.

[David Colin]

@ThickChips  This is a simple area rough toolpath with a stock model.

Trick is to use an imaginary wall for machining surfaces (I created a surface) instead of selecting whole part (which is basically a floor here).

Doing that, toolpath will contour this wall instead of surfacing a floor and it will generate a clean straight line. 

[ThickChips]

@David Colin thanks for your help. I'll play with it!