Assistance with 3D ramp facing

[ThickChips]

Hello all,

I have an 'island' which follows an irregular profile.  It's top surface is on a 3 degree draft. Customer needs this feature re-surfaced.

3D is not my wheel house. Usually spiral flowline accomplishes the simpler stuff for me. We do not have a 3D package, unfortunately, but they "work" sometimes for simple things. (i'm not sure how exactly).

My plan was to do a 3D ramp along the profile with a flat endmill, or a corner rad endmill, following the profile of the contour.

Would anyone mind taking a look for me and offering their .02 on a toolpath/solution?

 

edit:  

Some more information . 3 axis Haas. 

There are some features beside the island that may need to be avoided on the actual part. There is about .05" per side of clearance. 

Thanks a lot

 

3D_FACE_EXAMPLE..mcam

[JParis]

JP-3D_FACE_EXAMPLE..mcam

I only have 2024 but a 1 surface blend will get it...there are likely 5 or 6 other ways I could get it done as well..

I wouldn't opt for a flat mill but a ball instead

[JParis]

JP2-3D_FACE_EXAMPLE..mcam

Here's another option with a projected single surface path

[ThickChips]

@JParis

Thanks for your help with this. 

Unfortunately, we're still on 2023. I assume no way to open without upgrading? 

Thanks

[JParis]

Just now, ThickChips said:

I assume no way to open without upgrading? 

No...

Someone else will have to help with a sample for you

[ThickChips]

@JParis OK thank you

[Kyle F]

yeah I would probably do a surface flowline finish. You may find that they sometimes work when you're selected on only one surface at a time. Before I had 3D/multiaxis license I believe that is how I got it done.

If it's multiple surfaces you should be able to do an "overflow UV" to make it a single sheet.

 

I think I still have 2023 installed on this comp let me check for ya

[ThickChips]

@Kyle F Thanks for your help. 

I'm trying a surface blend, but keep getting error "warning - at least two chains are required."/ 

 

 

[JParis]

4 minutes ago, ThickChips said:

I'm trying a surface blend, but keep getting error "warning - at least two chains are required."/

Create geometry along both edges of the ramp...use those as your 2 chains

Make sure you chain them both going the same direction or the result won't be what you want.

[ThickChips]

1 minute ago, JParis said:

Create geometry along both edges of the ramp...use those as your 2 chains

Make sure you chain them both going the same direction or the result won't be what you want.

I selected the top surface as the "model geometry" and then 2 containment boundary's (model edge on each side of island). 

Can the geometry be wire frame?

[JParis]

2 minutes ago, ThickChips said:

Can the geometry be wire frame?

Yes..

Generally I use wireframe for this...depending on what I need to do, I may need to offset a chain to get a path to cut just as I want

Blend geometry will usually be open...not a closed bounday....though working between 2 diameters or a boundary and point alter that rule

[Kyle F]

I made a quick surface from solid and did a reflow to fix the UV for the flowline... Just something I wanted to make sure would work lol

saved in 2023

3D_FACE_EXAMPLE-KYLE.mcam

[ThickChips]

4 minutes ago, Kyle F said:

I made a quick surface from solid and did a reflow to fix the UV for the flowline... Just something I wanted to make sure would work lol

 

@Kyle F Ah darnit. I'm actually in 2022... 

[CNC CHRIS]

3D_FACE_EXAMPLE..mcam

[ThickChips]

I think I found a solution. A simple 3D contour. The challenge for me was creating 3D wireframe from the solid.

(I tried getting flow-line like wireframe from a surface but none of them followed the contour? U/V is left-right / up-down.)

First, i created a surface from solid. 

Then simply used "offset chain" (which is oddly placed to the far right in my toolbar, didn't know that existed in mcam). 

3D (2D in menu) contour, select chain, disable compensation (ball mill), then offset x number of passes * distance.

 

Thanks for the help. Going to load into machining center soon. Fingers crossed. 

[Kyle F]

36 minutes ago, ThickChips said:

(I tried getting flow-line like wireframe from a surface but none of them followed the contour? U/V is left-right / up-down.)

it is until it isn't.

Lately I've been trying to learn as much as I can about surfaces and surface finishing, so I edited the U/V

[ThickChips]

@Kyle F

I'll have to play with it. I tried reflow and edit uv but couldn't quite figure it out.

 

[Kyle F]

45 minutes ago, ThickChips said:

@Kyle F

I'll have to play with it. I tried reflow and edit uv but couldn't quite figure it out.

 

I think surface finish blend would be a quicker/easier way to go about it, but as with many things inside of mastercam,.. there's about 100 different ways one could get it done!

[DUM1]

how about just contour with 3D chain and some multi-passes 

3D_FACE_EXAMPLE test 3d contour.mcam

[So not a Guru]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:33 PM, JParis said:

JP-3D_FACE_EXAMPLE..mcam 1.79 MB · 5 downloads

I only have 2024 but a 1 surface blend will get it...there are likely 5 or 6 other ways I could get it done as well..

I wouldn't opt for a flat mill but a ball instead

Wow! you & @CNC CHRIS just opened my eyes to a lot of toolpaths. I have always assumed that the toolpaths available by right-clicking in the toolpath manager, were the same as those available in the ribbon bar. There are a number of paths I was completely unaware of!

[JParis]

1 hour ago, So not a Guru said:

Wow! you & @CNC CHRIS just opened my eyes to a lot of toolpaths. I have always assumed that the toolpaths available by right-clicking in the toolpath manager, were the same as those available in the ribbon bar. There are a number of paths I was completely unaware of!

Thanks for the nod but I gotta ask...what toolpaths are you finding in the Ribbon Bar that aren't on the RC menu?

Looks to me like all are present and accounted for...

[So not a Guru]

6 hours ago, JParis said:

Thanks for the nod but I gotta ask...what toolpaths are you finding in the Ribbon Bar that aren't on the RC menu?

Looks to me like all are present and accounted for...

The other way around. I've never used the right-click menu for toolpaths.

[neurosis]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:40 AM, So not a Guru said:

The other way around. I've never used the right-click menu for toolpaths.

 

I don't know why, maybe it was the change to the ribbon interface, but with few exceptions, always use the right click menu for toolpaths. 

[So not a Guru]

On 1/2/2024 at 6:50 AM, neurosis said:

 

I don't know why, maybe it was the change to the ribbon interface, but with few exceptions, always use the right click menu for toolpaths. 

My 1st experience with MC was X8, our reseller did not cover the toolpath manager right-click menu, so it was a couple years before I even knew it existed. Not throwing shade on our reseller, they are great, just explaining what led to my selection preferences.