Ideas on making like parts faster? (Long post)

[Jeremy Grigsby Excelsior Marking]

I just lost some serious time on the job I am finishing up today. What the parts are, are parts kind of kidney bean shaped. They all have the same shape, and arc length on the centerline, but the centerline radius changes on every one. I have to redraw the part everytime, then i have to put in some offset geometry for a 5 degree taper toolpath, and then geometry for the chamfer that meets the taper. Is the someway to quickly make this part? Im going to up an example to the ftp called

 

pocket plate example JeremyG.MC9 in the MC9 folder

 

If anyone wants to take a look at it and tell me what I could do to speed it up? How I draw it now is:

1: Draw a circle, radius® at origin.

2: Calculate angles for a particular arc length and draw those angled lines to intersect circle.

3: trim circle to lines

4: offset half the distance each way of the width my plate is supposed to be

5: Draw a three point tangent arc to the; outside arc, endpoint of middle arc(original circle)and the inside arc

6: trim the outside and inside arcs to the tangent points

7: offset the outer profile in .0219, and out .0438

8: Modify break inside arc at length .5 inch from both ends

9: put a point and a circle at ends of break points

10: Use bounding box to find absolute center of geometry

11: draw a rectangle at point generated by bounding box

12: Translate all geometry from top right corner of created rectangle to center.

13: Import tool path from last file and rechain new geometry.

 

It sounds very simple but its too time consuming. It sounds like it could be set up in some sort of macro where I would just enter the values? Not sure haven't done anything with vbscript yet. Any ideas?

[Jeremy Grigsby Excelsior Marking]

oh, the rectangle isnt in the file, but its explained in the steps

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

Will see it ...later .

[TheePres]

No advice on creating new geometry, but what u could do is create new geometry in different layer, copy your proven toolpath in operations manager (right click on toolpath op. and drag mouse down, then "copy after"). expand your new operation and rechain geometry.

[Jeremy Grigsby Excelsior Marking]

Yeah that option works but once i have 70 plugs in one file posting and toolpath rechaining slows a bit, my main thin is the geometry creation, it is so simple yet takes time to do. I wish i could write vb script. Anyone know about it, is it hard to pick up? And can i do it without buying visual basic?

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

I can not find the specific file on ftp ?

 

WTP ?