Zigzag toolpath with Surface-Finish-Countour: Is it possible?

[MetalFlake]

I need to use Surface-Finish-Countour and get a zigzag toolpath. There is a switch for it but it doesn't seem to have any affect. What am I missing?

 

Many thanks for any and all replies!!

 

Dan

[Steve Biehl - Cimquest Inc]

MF,

Contour is for Z-step cuts. So one way or zig-zag only apply to 'open' contours. If you had a flat rectangular surf that was tilted say 30 degrees in the front plane, and you chained the edges as containment, the toolpath would lines sliced at the z step on the surface. These could then be one way or zig-zag.

[P_Scott]

MetalFlake,

 

AFAIK, the ZigZag toolpath is only for open contours. This means that if your toolpath is going all the way around the selected surfaces, you won't see a ZigZag tool direction. Only if your doing the outside surfaces of, say, a horseshoe (sp?) where the drive surfaces selected don't go completely around the part. An alternative toolpath which does use ZigZag as a cut direction is Surface-Finish-Project-Blend-3D. This toolpath will approximate the Contour toolpath if the shape of the boundaries you're using are arranged that way. Let's say you have to do the surfaces for an O-ring groove. Using the Surface-Project-Blend technique will allow you to select the O-ring groove surfaces and then use the two upper edges of the groove for 2-D toolpath boundaries. There is a switch then in the parameters where you can select either a one-way or ZigZag cut direction. It's on the last tab of the operation parameters, right above the stepover distance field. HTH

 

Damn. Steve beat me to it. "D'OH!"

[Lumpnut]

Can you use Surface-Finish-Paralell ???

[MetalFlake]

Ok I got it. Just had to tweek my Gap Setting....had it cranked way high.

 

Thanks guys for the responses!!

 

D