Clearance

[Lee.]

Can someone help me with a switch in my operation box.

 

Use Clearance only at Start and end of operation.

 

It is greyed out and can't be used.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks in Advance.

[Steel Surgeon]

Is it when you are doing a 3d surface tool path?

If so I think it is always grayed out for me also.

[Lee.]

It is not greyed out on 2D paths, just surface paths.

 

Help?

[Thad]

This is just a guess, but with surface toolpaths, depending on the surfaces, the tool may need to retract at various times...depending on gap settings, optimize toolpath, etc. With a 2D toolpath, it's pretty cut and dried...Z planar cuts and retract at each level. Because you need to let MC figure out when it will retract and when it won't, this option is taken away in surface toolpaths.

 

Thad

[crazy^millman]

Well Lee I use Clearence when I am doing 4th or 5th axis toolpaths or toolpaths where I need to clear soemthing higher than Zero or if I have zero at the btoom of the part. Mastercam does a very good job of clearence in its programs and with Cleareance on I see alot more redundent move where if you use just retract you do not seem to gets as much of them going on. I hope that was helpful.

 

Ron

[Lee.]

Thanks Ron and Thad,

 

What I was hoping for with that new check box, was to get rid of all the unwanted clearance moves.

I would like to start using clearance moves, but only at the start and end of each op.

 

The reason being, I usually have a few jobs on the machine at one time. They may differ in heights, so I need my cutter to be clear of the other peices, and was just going to use retract height during the actual operation.

 

Hope you can help.

[jctjct]

I believe that surface toolpaths use it the same way as 2d contour ones. If you check both clearance and retract it only retracts to the clearance height at the start and end of each op. All other retracts will use the retract height. Even though the box is greyed out it has always worked the same way for me.

[kkominiarek]

x2 mr2 sp1

 

using surfacing.....i would like clearance at start and end of op to be Z3.00"

 

any retracts during op to be Z.125"

 

clrance = 3.00

use clrance at start end is greyed out

retract = .125

feed plane = .100

 

DOES NOT WORK....retracts during op are still at 3.00 not .125

 

how can i set to work properly?

[Rick Henrickson The Boeing Co.]

I am not sure but 5ax path including surface it retracts no matter what settings and it retracts to the highest of the 3 / clearance retract

[kkominiarek]

can this be accomplished?