pocketing questions

[specv]

Ok, I have been trying to cut a 2X2 pocket, 1 inch deep with a .110 rad on the corners and on the floor

I want to rough this with a .500 EM and finish with a .1875 Ball EM. What is the best way finish the side walls and the floor with the .500 EM and finish the radii with the .1875 Ball EM. I used surface>rough>pocket for roughing which looks to be what I want. But finishing I tried contour, flowline restmill and scallop with very poor results.

[DavidB]

After your surface rough pocket.Toolpath-Contour pick a chain at the top of the pocket.Use ramp to the top of the floor Rad.Then do a Toolpath-pocket to do floor to the rad on the floor.The 4 corners of the pocket you can Toolapth -contour select remachining and that will pick out the corners from your .5" cutter.You can surface flowline the bottom floor rad or surface contour.HTH

[yzxhello]

我說的話你們可以聽懂不﹗

[PBpaul]

specv:

 

Just a couple of thoughts. We use rough and finish surface pocket toolpaths all the time. However, we're not actually cutting obvious pockets, as you have described, rather using the pocket toolpath option to create toolpaths on a given surface. This is all in Mill3, BTW, and the key word is surface. You gotta pick a surface to use these toolpaths. If you just define a 2x2 pocket with 4 contour lines and then pocket it, that isn't the same, of course. Anyway, bottom line is, when you use the rough surface option, there is an option to leave a given amount of material, which we do, and then for the finish surface option, we leave nothing. Make sense?

 

PBPaul

[specv]

Paul,

This is solid model,

I just made up a mockup of the part i am actually cutting so i could test some cutters and processes before the material comes in. I just have not had much luck witht the given toolpaths. I have never had anyluck with flowline, i cant ever get a path out of it, not even for this simple mock up.

[PBpaul]

specv:

 

It seems like every different toolpath has it's own little quirks. Some allow containment, for instance, and others don't. One we used a lot in ver 9 used step-over but in X uses step-down. Using a ball end cutter, one does fine on nearly vertical surfaces but poorly on nearly horizontal ones. I've gotten nowhere with Surface Project or Scallop but have gotten some good-looking toolpaths with Surface Project Blend. You just have to fiddle and keep notes!

 

Paul

[specv]

It seams that leftover or restmill would be exactly what i am looking for but they do not seam to clean up whats left form the .500 EM. I usually program on Aluminum castings and aluminum hogouts without any surfacing, so i am learning a lot right now about surfacing.

[chip]

I like 2d Sweep... Your probably going to have to clean out the corners with a smaller e.m.... For surfaces at teh botton of teh Pocket similar to this... i.e. cavities or Mold Bases. It's quick and usually runs nice...

 

ftp://mastercam:[email protected]/Ma.../MCX/POCKET.MCX

[Kannon]

If you fire me your email address I will send you what I came up with. Tell me if its what you want.

[Kannon]

Specv,

check your mail, I think this is what you were looking for.

hth,

Kannon

[Müřlıń®]

I am assuming this is toolsteel...try this

 

Use a 3/8 ball and rough pocket out @ warp speed and it will push off a little and leave a couple stock. Leave a couple on the floor...

 

3/16 ball use a surface finish contour ramp @ .0035 step. Don't retract...

 

Shallow from the inside out.....015 step over...

[Roger Peterson]

Pete, if you're stuck, send it over. Are you using X or 9?

 

later,