tombstone

[picframe]

bear with me, this is my first post. i am a newbie to programming. i know i could search for some answers but i want to get my feet wet here.

i'm going to have to do some vertical tombstone programming and i don't know how to go about it.using version 9

 

thanks

[Slepydremr]

Welcome to the forum, neighbor.

 

Let me make sure I understand. You've got a tombstone bolted to the rotary on a vertical mill right?

 

In that case you would want to have Z zero your center of rotation. And, well, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Could you be a little more specific with what you are trying to do?

[picframe]

thank you, yes you are right about the rotary on a vertical mill. this will not be true 4-axis work just some angled webs on a aircraft part. i guess my qestion would be - as long as i establish my planes on the part to set my tool planes and the thickness of the fixture. is there any thing else to consider.

[Guest]

picframe,

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Be sure to watch out for your retracts and your clearance moves.

[picframe]

jmparis,

 

thanks, do you mean since my z0 will be at CL of tombstone? as long as i have top of material seleted? and don't i want my retract incremental?

[Guest]

Yes, since Z0 is at the centerline you want to make sure you have the top of the stock selected and then make sure that whatever incremental value you use will be high enough to allow the tombstone to rotate without and "tool interference"

[picframe]

thanks to everyone for your response. i feel welcomed here. i'm sure i will have more questions when i get into it.

 

the only other forum i,ve been on was a software forum and they e-mailed me when i had a response. how does that work here?

[Guest]

There is no method here for automated emails.

 

Most replies come fairly quickly so if you hang around for a few you have a pretty good chance of getting your answer.

 

If not generally checking back in a while later or the next day will do it.

 

Are you migrating from another CAM software, if so, which one?

[HevyMetl]

When you post your topic go to the full reply section and there is a check box for e-mail notifications, as well as other stuff. If I am really wanting to follow something I always check that box. You will then get an e-mail anytime someone posts a reply. Be careful however because some topics can get rather long winded and you will a inbox full and system administrator pissed in a very short time.

[Guest]

Da*n I never scroll down that far, I didn't even know that was there.

[Lars Christensen]

picframe,

1st. welcome to the best forum on the net, this place have more information than you could imagine, this is defiantly a place you want to check once and an a while, there are a lot of very skilled people here, who very gently share there knowledge.

 

2nd. You have to make sure that your post is proved for 4 axes machining, and make sure that you have had your morning coffee before starting programing, to add a 4 axes do not make it 25% harder, but more like 75%, so you really got pay attention to your code, as you guy's already have talked about clearance are a big issue, I have created a circle around my tombstone so I always can set my clearance for rotation as the radius "+" of that circle. Also I have drawn ed the tools my self including tool holders and the upper head of the machine so I have the most accurate picture of "real" world clearances when I use backplot .Are you going to program this machine on a regular basis?

 

HTH

Lars

[HevyMetl]

Yeah well I found out the lead in lead out helix height has been there since version 9. I set up my defualts and have never looked there until the other day. Greg Huns was happy to point my ignorance out to me. I have been looking at more things as of late. I wonder what else I am going to find?

[picframe]

jmparis

 

i'm not migrating. what little i know has been mc so it look's like i'm going to have a tough time with x, except it looks like they paid bill gates to upgrade it (ha)

 

i forgot who it was but thanks for directing towards the e-mail. you know how it is when you are at a new environment.

[Guest]

picframe,

 

The new interface is different from previous versions as you have seen. I will only say one thing so as to not start another discussion.

 

After you have used X for awhile, it won't take long either, you will have a hard time going back to V9.

[picframe]

jmparis

thanks for the input. could you give me a couple of examples

[Guest]

Simply, it is just the way you get around.

 

I was a hot key user and the change from that to the mouse driven interface was a BIG change. When I go back into V9 for anything, which has become quite rare, I find myself trying to right click to bring up my mouse options, looking for things in the tool bars that are not there. Just a lot of fumbling and bumbling thru the old interface.