How you organize toolpath manager

[Jaz]

A question for you guys who do this sort of thing more.

I have a big tool with a bunch of details and each detail may have several set-ups with unique program numbers. Do you assign a machine group for each detail and program groups for each setup? Or a new machine group for each setup? Or a machine group for all the operations that run on that particular machine with the program groups labeled accordingly? Now suppose I've got a part with 3 or 4 positions on more than one machine with maybe a couple hundred toolpaths, how would you keep your toolpath manager managable? I'm looking for opinions and suggestions.

[Guest]

I do a Machine Group and Toolpath group for each indvidual setup.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

My normal sequence is to have seperate Toolpath Groups for Machining Ops. For example, Milling Machine Group, OP01 Toolpath Group, Facing, Drilling, Tapping, Contour. OP02 Toolpath Group, facing, drill, ream, contour. Lathe Machine Group, OP03 Toolpath Group, Rough Bore, Finish Bore, part Off. Wire Machine Group, OP04 Toolpath Group, No Core.

 

HTH

[Jaz]

I just discovered that toolpath groups can be nested! Now I can organize tool paths in sub-groups by tool, funtion, etc. Too bad Machine Groups can't be located into folders with related Machine Groups.

[Steve Zirtzman]

Jaz,

By your description, I would assign a machine group for each detail and program groups for each setup.

 

Now if you had a part that needed run on more than one machine, I would create a new machine group inside the same file, for each machine the part needed to be run on.

[beej]

+1 Steve

[Guest]

Just watch how you are going to handle you .nc file naming. If you endup using toolpath group to name your .nc file names the nested toolpath groups will cause you problems

[Chris Rizzo]

In large files I make sure that I perform a save before adding/moving groups and subgroups around the toolpath manager. There's no undo and it's easy to get ops scrambled up when dealing with subgroups especailly. speaking from experience.

 

That momentary "flash" when adding/moving stuff around the toolpath manager drives me crazy.

[Jaz]

I've learned to save first and watch the arrow when moving toolpaths around. I'll do some experimenting with .nc names, I haven't found a way of assigning program names and numbers that I like yet.

[Bruce Caulley]

http://www.emastercam.com/cgi-bin/ultimate...ic;f=1;t=020810

 

This shows how we do it. One machine group unless it does actually need more, and subgroups for each op.

 

 

Bruce