Pocket Roughing

[DRidella]

I'm a new user to 3-d Machining. We have been machining these lofted surfaces that form a trough thru a part 4.500" wide 3.000" deep and 27.000" long, open ended. I've used the pocket roughing with a 2" face mill that uses .250 radius inserts to remove the material fast.Works very well, SOMETIMES. Mastercam gives me some strange toolpaths. I found that playing with the % of stepover, I stumble on the right % and it works, if I don't mastercam somtimes ignores machining angle and leaves stock, which it cuts later in a lower pass, giving me a very deep cut. Looking for suggestions, Is this the wrong way to do this , or is this the result of a bug.

[bstall]

Are you doing high speed machining? If you are there is a better way to machine a trough. Using the right tool you can raster through over 150ipm. And if it is soft material you will be able use a zig-zag pass. If you are interested in more details email me at [email protected]