Blonde Moment...

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

I am trying to mill a hex on a rotary table on a vertical. Done it before but be darned if I can remember how. I think my issue is the plane I am working in.

 

I drew the lathe part and put the hex on it from the right side view now I want to mill from...? Blonde moment!! :banghead:

 

Thanks for bearing with me...I may have no hair currently but I am still a blonde at heart...

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

Try Top plane and create operation then rotate T plane for # of flats copy source operation. It's been a while for me also so I might be a little off. It should post out rotation 60 deg. for each flat assuming it is 6 flats.

[Columbo™]

Randy, Mike76 is right on.

 

Good luck

 

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

Ok. I got it to run like that, but that was not exactly how I was thinking. Lots of wasted time cutting air (could be fixed with a little more time into it). How can I mill it around the Hex, from the vert. perspective, with the B axis contantly turning?

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

If I understand correctly you mean keep the tool engaged while having constant B rotation and not retract for indexing. I'm not sure about that one, I only have done it like above. You might check you stock S/U and your ABS or INC settings to get rid of the air cutting. Hope this helps

[TOOLMAN]

I use cross cross contour toolpath under c-axis toolpaths. You can be in a top plane. Extend your geometry a little to clear your plunging endmill. Chain all six entities. Should work!

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

Toolman, I am looking to do this on a mill, not a lathe. Correct me if I am wrong (please!) but are C-axis not lathe TP's only?

 

None the less, I gave it a shot with the C-axis and it does what I want, but it orients the cutter as if it was a horizontal, not a vertical, even tho it is set to the TOP toolplane across the board.

 

There has to be a way the achieve the top toolplane and B axis mill around a part. If one can do multi axis, 5 axis work, why is milling around a part with a 4th axis hard? Since I dont have lv3 or 5 axis...I can't answer my own question but maybe someone with the 5ax can.

 

Mike76, the only reason I hesitate to do it this way is because it generates a lot of code and, since as yet, doesn't seem to be a way to do it presented, I would really like to do it this way. =] The reason I have a lot of code is because I have to do a bunch of DOC's based on where my hex is on the part.

[Dan@home]

It's called Rotary 4axis toolpath. Isn't it A axis being on a vertical Mach? You can do a rotary cut or a Axial cut, needing surfaces or a solid model.

[TheePres]

Yes,

Rotary 4th axis with drawn surfaces, but MC will only calculate to ball endmill.