wcs

[Tim Pruett]

It's been nearly 3yrs since I've used the wcs. I want to get back to using it. I've watched a few videos on the subject and looked at some sample files and read all that I could find on the forum by doing a search. Let's say I have a cavity for an injection mold and I have to make 20 electrodes for it. Is the best way to do this to have the cavity on level 1 and create my geometry for my electrode on level 2, copy the surfaces over to level 2 and trim them etc. etc. name the first one trode 1 and then create a wcs for it and name the wcs trode 1, and then do the same for trode2 and trode3 and so on and so on? Is this how you guys do it?

[gms1]

I cant speak for electrode making but i can tell you how I do my vertical milling.

 

Multiple vises get a seperate WCS, it helps me with keeping track of everything. Even if they all use the same work offset (G54,G55 etc..) because a lot of times I have to move off ops from a program to a different machine, or they move the vise to a different location then its a simple click to change the work offsets because they are already defined as seperate WCS and this wont break my verify so I don't have to make the dreaded STL files.

 

Seperate ops get thier own WCS. Example, face top, flip part 90-90, rotate part 45 will all have thier own WCS without ever touching the geometry of the part.

 

How you create and manage your geometry I think is up to the person really. I like to bring in solids on lvl 1 and never touch it. I'll use lvl 2 for toolpath geometry for say op1, lvl 3 for op2, fixturing on lvl 20 etc... Sometimes I put all the geo on 1 level. It all depends on the part and whatever way is fastest for me for that part. We are a job shop so we get so many different things it changes daily. I always try and keep a template of sorts in my head so when I do need to go back and change something its easily done. Once you get WCS down, you can select all your toolpaths and hit verify without ever making a single STL file.

[Tim Pruett]

gms1,

Thanks for the response and all the info. That helps clear things up quite a bit. I have another question though, how do you get verify to be fast using the wcs? It always tells me that turbo mode will not work using the wcs or something like that. I tried the fast forward button but it's still really slow. Thanks again.

[edmBosto]

hey Tim,

quote:

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Is this how you guys do it?

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Not me. I need to send the file to the person burning the steel so they can easily make their X, Y shifts. I guess everyone will do this different.

It's nice when all the electrodes are in the same file, but I don't send them any files with toolpaths. This way I can can alter my geometry when I need to for the tpaths without

making things too confusing when burning the steel. I have a toolpath file for ea. Electrode and the top center of ea. trode is Origin (we only have 3 axis).

I have started using WCS when I need to toolpath the sides with the electrode laying on its side horizontally and I like it so far. I think having 20 to 30 WCS in one file would be a bit much, but that's just my opinion.

[cadcam]

Tim this will help with verify as turbo does not work with WCS in different planes.

[Tim Pruett]

edmBosto, and Cadcam,

 

Thanks for the responses. That helps clear things up. I really appreciate the help.

[kunfuzed]

 

I think I may still be a little confused on WCS.

 

Where I work, I was taught to set up a new Gview and then set a new origin for each op. When I switch ops, I just change my C and T planes to the view of the op I'm working on. Is there something else I could be doing? Is this necessarily "changeing" the WCS? Do the brown cross hairs always stay in the same place without moving the part?

 

[Racerje]

The C and T planes will not change the WCS. WCS changes will be used if you are using different g54 g55 ect. on most machines. usually if you are using 2 vices or a tombstone on a HMC.

[Rosko]

Heres how I do trodes...

 

The Solid model of the insert will be put on level 1 exactly how it would be set up in the EDM, then wireframe and surfaces will be copied/created and trimmed on level 2 for the design of the trode. I will then either put a circle or rectangle around the trodes location normally the size of the stock I will be using, this will be my burn location. Then on level 3 I will copy all of level 2 and rotate it 180 degrees in the front view, then translate everything to the origin based on the center of the arc/rectangle I used for my burn location in level 2. This way our EDM operator can turn on levels 1 and 2 and see the model of the trode in its correct location and when we machine the trode itself it is all centered on the origin and uses the same G54,55, or whatever offset.

 

I'd rather use the WCS for parts that have multiple setups, say like a moldbase plate. I can throw a wcs on any side and once activated that side becomes my new "top view" now shown with blue crosshairs. I can also verify all sides of the part from start to finish which is nice.

 

You could do the same with the trodes though using the WCS I just choose not to. Rather than copy everything to a different level like I do and rotate it you could just throw a wcs on the trode in its location and call that the origin for the wcs. Each trode and burn location would have a named wcs along with it, but could all use the same G54, 55 etc offset. I just like to have the trode geometry that I will be machining from on a different level so that I can modify it to suit my machining needs.