Contour Collision

[Thee Rickster ™]

X2 MR2 SP1

 

I have a contour profile that has 4 small profiles that are closer then the diameter of the cutter i am using(1/4 cutter and .13 gap between contours).

 

When I chain them and run the path the tool collides with the contours where they are close to each other.

 

Why does it do this?

 

With out changing geometry how do I tell the path to avoid collision?

 

(forget the lead in collisions in the picc I will take the lead in off)

 

.

 

.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Rick

[gcode]

I don't think you're going to be able to

get what you're looking for without drawing a

single chain for this.

Do you have "infinite look ahead" turned on??

[Thee Rickster ™]

Yes.

 

gcode, i don,t do alot of 2-d stuff.

 

But I only have ever had this issue in Mastercam.

(in the last 2 softwares I had used this was a standard non issue(thought they all compensated for multiple contours, Surfcam being an example from ver7. and on??))

 

I can get MC to do the same result by adding extra geomtry around the profiles that I am using, and pocketing with a 5" step over.

 

But now I have an added toolpath cutting nothing.

 

Is there a way to delete the extra toolpath that is created by using this pocket method?

 

Here is the pocket with 5" step over

.

 

.

.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Seems like and enhancement request is in order to get up to speed??

 

Rick

[Mr. M]

You need graphical toolpath editing!

[gcode]

Do you have "infinite look ahead" turned on??

[Thee Rickster ™]

Yes, gcode, infinate look ahead on my contour path is on by default, always.

[gcode]

Personally I'd just copy the geometry to a new layer and draw what I needed..

You could use your pocket toolpath and use the toolpath editor to supress the outside path, but

drawing the neccessary chain would give you much bettr control

[Thee Rickster ™]

Mr. M,

 

jon banquer was negative toward MC when talking about toolpath editing, an he is not a guru with smartcam. I used it to cut hundreds of complex molds in the past, but then again I can in 4 different/any software

 

I an fluent in smartcam and yes in this case it would work. i would just trim the toolpath geometry. But even in smart cam it avoids collisions on the 2-d profiles as i illustrated in the 1st 2 pics.(the toolpath editing in smartcam is awesome, the rest of the software sucks.)

 

no need to edit the path

 

Rick

 

 

I just want to contour with ease

 

Rick

[cobra95kev]

I would turn them in to flat boundary surfaces and use the HST waterline path set to cut at only the depth you wanted.

[Mr. M]

Jus' jokin'

[Thee Rickster ™]

cobra

 

i will experiment with that sometime. I don't have margin for error. Rush Job

 

gcode

 

I figured out how to edit the un-needed pass from the pocket path I created. It locked the path but as long as it works, I will use this method untill Mastercam enhances or fixes the contour issue. thanks

 

Thanks for the input ppl

 

Rick

[Thee Rickster ™]

quote:

---

Jus' jokin'

---

I know...I know...

 

To be honest, I miss that feature in smartcam.

but only that one

 

Rick

[Thee Rickster ™]

gcode

 

I used the pocket method 5" step over to re-machine with a 1/8 bull.03 em and it worked perfectly.

no work around or tool path edit.

 

thanks

Rick

[Müřlıń®]

quote:

---

Is there a way to delete the extra toolpath that is created by using this pocket method?

---

yes!!!

 

Although I haven't used it yet in X3..it is actually about the same as the one where you used to right click on the NCI file to bring up the editor...

 

Kinda tricky but it will work...

 

Right click on the ops...very bottom..

 

Toolpath editor...

[Thee Rickster ™]

Murlin, got it, worked fine.

 

Thanks

 

Rick

[Müřlıń®]

 

 

Well heck, I read further and see that Gcode already told you where the editor was lol..

 

Murlin teh slow as molases

 

BTW this is for Roger below..

 

Great trick!! I don't do too much 2-d at all but I will remember that one..

 

[ 08-13-2008, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: Murlin ]

[Roger Peterson]

Just do a 2d pocket, turn off roughing, uncheck "finish outer boundary". I know people that use this all the time. If you think contour should be enhanced to do this send it in. I use 2d/3d contour to cut vents with a ball end mill all the time that requires it works just like it currently does. And to be honest since it is easily accomplished via pocketing I don't really know that it's neccesary. The only downside of the pocketing toolpath is you can't place your start position exactly where you want it.

 

 

JM2C

[Thee Rickster ™]

quote:

---

The only downside of the pocketing toolpath is you can't place your start position exactly where you want it.

---

good point.

 

Roger,

 

When I uncheck "finish outer boundary" it ONLY finishes the outer boundary??

 

Exactly the pass I had edited/deleted, kinda funny. I don't know what it thinks the outer BND is but it does the exact opposite of what I want.

 

So adding/creating the extra pocket geometry and editing the toolpath is what I will continue to do.

 

As an enhancement request it is pretty standard (common)feature.

 

thanks

Rick

[gcode]

quote:

---

The only downside of the pocketing toolpath is you can't place your start position exactly where you want it.

---

Yes you can... break the entity were you

want the toolpath to start into 3 segments

making the middle segment about .100 long.

Start yout chain on that segment.. Mastercam

will start the pocket in the middle of that segment.

[Thee Rickster ™]

gcode

 

do you want to mess with it and see if you can get the start point (on the edited path) on any one of the straight lines of the contour?

 

it starts on the outer bnd and I cannot get it to start the inner bnd in a different spot.

 

i will make a small file with the path I edited

and the originalthe (whole file is 160 meg)got it down to 2-1/2 meg

 

BTW when I remachine with the same path to a 1/8 cutter it works perfect

 

 

Rick

[ATG]

Cant you creat a start point Then chain the start point then the pocket geometry. This should allow control of the tools starting pos.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Can't seem to get that to work.

 

If anyone wants to give it a shot the file is in the ftp sit folder MCX2_Files called CONTOUR ISSUES.MCX

 

its an x2 mr2 sp1 file

 

Thanks

rick

[Müřlıń®]

got it to work rickster, your splines were overlapping on the chain and I trimmed them together and got it to just contour the center chain like you wanted in your second pocket ops

 

By unchecking the finish outer boundary...

[Thee Rickster ™]

Looks like you got dude!!

 

When I analyze the chain to find overlapps i get nothing??

 

how did you find the overlapping entities?

 

[edit]

 

Got it to work,

 

Thanks Murlin

 

Rick