2 CHAINS, MILTIPASS fINISHES ONE BEFORE STARTING THE OTHER

[DCOPE17]

X3 MU1 I have to open 3 inch wide slot and I'm using a 1/2 inch EM. Were doing this part on our router cause it's 8ft. long. It makes all the passes on one chain before starting the other. The problem is that I chained them in oposite directions so If it cut both at the same time... no rapid moves from one end to the other.

 

I made it somewhat work by joining the 2 chains off the end of the part but then there is a lot or air cutting once I make my first cut clear the part.

 

I guess my question is how do I get the cutting order to go 1st cut on 1st chain then 1st cut on 2nd chain, 2nd cut on 1st chain, 2nd cut on 2nd chain and so on.

[BernieT]

Should be a setting in 'Depth cuts' to cut 'by depth' rather than 'by contour'

 

HTH

 

 

Welcome to the forum!!

[DCOPE17]

depth cuts has a by depth or by contour.

 

By depth does all the contours at the first depth then all again at the second and so on.

By contour does all the depths on one contour then all the depth on the next and so on there too.

 

I am going full depth and doing mulitpasses to keep widening the slot. It is a straight slot off the part at both ends. But it cuts from one end to the other, then Z to retract plane, rapid all the way back down the part and then cuts again.

 

There are 35 passes on each contour. 70 passes total. I don't want to rapid down the part 70 times when I have an equal but oposite cut going down the part in the oposite direction.

[Hardmill]

Create 2 ops and separate chains, then

"Keep tool down"

 

 

PEACE

[MotorCityMinion]

Maybe joining the ends and using just one chain would work better. 2" is a pretty short distance to travel vs. the rapid at 8 feet.

[JDowe]

Could also use "edit toolpath" and make the move

between contours a rapid move

[3R!< W3NG3R]

what about 2d HST blend? Even peel mill may work for you.

[Josh T™]

How about extending your chain a little more than your cutter radius (in your case about .3), join the 2 chains with a line, and doing a pocket path? Me thinks dis will work pretty good

 

HTH

Josh

[DCOPE17]

Hardmill, I don't think 2 ops will work... I'm not an expert but doesn't mcam have to finish one op before going on to the other?

 

Motorcityminion, That is the best way I have found so far but I was looking for even better still

 

JDowe, I don't know how to edit a toolpath to make one line a rapid move, If you can explain a little further, than would be cool.

 

Eric... I'll give that a shot.

 

Thanks everyone for the Info..

[gcode]

If you can, email me the file or put it up on the fpt site.