Toolpath suggestions

[Dave Ball]

What method and toolpath would you use to cut these pockets on a 3 axis machine? Material is Ti-6Al-4.

 

[Justin Beebe at Folsom Tool]

Dave,

 

It's hard to tell from the picture. Are the walls vertical or undercut? It looks like the some of the floors are on angles. If the walls are not undercut you could try surface rough pocket to rough and surface finish scallop with a ball endmill to finish. Once again it is hard to tell from the picture.

[Dave Ball]

Sorry I forgot to mention the walls are all vertical, no undercut and the floors are on different angles.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Generally speaking, I'd go with the HST toolpaths to rough it out (core roughing)., then probably a surface finish scallop to finish the top off so you don't have to machine away all that area that gets pocketed out anyway.

 

BTW, that a really cool looking part.

[Jayson Kramer]

walls can be done with Surface Contour with Shallow cuts added or HST Waterline. Floors you may be able to go back for a finish use Surface Shallow.

[cobra95kev]

I would consider roughing the pockets with dynamic mill, it would require a little geometry creation but it might be worth it with that material.

[Chris Rizzo]

Coming out of a square billet or something with a near-net outside?

 

If billet-Maybe create a ruled surface over the entire top and hog away with a large tool. Then try hst core rough, with trochodial turned on to keep the tool from getting pinched in the corners. That setting works great on triangular shaped pockets. Waterline or contour to finish.

 

In the late winter or early spring modern machine shop had a very good article on stepdown and stepover ratios for ti. They have all their issues online.

[Jayson Kramer]

Kevin the floors are not flat but I am guessing you are saying to create a flat profile at the bottoms were you can at the Z intersection.

I have to go with Surface rough pocket or HST core Rough for me.