Surface/Finish/Flowline Problem

[Reko]

Help!

 

I used Surface/Finish/Flowline on a part that is half of an interior tube, but the Ball EM did not come up tangent to the top of my wall, it stopped .625 short (I'm using a 1.25 Ball).

 

I have to let it finish the part now, but I will have to go back and write a program to surface the top .625 of the interior wall.

 

I should have caught it because when I look closer at the backplot, I can see it now. I guess I assumed the Ball EM would come up tangent to the top of the surface. It didn't.

 

Any idea's why it did this?

 

I'm not sure how to post a screenshot of the part, but the point is, the EM stopped short and I don't see a setting to control this.

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

MasterCam X4 Mill Level 3/Solids

Dell Precision T3400

Intel Core Duo CPU 2.33 GHz

2.33GHz,2.00 GB RAM

Windows XP Pro SP3

NVIDIA Quatro FX 570

[MotorCityMinion]

Full 180 deg. rad. or are the sidewalls vertical?Seems strange as Flowline is usually my first choice for tangent toolpathing. Are you using depth settings?

[Tony35]

make sure you dont have center selected it should be on tip in the tip comp

 

are you using cut depths?

 

you could create some dummy surfs to get the tool to the top

 

not at work to take a look at the options

sorry couldnt be more of a help

 

HTH

[Reko]

Full 180 degree, yes. No depth setting.

 

I'm trying to post a picture... just downloaded "Greenshot"

 

Thx for the quick reply. Should have a pic in a few minutes...

 

Comp is set to "tip" ...yes.

[GI George]

You have to play with the start height settings to make the cutter start higher or go lower to get a full clean up on the surface.

[Reko]

I can't seem to figure out how to post a screenshot. I have it in a .png file, just not sure how to upload it.

 

Any suggestions?

[GI George]

Can you use photobucket?

[Reko]

Never used it before. Is it a website to post it to?

[GI George]

Yes, you would need to create an account.

 

Try going into the depth limits and make your min. depth a bigger number and calc. to see what happens, I think if you mess with that you could get it to cut where you want it to.

[Reko]

Okay, here is the pic:

 

http://s610.photobucket.com/albums/tt185/MCReko/

 

I'll try a few of your guys suggestions.

 

Thank you all much!!!

[Reko]

Well, I couldn't find a setting for "Start Depth" but I created a radius at the corners where the three surfs meet and made them drive surf. That solved my problem for this part but I still don't understand why the tool didn't come up tangent to the top of the surf.

 

I guess I got my fix but the extra messing around seemed unnecessary because, again, the tool should come up tangent.

 

Anyway, if anyone has any other suggestions I'd be thankful.

 

Thanks guys!

 

MasterCam X4 Mill Level 3/Solids

Dell Precision T3400

Intel Core Duo CPU 2.33 GHz

2.33GHz,2.00 GB RAM

Windows XP Pro SP3

NVIDIA Quatro FX 570

[Colin Gilchrist]

Can you put a file with that surface and toolpath up on the FTP site? I took a look at your picture, but without seeing the actual surface and toolpath settings, I can't make a recommendation of settings to try...

[GI George]

Did it stop short to the plane that is a red dotted line like it was all one Z height or was it short along the whole edge of the surface? Could you spin the part a little more and show the tool path on the part?

[Reko]

Colin,

Not sure how to do what you're asking. What FTP site?

 

George,

Ignore the red dotted line. I was using it as a containment boundary for Surface/Finish/Scalloped but I didn't like the lines it left in the part.

 

I switched to Surface/Finish/Flowline and that doesn't require a containment boundary.

 

I wish I would have used Surface/Finish/Blend now. I've been playing with it and it looks much better than Flowline.

 

I'd still like to know why Flowline didn't come up tangent though. It makes me look bad to my boss. {Like that hasn't happened before :>}

 

Anyway, I added some pics to photobucket and I'd still like to know why it does this if anyone can figure it out.

 

Thanks Again!!!

 

http://s610.photobucket.com/albums/tt185/MCReko/

[GI George]

So the .625 came up short along the green surface on both sides?

[Reko]

Yes. Both sides. I've tried everything and can not get the Ball EM tangent to the top of the rails. I already finished the rails in a different operation, BTW.

 

I have no clues.

[Thee Rickster ™]

At the top of this page there is a link to cadcams ftpsite.

 

You can upload it there.

 

Click here

 

You could zip it and email it to Colin and I and we

can both give it a try.

 

Is it possible that your surface curls around a bit

and is negative in the area of tangent cut?

[LaszloK]

If the light blue shading is the toolpath display of the tip of the ball mill, then it should stop short by .625

[Joe788]

I'm kinda thinking along the lines od LasloK.

 

If you look at the backplot, is side of the ball endmill touching your surface when it's in the section that seems too short?

 

Also, are those top two surfaces selected as your check surfaces? Try changing the stock on your check surfaces to .0001.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Or not using check surfaces at all.

 

That surface should not need any

[Joe788]

I'm kinda thinking along the lines od LasloK.

 

If you look at the backplot, is side of the ball endmill touching your surface when it's in the section that seems too short?

 

Also, are those top two surfaces selected as your check surfaces? Try changing the stock on your check surfaces to .0001.

[Colin Gilchrist]

I'm with Rickster. If you are using Check Surfaces, these are preventing your tool from being driven tangent to the edge of the surface. On a surface like the one in your picture, you shouldn't need check surfaces.

 

If you remove the check surfaces and the tool wants to "roll" up and over the surface edge, go into the "advanced settings" button on the parameters page and set the radio button to "only between surfaces (solid faces)".

[Thee Rickster ™]

quote:

---

If you remove the check surfaces and the tool wants to "roll" up and over the surface edge

---

Technically if the surface is crated properly it should not do that unless the top edge of the drive surface is slightly curled out.

If it still does not cut the surface to to the tangent edge after removing the check surfs then it could be slightly curled in.

 

i have cut that shape a few times with 100 % success

[Reko]

<<>

 

Yes. The Ball EM is touching the surf, just .625 too low from being tangent to the top of the rails.

 

<<>>

 

Yes. I used them as check surfaces and left .010" on them.

 

I tried to put the file on the FTP site, but it seems I need a password. I'll keep reading, maybe I'm missing something.

[Reko]

(Or not using check surfaces at all.That surface should not need any)

 

Update...Rickster,

 

You and Collin were right. That surface didn't need check surfaces. I removed them, regenerated and it was perfect.

 

Thanks for all of the help guys!

 

:>)