axis substitution/transform problems

[Sbarner]

Greetings all,

 

In the FTP site, in the X3 files is a Z2G called "Gas Exchange Module2". In the 2nd machine group is some geometry that got unrolled. We used axis substitution and created some contour paths. They came out great. We did a transform op to rotate the toolpaths 180 degrees, and it appears to look OK. The verify and backplot all look great, but the code is not. We're not getting the rotation to 180 degrees. The toolpath is simply repeating the path on the same side. I've messed with the toolpaths as much as I can, and I can't get it sorted. Any ideas? It's for a Haas VF3. Thanks in advance.

[1 master]

Check your tool planes or wcs.

[Sbarner]

All the toolplanes and WCS are OK. They're set to TOP.

[ajmer]

you cannot rotate a axis sub toolpath.

it is hard to explain why.

do this instead.

rotate the geometry and rechain the rotated geometry

make sure that the WCS and toolplane are still top

[K2csq7]

Not sure about this one but i've seen this in the control def. on the files page, in the bottom right.

"Transform operation options"

Anyone know what that is all about?

[Sbarner]

It's still not giving me what I want. I guess what I envision is a given set of coordinates for one side, and then those "A" coordinates + 180 deg. for the opposite side. I'm feeling right now.

[Ron Branch @ Verisurf]

Well it looks like you are telling it to rotate 90 degrees then rotate 180 on top of that. Would that not put it back where it started? I would recommend doing one rotate at 90 degrees. then rotate that Transform rotate operation 180 degree and that should take care of the problem you are seeing. In other works you are getting what you are telling it to do. by rotating it 180 degrees twice you are going back to where you started. By rotating it 90 degrees, then rotating that 180 then I think you will get what you are looking for.

 

HTH

[Sbarner]

Ok. That's another one of the weird things, Ron. No matter what you change the values to in the transform box, the toolpath still comes out at 90, and 270. I started at 0 with a 180 step, and it still output at 90 and 270...with the same coordinates.

 

quote:

---

Well it looks like you are telling it to rotate 90 degrees then rotate 180 on top of that. Would that not put it back where it started?

---

I wouldn't think so. Wouldn't it put the toolpath on the opposite side? I don't even care if it rotates at the beginning. I don't need it at 90. I was just playing around with the parameters.

[Jim Evans from CNC Software]

Do not use Transform ROTATE for Axis substituion!!! The instructions in the post explains that Axis Substitution must be programmed from the flat. That doesn't mean program the first one from the flat and then rotate it using transform

 

Rotary programs of rotary substitution is really messy. Toolplanes and rotary sub logic start to interfere. There is no way to know what you are intending to do, or which angle calculation should win out. It's much better to do a translational transformation of the "unwrapped" geometry.

 

The right way to do this is a translational transformation (trasnlate in the flat and then the post will wrap the entire transformed toolpath) of the "unwrapped" geometry, using a toolplane sift.

[Sbarner]

Jim!!

 

I was just getting ready to copy that EXACT text from one of your previous posts into my next post. It works great now.

 

The method I used was to take the circumference of the rolled diameter, and divide it by the number of rotations (in my case, 2) and put that in the Y spacing box. I suppose that if you only had 1 rotation, you could also simply do a "Between points" and fill in the correct Y value.

[Ron Branch @ Verisurf]

Didn't catch that axis substitution.

 

Yeah like Jim said it will fight you.