Really dumb question, I know

[MultiAxGod]

I am machining a pocket 2.3" deep with many features in it (standoffs, bosses, etc. Most tapered or shaped), with a .25" ball em. Ran a std. lgth. tool down 1.1" dp, for speed, using surface contour and building a flat surf at 1.2" dp. as check to stop the tool.

 

Now for the dumb question, which I know I will take heat for, but too many hours and no rest, so bear with me. I want to run the extended tool 2.5" and bypass what has been run with the shorter tool down to 1.2" dp. essentially just machining from 1.2" down to 2.3" depth. capeche?

 

Ok, I'm ready to take the, "how long have you been doing this again?" rhetoric, just give me the answer. LOL!

[Chris Parish]

in mill level 3, you could use critical depths, set the cut depths in absolute, then use the min and max depth cuts

[MultiAxGod]

I knew that! Sh*t, I'm too tired!

 

Thanks C!

[MultiAxGod]

OK. Went to critical depths. Pick a depth. It just sits there. Waited a half hour and still sitting there? Is there something wrong with this feature in X4?

[MultiAxGod]

NM. Figured out another way to skin this cat! Critical depths seem to send it into never, never land.

[Stan_z]

set top of stock to Z-1.2" ??

[CNC PRO]

^ ^

What he said, just make sure you have a clearance height set....

[MultiAxGod]

Can't set a top of stock in surface contouring.

What's a clearance height? LOL!

[dolphin1]

you can if you use min & max depth.

[MultiAxGod]

min and max depth is the correct answer.

 

If you try to pick them though, the system locks up when the critical depth pick comes up. Just set them manually and don't go into the pick menu.

 

Top of Stock is not available in this operation.

[Colin Gilchrist]

MultiAx,

 

So you are saying when you Right-Click in the 'Minimum' or 'Maximum' depth field and choose "Z = Z Coordinate of a point", that your system hangs?

 

If you aren't running X4 MU3 I would highly recommend upgrading. Selecting either the Min or Max depth value from the screen works great on my computer.

[MultiAxGod]

Colin,

 

I think they just updated to MU3. I haven't worried about it since I have a brand new CPU that came today that I will be setting up and loading Monday, but yes, to answer your question, when I use the pick feature, it picks the minimum and maximum fine. Next question is the critical depths pick, when you make a pick, it just sits and locks up. No hourglass, can't get to any menus, can't escape out of it, or anything. etc. When I went directly to critical depths, it locked also, so seems to be a bug. I waited 1/2 hour to see if it would work but when I came back it was still sitting there in critical depth pick.

 

I can set the min and max manually, and it does exactly what it should, just can't pick critical depths or it hangs.

[MultiAxGod]

oops Sorry Colin. No, not when I right click in the value field. When I use the depth pick button. min picks fine, max picks fine, but when critical depth pick comes up and you pick a depth, that's when it happens.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Interesting.

 

I'm guessing you are using the "Incremental" depths then, not the absolute?

 

When I go into the Surface Finish Contour cut Depths, I see the following sets of buttons.

 

Absolute:

Detect Flats

Select Depths

Clear Depths

 

Incremental:

Detect Flats

Critical Depths

Clear Depths

 

 

Here is something that is very important to note. Absolute lets you set a Min depth (where the first cut occurs in Z) and a Max depth (where the last cut of the toolpath occurs).

 

Incremental is different. When using incremental, the first box is labeled "Adjustment to top cut". This is where most people get confused. You enter a Positive value in this box to force the toolpath to start deeper than your surface. So if you put '1.2' in this box, it forces your tool to start 1.2 inches deeper that the top of the highest surface in your toolpath.

 

The "Adjustment to other cuts" functions OPPOSITE of the "Adjustment to top cut". With 'other cuts' a positive value moves the cutter up in Z, and a negative value moves the cutter down. This is kind of counter-intuitive, because the two data entry fields for Incremental are basically inverse of each other.

 

With Absolute, what you see is what you get. If you put -1.2 in the Min depth, and -2.5 in the Max depth, the toolpath will only cut inbetween these values.

 

Another trick I've learned is that you can force your tool to go deeper than your lowest surface by entering a deeper value in the Max field.

 

So say your part is 3" thick, and the bottom of the part is a Z0 (top is Z3). You can force the contour toolpath to cut below your part surfaces by entering a deeper value in the Max field. So say you were taking .5 step down in Z. You put 2.5 for your Min depth, and -1.5 for your Max depth. The cutter will make 3 passes below your surfaces, down to the Max value...

[MultiAxGod]

Yes, I am aware of all that. You explained it well also.

Yes, initially, in a hurry, I picked the Critical Depths in incremental. Still it shouldn't lock up. After realizing that, I went to the Select Depths feature in absolute. After picking the min and max, it asks you to pick a critical depth. The system also locks up there.

I like the fact of the trick of going lower than your bottom surface and will try that the next time I need it. On this part, the floor was my check and I was happy that it didn't violate it.

Haven't used the system for regular 3 axis 3-d stuff since X2, so forgot some of it. Too much 5 axis as always. New place I'm at has never done 3-d before, nor even used models, planes, etc., so it's been a challenge the past couple of weeks here.

Thanks for the answers, it's always a pleasure to hear from you.