Cutting a Fluted Wheel ???

[Rob B]

I am trying to cut the fluted wheel that is pictured below( click on image for larger view). I am cutting it on a 4th axis on VMC.

 

My problem is what toolpath is best suited to rough all the material out of the fluted without a lot of air passes because the material is to size on the diameter. I have tried some highspeed toolpaths, but I still get lots of air passes. Can someone suggest what toolpath type I can rough with or what setting that I'm not using in highspeed toolpath to direct my rough cuts to only travel were there is material to be machined??

 

I am running X2 MR2

 

Thanks

Rob

[Guest]

How about a restmill on one of them, then use transform rotate to get the rest of the flutes?

[SKIR68]

Surface high speed raster for roughing, Surface finish parallel for finishing. You will have to create arcs on edges and use that for your containment boundry.

[Rob B]

John,

I tried your toolpath using a ball endmill to rough with from the very top. I am using the blue box as a containment boundry. I still get air passes because the tool is cutting per depth cut in the complete containment boundry. I don't know if that last statement makes any sense to you. Your tooltath works good if I rough with 2d countour path down to the top of the other flute then start with restmill from there. But I was wanting to use one tool only from top to bottom.

 

John I will be posting more question on setting up my 4th axis. I am having problems with my machine def and control def on this. We'll save that for another post for now.

 

Skir,

I will have to try your toolpath type shortly. I am working on a couple of projects at one time. As a mentioned I am using the blue box for a containment boundry in top plane. Were are talking about creating radius containment boundries?? Just want to make sure we are on the right page. I will work on your toolpath shortly

 

Thanks

[Guest]

Used a Rough Parallel

 

 

Used a Finish Blend

 

 

The Transform Rotate

 

 

Done in X5, so the file doesn't help but everything used is available to you in X2 MR2

[Manuel0822]

Can I ask how you've got your transform to work like that?? Did you get a clean output??

 

I'm doing something pretty similar right now and I have no problems with the actual transform parameters but there might be something I'm missing as every time I post I keep on getting a new WCS callout on every rotation, first path will be G54, 2nd index will be G55, 3rd G56, etc.

 

Am I'm missing something? I would like my forth axis to just index so and then repost the same code as the first path.

 

I hope I explained my self on this one.

[K2csq7]

In your transform operation, what do you have for work offset numbering settings?

Try setting it to off, or increment to zero.

[Festus]

Rob...are you saying you are starting with a square part the width of your diameter?

 

 

ooops!!!! check the post date! assuming you've got it already?

[Manuel0822]

Hey Well actually none of them was working, work offset numbering was selected and wouldn't work, then I tried "mantain source operation's" and that didn't do it, I then try "assign new" getting both start and increment numbers to zero but apparently X5 doesn't let you work with an increment less than 1.

 

After reading some other old post, I finally figured out that if you leave your work offset number to -1 as per defaults, Mastercam then takes over and re-assigns work offsets during transform ops. You still need to select "maintain source operations" and un-select copy source operations & disable posting and then it does only posts one offset after showing you the "WCS used in more than one view" error. Output comes fine anyways.

 

Any ideas on what I might be missing?

[Darin]

I am trying to cut the fluted wheel that is pictured below( click on image for larger view). I am cutting it on a 4th axis on VMC.

 

My problem is what toolpath is best suited to rough all the material out of the fluted without a lot of air passes because the material is to size on the diameter. I have tried some highspeed toolpaths, but I still get lots of air passes. Can someone suggest what toolpath type I can rough with or what setting that I'm not using in highspeed toolpath to direct my rough cuts to only travel were there is material to be machined??

 

I am running X2 MR2

 

Thanks

Rob

 

 

A part like this is a perfect example of understanding metal removal. Most people assume that you need to use these special paths to rough. That is why all programmers should run a manual machine for at least two years removing material as fast as possible. Or be in a job shop environment. How i would do this part is make a line and use the closest size ball end mill that is your radius you need. They take it all off in one pass and leave .015 to finish. I don't know the size of you part or the radius or material. But I have done a part similar to this ...it was 6061 and was about 15" long 7" dia with 1.0 dia cutouts. It was done in 6 minutes complete. I used a carbide indexable roughing ball cutter. Hope this helps

[K2csq7]

I don't think your missing anything, That "error" is more of a warning...

[Guest]

A part like this is a perfect example of understanding metal removal.

 

Yeah and none of us have 25 years in a job shop environments cutting everything from medical to microwave to aircraft parts.

Years of manual experience on lathes, mills, grinders, boring mills, VTL's, tool grinding plus years of design engineering, tool and fixture design AND CNC Programming and operation.

 

 

How about offer to help the guy instead of trying to dress everyone down

[Guest]

Manuel,

 

If you have your part, I can take a look at it,

 

jmparis65 at gmail dot com

[Darin]

Yeah and none of us have 25 years in a job shop environments cutting everything from medical to microwave to aircraft parts.

Years of manual experience on lathes, mills, grinders, boring mills, VTL's, tool grinding plus years of design engineering, tool and fixture design AND CNC Programming and operation.

 

 

How about offer to help the guy instead of trying to dress everyone down

 

 

Sorry ...I thought I was helping him. I never said anything about who knows what and who doesn't.. It is called advice from someone who has made a part like this. If I programmed this part with all of those surfacing paths and it took more then 10 minutes to run the part...I would be fired. Also it would make his programming easier. But I know not all shop are the same. I guess that is why this shop made it through the recession so far... they bid jobs like this under everyone.

[neurosis]

A part like this is a perfect example of understanding metal removal. Most people assume that you need to use these special paths to rough. That is why all programmers should run a manual machine for at least two years removing material as fast as possible. Or be in a job shop environment.

 

 

I have to disagree with this statement a little and I will tell you why.

 

 

First, I would like to think that metal removal strategies not only vary from CNC vs Manual machines, but from CNC machine to CNC machine and manual machine to manual machine as well. There are way too many variables to say that 2 years of experience on either would give you a leg up either way. We had a CNC machine here that you couldnt begin to HOPE to put a 1" diameter ball nose in and cut plastic let alone 6061.

 

Second, we had an old time manual machinist that worked here about 10 years ago. He was phenomenal on the manual machines. He got stuck on the CNC machines his last two years working in this shop. First on the mills, then on the lathes. He did not have a clue how to remove metal on the CNC machines. He relied on his eyes, ears, and feel on the manual machines. He learned real quick that he had to KNOW how to run the tool before it hit the metal on the CNC machines and how it was going to react. He was VERY inefficient on the CNC machines.

 

Not to say that he would not have learned. He was very smart and very good at what he did.

 

Our shop foreman is the same. He has been a manual machinist his whole life and when he sees how we are removing metal on the CNC's and the strategies that are used he is astounded.

 

I used to believe the same but as I learned I realized that they are to completely different animals.

 

JM2C.

[McLaren]

Sorry ...I thought I was helping him. I never said anything about who knows what and who doesn't.. It is called advice from someone who has made a part like this. If I programmed this part with all of those surfacing paths and it took more then 10 minutes to run the part...I would be fired. Also it would make his programming easier. But I know not all shop are the same. I guess that is why this shop made it through the recession so far... they bid jobs like this under everyone.

 

 

Uh dude, you don't even know what the material is. Maybe he needed to cut it like that because of rigidity issues, or machine torque limitations.

 

EDIT: Opps, Neurosis beat me to it. Just change your 2 cents to 4 and I'll pay you back later.

[MotorCityMinion]

Aside from Darin not having all the variables before making that statement, I believe he was on the right track. If I had to absolutely run that in a indexer or A axis, I would just 2d contour that right down the middle, comp off, depth cuts, then SF parallel like JP said. Depending on tool size, maybe even a SF parallel to semi-finish.

[neurosis]

Aside from Darin not having all the variables before making that statement, I believe he was on the right track.

 

 

And I could argue that if those slots are 1" wide with a .5 rad and the material is Stainless, Ti, or Inconel, and the CNC machine is an Akira Seiki SR2, then JParis approach is on the right track. That is the point.

 

People were just trying to help, and without all of the variables it is not proper to criticize someones idea of how to approach something.