HST Waterline not working right

[Colin Gilchrist]

The Bullnose support in Dynamic Mill has been vastly improved for both 2D and 3D HST Toolpaths. It will now calculate the stepover passes by driving the flat center of a Bullnose tool. This means in almost all cases you can use up to 90% of the flat diameter now.

 

Normally we don't comment about upcoming features until they are released, but I thought it prudent since this is a hot topic.

[peon]

at newbeeee! I wish I had a buck every time heard that from my local buddies that use this software. Although, I do get a $50 gas card now and then from former co-workers.

 

Colin, that is GREAT news! I sure hope the bullnose improvements were also made to the HST Horizontal and 2D pocket paths as well. Those paths won't wipe out a cutter, but are they are not efficient. I'm trying to sell the higher ups into a couple more seats, but having to take ridiculously small stepovers to prevent islands on pocket floors are not helping me or you.

[neurosis]

The Bullnose support in Dynamic Mill has been vastly improved for both 2D and 3D HST Toolpaths. It will now calculate the stepover passes by driving the flat center of a Bullnose tool. This means in almost all cases you can use up to 90% of the flat diameter now.

 

Normally we don't comment about upcoming features until they are released, but I thought it prudent since this is a hot topic.

 

There seems to have been quite a few comments about the up-comming X6 release.. <grin>

 

 

I think that there is a bit of separation here on what is an acceptable tool path and a misunderstanding where "tool path working as intended" is concerned. One mans acceptable tool path may be inefficient garbage to another. Ive been there with these SHS tool paths myself. Even though the path is very convenient to use, in some cases the results are less than optimal for production. And as Bob has said, some of the options/settings affect things that make absolutely NO sense and even if the path IS indeed working as intended, the lack of documentation leaves you clueless as to what is going on.

 

And before anyone say's "That is what training is for", when you spend this amount of money on something you would expect that it would come with documentation that would at least explain enough for you to figure out its intended usage. I am not knocking training in any way when I say that. Just the lack of documentation for some of these tool paths and functions. Too many times do you have to guess what a certain function does or how it is intended to be used.

 

I can understand his frustration and the presumed "black magic/tribal knowledge" of some of these paths, especially when you have used something like Volumill that gives excellent results and is very simple to use. You can help but wonder why things need to be this complicated.

 

 

None of this is directed toward the dynamic tool paths. Only the SHS.

[Newbeeee™]

 

And before anyone say's "That is what training is for", when you spend this amount of money on something you would expect that it would come with documentation that would at least explain enough for you to figure out its intended usage. I am not knocking training in any way when I say that. Just the lack of documentation for some of these tool paths and functions. Too many times do you have to guess what a certain function does or how it is intended to be used.

 

Well said.

[Blueskyman]

Maybe the lack of documentation is on purpose to aid in the dealers ability to sell training?

[Redfire427]

Only the six year olds get the documentation. Haha.

 

I eagerly await the new release with hopes of some improvements.