Create form tools

[rchipper]

Greetings,

 

How does one go about creating and saving a form tool for milling? I made a solid of a tool, (attached), but I do not know where to save it and what type of file to save it as so that it is recognized as a mill tool? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

rchipper.

MILL FORM TOOL 8-21-12.MCX-5

[shazam/TPP]

save it as a mcx file but in the tool folder

[Brando]

also there are some rules to that. flip your tool 90deg so that the profile can be seen from the top view,and no junk wireframe only draw what you need to make the tool profile, then when you create a new tool use the undefined tool type and it should open a window to select the file for the tool you drew, and you can also put the tool on a level in your current file if you dont want a seperate file for the tool just use the "from level selection"

[Brian B 74]

See attached. This is typical wireframe for a form cutter. When describing - describe it as an Undefined type. Save it as its own file in a tool directory. Go back to your tool definition parameters page and select the file you saved it as for the tool file name. That's pretty much it. Just make sure to type in the diameter and radii accordingly. The MCX file is more or less for viewing only - it isn't used in calculating the toolpath.

[Brian B 74]

Oops! Here it is!

MILL FORM TOOL 8-21-12.MCX-5

[CR]

if you're doing it for the first time here are some points to remember when doing a mill custom tool

1. MUST be draw only half of the tool in the TOP view X+ Y+ quadrant
   
2. Endpoints defining the open boundary of the tool MUST BE all the way to the center line
   
3. If you use a center line it must be dashed
   
4. The tool MUST be a single colors
   
5. NO duplicates, no over lapping, lines must meet center line, no short or pass center line
   

[crazy^millman]

CR Letter D is not correct. I use Yellow for my dashed line all the time and other colors for my tool with no problem.

[Brian B 74]

I didn't know about the center line. I guess you learn something new every day.

[ajmer]

you cannot use splines for the tool geometry

[Jayson Kramer]

Here is the profile of your tool as it should be layed out.

I have included a picture and the MCX-5 file.

Fallow the statements from the other members for future tool. hope this helps

[Brando]

Jay i opened this file and the tool geo is not flat in respect to the front or the top plane, although it appears flat when viewed from the front plane

ive never had it work when the geo is not perpendicular to z axis of the top plane

 

i tried to use it as a undefined tool as well and it didn't show up correctly on verify

 

is there another way your doin this to make this work, if so please fill me in im all about learning new methods

[Jayson Kramer]

Oopps I am fixing now give a few min

[rchipper]

Thank you all for the feedback. You are great! With your help I was able to get this working for me.

 

rchipper

[Jayson Kramer]

ok I did this for the wrong poster but all good here is a file with tool configured and a profile cut using it to see the shape when you verify..

 

I hope this helps some one. the tool is on level 9 and a solid block on level1