Axis substitution and transform rotate?

[Darin]

Hi,

 

Does transform rotate tool path work with a contour operation that has axis substitution? I can't get it to post like I want it. It just seems to post the same B moves for all the transform paths. I am trying to make these cutouts every 30 degs on this cylindrical part on a horizontal machine. The cutouts need to be cut on the 10.945 dia axis not straight through. I have X6 and W7..

 

This is how it posts.

 

 

N1 M01 ( 3/16 ENDMILL )

( MILLS 1ST 10 MM SLOT WITH 3/16 ENDMILL )

N140 T01 M06

N150 G00 G90 G54 X0. Y.8492 B-.314 S4500 M03

N160 G43 H01 Z5.5725

N170 G01 Z5.1975 F10.

N180 G41 D01 Y.7242 F30.

N190 Y.7149 B-.299

N200 Y.7066 B-.254

N210 Y.6999 B-.185

N220 Y.6957 B-.097

N230 Y.6942 B0.

N240 B3.86 F330.71

N250 Y.8801 F30.

N260 Y.8804 B-3.86 F330.71

N270 Y.6942 F30.

N280 B0. F330.71

N290 B.314

N300 Y.6957 B.411 F30.

N310 Y.6999 B.499

N320 Y.7066 B.568

N330 Y.7149 B.613

N340 Y.7242 B.628

N350 G40 Y.8492

N360 Y.8392 B-.314

N370 G41 D01 Y.7142

N380 Y.7049 B-.299

N390 Y.6966 B-.254

N400 Y.6899 B-.185

N410 Y.6857 B-.097

N420 Y.6842 B0.

N430 B3.916 F330.71

N440 Y.6848 B3.94 F317.98

N450 Y.6865 B3.957 F225.02

N460 Y.6888 B3.965 F95.72

N470 Y.8854 F30.

N480 Y.8877 B3.958 F82.73

N490 Y.8895 B3.94 F222.21

N500 Y.8901 B3.916 F319.88

N510 Y.8904 B-3.916 F330.71

N520 Y.8898 B-3.94 F317.99

N530 Y.8881 B-3.958 F227.65

N540 Y.8857 B-3.965 F81.69

N550 Y.6888 F30.

N560 Y.6865 B-3.958 F82.73

N570 Y.6847 B-3.94 F222.21

N580 Y.6842 B-3.916 F321.08

N590 B0.

N600 B.314

N610 Y.6857 B.411 F30.

N620 Y.6899 B.499

N630 Y.6966 B.568

N640 Y.7049 B.613

N650 Y.7142 B.628

N660 G40 Y.8392

N670 G00 Z5.5725

( MILLS 1ST 10 MM SLOT WITH 3/16 ENDMILL )

N680 G00 G90 G55 B-.314 <------------------------- Shouldn't These B moves should have 30 degs added to them from the transform?------------------------------>

N690 X0. Y.8492

N700 Z5.5725

N710 G01 Z5.1975 F10.

N720 G41 D01 Y.7242 F30.

N730 Y.7149 B-.299

N740 Y.7066 B-.254

N750 Y.6999 B-.185

N760 Y.6957 B-.097

N770 Y.6942 B0.

N780 B3.86 F330.71

N790 Y.8801 F30.

N800 Y.8804 B-3.86 F330.71

N810 Y.6942 F30.

N820 B0. F330.71

N830 B.314

N840 Y.6957 B.411 F30.

N850 Y.6999 B.499

N860 Y.7066 B.568

N870 Y.7149 B.613

N880 Y.7242 B.628

N890 G40 Y.8492

N900 Y.8392 B-.314

N910 G41 D01 Y.7142

N920 Y.7049 B-.299

N930 Y.6966 B-.254

N940 Y.6899 B-.185

N950 Y.6857 B-.097

N960 Y.6842 B0.

N970 B3.916 F330.71

N980 Y.6848 B3.94 F317.98

N990 Y.6865 B3.957 F225.02

N1000 Y.6888 B3.965 F95.72

N1010 Y.8854 F30.

N1020 Y.8877 B3.958 F82.73

N1030 Y.8895 B3.94 F222.21

N1040 Y.8901 B3.916 F319.88

N1050 Y.8904 B-3.916 F330.71

N1060 Y.8898 B-3.94 F317.99

N1070 Y.8881 B-3.958 F227.65

N1080 Y.8857 B-3.965 F81.69

N1090 Y.6888 F30.

N1100 Y.6865 B-3.958 F82.73

N1110 Y.6847 B-3.94 F222.21

N1120 Y.6842 B-3.916 F321.08

N1130 B0.

N1140 B.314

N1150 Y.6857 B.411 F30.

N1160 Y.6899 B.499

N1170 Y.6966 B.568

N1180 Y.7049 B.613

N1190 Y.7142 B.628

N1200 G40 Y.8392

N1210 G00 Z5.5725

[Colin Gilchrist]

Axis Substitution in combination with Transform Rotate does not work in any of our default posts. You can chain multiple chains of geometry, or create multiple Axis Sub toolpaths, but those are the only options with Axis Sub.

[Colin Gilchrist]

I noticed you aren't using "unroll" in your rotary parameters for the Axis Sub Toolpath. Is your geometry drawn flat? If not, you should be using "unroll".

 

Edit: ok, looks like you are using the flat chain of geometry. You can take that chain and translate copy it on the flat to make multiple cuts around a diameter. You want 12 cuts, so you calculate the circumference as 10.945 x 3.14159265 = 34.3847316. (the more accurate your calculation, the better the result. Go at least 1 more significate digit in precision than your tolerance. So if your machine is accurate to .0001, then make sure your translation distance is 5 or 6 decimal places in accuracy.)

 

So 34.3847316 / 12 = 2.8653943. When you translate, use that distance, and round to 6 digits. 2.865394 is what I would use.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Colin

[ajmer]

instead of uing rotate, use translate in toolpath transform and use

the values colin mentions above

[huskermcdoogle]

Why don't you do it as a sub and use the machine coordinates to rotate the path. Simply tracking the center of the part to center of rotation vector can yield you a new work shift if you are not on pallet center. Look up some of the older Center of Pallet rotation macro discussions.

 

But, if your part is on pallet center than you can just can just G91 G10 L2 P1 B30. between subs until you are done then restore your shift at the end.

 

Why make it more complicated than it needs to be? I know could easily code in the needed looping into manual entries and have it post out hand edit free.

 

Just a thought, though it would be nice if Mcam would just do what our minds will it to.

[Reko]

Can't you just program one of those pockets and transform/rotate about a point?

 

Why use axis substitution?

 

:Edit:

"The cutouts need to be cut on the 10.945 dia axis not straight through."

 

Nevermind... I missed that.

[Darin]

I noticed you aren't using "unroll" in your rotary parameters for the Axis Sub Toolpath. Is your geometry drawn flat? If not, you should be using "unroll".

 

Edit: ok, looks like you are using the flat chain of geometry. You can take that chain and translate copy it on the flat to make multiple cuts around a diameter. You want 12 cuts, so you calculate the circumference as 10.945 x 3.14159265 = 34.3847316. (the more accurate your calculation, the better the result. Go at least 1 more significate digit in precision than your tolerance. So if your machine is accurate to .0001, then make sure your translation distance is 5 or 6 decimal places in accuracy.)

 

So 34.3847316 / 12 = 2.8653943. When you translate, use that distance, and round to 6 digits. 2.865394 is what I would use.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Colin

 

 

Thanks Colin. Worked great. What is involved in making a post work with transform and axis sub tool paths?

[CJep]

:double post:

[CJep]

Thanks Colin. Worked great. What is involved in making a post work with transform and axis sub tool paths?

 

Darin, it is not a matter of making the post to respond to a transform rotate,.... If you are using an axis substitution toolpath you have already introduced rotation into the toolpath by substituting the X or Y axis with rotary output. To get that toolpath to index and cut at the next position you need to use a transform translate. I use between points, the distance you are going to translate is the arc segment between the indexed angles. You would input that value relative to the axis you are substituting.

 

Ex: I have a pocket tpath substituting the Y axis on a 10" dia, need to index every 30deg, using the between points translation I set the Y axis to move 2.61799"

[Colin Gilchrist]

Hi Darin,

 

In this case, Ajmer and Cjep are correct. Try using the Transform Translate function instead of Rotate. The Axis Substitution toolpath uses the Rotary diameter you specify, and the geometry's distance from the origin to calculate the rotary angle value.

 

There would be a huge amount of work involved in trying to get Transform Rotate to support Axis Substitution.

 

Thanks,

 

Colin

[Rstewart]

Darin, it is not a matter of making the post to respond to a transform rotate,.... If you are using an axis substitution toolpath you have already introduced rotation into the toolpath by substituting the X or Y axis with rotary output. To get that toolpath to index and cut at the next position you need to use a transform translate. I use between points, the distance you are going to translate is the arc segment between the indexed angles. You would input that value relative to the axis you are substituting.

 

Ex: I have a pocket tpath substituting the Y axis on a 10" dia, need to index every 30deg, using the between points translation I set the Y axis to move 2.61799"

 

 

Thanks a lot for takin time to explain that!! I've struggled with a way to do that so many times!

[Darin]

Darin, it is not a matter of making the post to respond to a transform rotate,.... If you are using an axis substitution toolpath you have already introduced rotation into the toolpath by substituting the X or Y axis with rotary output. To get that toolpath to index and cut at the next position you need to use a transform translate. I use between points, the distance you are going to translate is the arc segment between the indexed angles. You would input that value relative to the axis you are substituting.

 

Ex: I have a pocket tpath substituting the Y axis on a 10" dia, need to index every 30deg, using the between points translation I set the Y axis to move 2.61799"

 

 

I got it now thanks. So even though you are using transform translate not rotate it reads the axis substitution and makes the correct code.

 

Thanks