FINISH CONTOUR

[RStuart]

I am machining a pocket shaped like the letter "D". It is .625" deep with a full .625" radius on the bottom. It has .500" fillets in the corners. I am using surface rough pocket to rough it out. Trying to use surface finish contour to finish. Problem I have is it will not finish the flat on the bottom just the radius. Is there something I am missing? Any help would be appreciated.

[Tcommis]

far as i know contour ignores flats. sound like a perfect wireframe swept 2d tool path.

[Hardmill]

First off what kind of tool are you using?

Did you try the toggle for shallow cuts?

Or surf. finish shallow.

 

PEACE

[Jean-Simon]

Maybe you could try finish scallop and select only the radius and the flat bottom (vertical walls are a pain sometimes) HTH! and Good week-End

 

 

Simon

[RStuart]

I am using an indexable endmill with a .122r insert....there are no vertical walls on this part. The "vertical walls" are radi. The 2d wireframe toolpath does get the job done but the toolpath isn't very efficient when it gets to the bottom flat. I have to make the across cut distance so small due to finish reasons that when it does reach the bottom it takes forever to clean it out.

[Hardmill]

Try the shallow cuts toggle.

You can add cuts and also control them.

 

PEACE

[Jean-Simon]

Sorry about the vertical walls( read too fast) you could also just finish the radius with a surface toolpath and finish the bottom with a pocket(2d) toolpath with creat curve all edges (of the flat surface). HTH ! What dia. is your cutter?

 

Simon

[RStuart]

1" DIA cutter. The shallow toggle did not work for me. I may be missing something and the scallop did about the same on the flat as the 2d wireframe did. I think I will try the pocket in 2 processes like Jean-Simon suggested.

[RStuart]

Using the method above either gave me a result that cut too much material in the corners or not enough. There has to be a more efficient way of doing this. Keep 'em comming guys.

[Roger Peterson]

create a line from one side of the pocket to the other at 1" above the part. project it onto your surfaces that define the pocket. Surface finish contour, chain the projected curve only as a containment boundary. Set the rest of your parameters and hit o.k. Let the toolpath calculate and watch the "magic".

 

 

HTH

[RStuart]

That did not work for me it cut all over the place. Seemed to onlt follow the surface edges in the inside AND outside of the pocket and did not finish the bottom of the pocket at all.

[Jean-Simon]

Check your e-mail, I just hope you have V9, if not let me know.

 

Simon!

[CAM-mando]

+1 to the standard 2D pocket.

 

The bull mill however will leave a "cusp" in the corners that will need to be cleaned up by hand or with a ball mill. This is the case regardless of what tool path type is used If the flat radius of the tool excedes the corner rad at the tangency of the pocket floor fillet.

 

CAM

 

[ 09-26-2003, 03:38 PM: Message edited by: CAMmando ]

[Camdude®]

sounds like a perfect opportunity for the new project blend toolpath.

[Roger Peterson]

Sorry Rstuart you still have to have the flats turned on. What I told you will give you a very consistant stepover on the radius in a constant Z cut. If you use a bull nose EM you can specify a larger stepover in the flat areas.

 

Send me a file if you would like.

 

Oh yes I assumed you were using V9. Is this the case?

 

 

later,

[crazy^millman]

+1 on the surface finsh scallop you can also use this to clean up those nasty corners that sometimes leaves extra material I do like a .01 leave stock then do a .02 to .05 stepover. I would then finish it the same toolpath and then do a .002 to .005 stepover and go from there.

 

Good Luck

 

Crazy Millman

[RStuart]

I ended up going with two seperate tool paths...thank you all for your help.

[Müřlıń®]

quote:

---

sounds like a perfect opportunity for the new project blend toolpath.

---

I tried to use Project/Blend in ver 9.0sp1 but it got wierd on me

 

Hoping that 9.1sp2 will make it all better....

 

 

Murlin