Need help with multi axis OD surfacing

[Chipmakr]

I am trying to surface the od of this part and I am getting material left on in areas that I want this toolpath to finish. I think its a tool axis control issue. I am on a 5 axis machine but I am locked down to 4 axis in my toolpath. I am using a cylinder as my pattern surface.I am also getting lines in my finish that look like the type of issues I would use filtering to solve in three axis paths.

 

 

 

The toolpath I ran at the machine had .002" across step over. I bumped it up to .012" to get the file size manageable for attaching. What's the best way to get a pattern that will access all areas, but drive smooth motion? Is there a better path for driving this in 4 or 5 axis motion?

[mayday]

Try morph between 2 curves

[crazy^millman]

Dwain, those are flat walls why are you surface machining them? I would swarf cut those flat areas with a bull em and be down with it. Same thing with the cone section cut it with a flat ground bottom bull em. More operations than the one you got, but to me much faster and easier to make the part you want. What you are doing will make the part, but yes I would expect to see the issues you are facing.

[Chipmakr]

Ron, I have a boss sticking up on the other side and I was trying to make all these blends a non issue. I only have a few parts to cut. I am thinking blending at the intersections would be problematic with a bullnose and then trying to get around the boss with another tool.

[crazy^millman]

Well yes they can be and on a few parts where do you find the trade off like anything. Try tightening up your tolerances and I did see a gap on the solid model so might look into that.

[MotorCityMinion]

That machine looks familiar

 

The following pics show an identical set-up on the same machine using a different CAM package with the same 5 axis module. Morph between curves works well in this scenario. Like Ron said though, busting your part up into multiple operations will produce a shorter cycle time and many more programming headaches. Too much compression in the corners here as well but this will get the tricky terrain done smoothly. Morph between surface can produce satisfactory results when morph between curves fails. Parallel cuts with spiral enabled works in a similar fashion.

 

Bro, you have my email. If I can be of assistance, use it.

 

Something to listen to while you check out the pics.