Cutting mould subsection(s)

[Carbonwerkes]

Hey guys

 

Sorry if this is overly simple, but I cannot find any references online or in the help files.

 

I have a female mould project which has a 45” x 4” 3D cavity. My 3-axis machine travel limits will not permit this without moving the workpiece. I don’t see any simple way in Mastercam X4 to permit me to just limit machining operations to a subsection of an object (which does not have split faces, etc). This seems bizarre, as there are a number of scenarios where one might want to remachine just a subsection of a part (i.e. TIG a small gouge from a tool break, or just cleaning up a section with a finish not up to what was anticipated, etc).

 

It is easy enough to just slice up the master part, and setup several separate projects. I guess I could use STL output from verify as input to sequential operations, etc. But all this just seems more complex than it should be. Is there really no way to just draw an ‘area’ for machining which is not dependent on existing geometry/edges, and then just update the coordinate system for each section?

 

Again, maybe this is just so simple as to be implied, but I cant find a single instance/example anywhere of its implementation.

 

Kind regards for any thoughts on this-

[Colin Gilchrist]

I would recommend using the HST roughing paths, like Opti-area, and creating a containment boundary. This can be any flat chain of geometry, the easiest being a rectangle. In the toolpath settings, you can set to keep the tool "inside" the boundary. Just make sure the boundary is bigger than your actual stock.

[The Cathedral]

I would recommend using the HST roughing paths, like Opti-area, and creating a containment boundary. This can be any flat chain of geometry, the easiest being a rectangle. In the toolpath settings, you can set to keep the tool "inside" the boundary. Just make sure the boundary is bigger than your actual stock.

 

This is how I do it as well and what I would recommend.

 

Another option would be to trim the toolpath, but you lose control over entry and exit path when doing that (it's a last resort).

[happycat64]

You can try splitting your nci file to sections that your machine can handle.