MORPH BETWEEN 2 CURVES BEST TOOLPATH EVER

[brandon b]

Even if on the FTP site you make a new folder for every toolpath , and when someone has time upload your way of using that toolpath.

[crazy^millman]

Okay bumping this topic back up. What are some other parts people have been able to use this toolpath on? 3 axis 4 axis or 5 axis examples are welcomed.

[brandon b]

I'd like to see a 3 axis example

[crazy^millman]

Another happy customer today. Took something that was taking 12 hours to finish and was able to get it down to 19 minutes. Granted this was moving from a 30 deg 5 axis machine to a full 5 axis machine. I am running the toolpath at 22k and 600 imp to finish the surface of this layup tool. Surfaces were ugly as all get up. Multisurface 5 axis took 42 minutes to process the toolpath. Morph between 2 curves took less than one minute. I have one rapid move into the part and rapid move off the part with Morph. Multisurface had over 100 rapids moves. I am going from 90 degrees on the left of the part to 270 degrees on the right of the part. 80" x 55" Layup mold. I then took the same type of toolpath and did the radius transition over to the front and back and same thing ugly surfaces. No problem 4 minutes to cut the surface. I use HST toolpaths for rough the part, and this and took an over 30 hours operation and got it down to 6 hours. I love it when I pay 3 to 10 times back what I made from a customer begin there. Sure makes it fun and like it when people are happy with the work I helped them with.

[yucelkaan]

[Pitka_Guru]

Another happy customer today. Took something that was taking 12 hours to finish and was able to get it down to 19 minutes. Granted this was moving from a 30 deg 5 axis machine to a full 5 axis machine. I am running the toolpath at 22k and 600 imp to finish the surface of this layup tool. Surfaces were ugly as all get up. Multisurface 5 axis took 42 minutes to process the toolpath. Morph between 2 curves took less than one minute. I have one rapid move into the part and rapid move off the part with Morph. Multisurface had over 100 rapids moves. I am going from 90 degrees on the left of the part to 270 degrees on the right of the part. 80" x 55" Layup mold. I then took the same type of toolpath and did the radius transition over to the front and back and same thing ugly surfaces. No problem 4 minutes to cut the surface. I use HST toolpaths for rough the part, and this and took an over 30 hours operation and got it down to 6 hours. I love it when I pay 3 to 10 times back what I made from a customer begin there. Sure makes it fun and like it when people are happy with the work I helped them with.

That's Crazy, no pun intended lol, to reduce a cycle time by 30 hours, wow! We finally have X7 so I will definitely have a play with this morph between 2 curves. I used to use blend back in v9 but it was part dependant and I can see many spots I could use this type of tool path in 3 axis at our shop.

 

I like an earlier post of yours in this thread where you mentioned how you've played with tool paths ad nauseum. This is something I try to tell the younger guys in our shop. There is always some time that they could try a few new things in a tool path just to see how it works. I'm they would find something that would make their life easier. Do yo u have any suggestions on how to get this message across to people?

 

I enjoy reading your posts and can only imagine the hours you have put in through the years to understand how the tool paths work.

[Pitka_Guru]

Compressor Sam I say you can get it. What do your control lines look like? What does your control chain look like? Have your tried offsetting surfaces to the exact distance you want and then use that edge to be your control chain using the lead lag? Many items of control with this tool path and maybe just nailing it down. Aaron is very knowledgeable and might be wise to shoot off an email to your dealer asking them to get product management involved. Every success a customer has is a success for the industry as whole. We got the ignorant haters out there that think trying to destroy CNC Software is making it better, problem is they are so ignorant and full of themselves they cannot see helping each other builds our skills and abilities to be more productive at our jobs. I think of the over 60 guys I have personally trained in Mastercam and programming. I think of the 1000's of questions I have answered over the years. That is making change to me that is making a difference. Call me Captain Fanboi and Stupid for supporting Mastercam and not being Mr. negative.

 

I got a job to do and that is doing my best. Helping others helps me in the end because that is more work staying State Side. I make my mistakes and fall, but this toolpath and it abilities make thing I struggled with easier. If I can beat my drum and get you or others using it more then that is more shops doing that much better using something they didn't even know they have. Funny I go into shops and start running their machines at Max rpms with balanced holders and start getting into the 300 to 600 imp feed rates and people get scared. I am going to tear something up or break the machine. Then they see the speed and accuracy and quality of the part at sometimes 30% to 70% faster than they ever thought possible. That ability was there all the time, they were just not sure how to get there. We are all busy and we all have deadlines to meet. A hour of my time a week or 10 hours of my time a week trying new things helps me hone my skills. I may mess with a toolpath for weeks before I finally nail down every aspect of it, but that is what I do to better my skills.

 

How many of you do that to invest in your skills by testing and trying new things? You just do not understand my boss and my deadlines. Sorry, but I do understand I was a boss for many years. I have run companies and the people who make the most money have the most value. What value do you bring your company being able to cut 4 sides on a block and put 4 holes in it? Know what you know maybe not have it all figured out, but know what you know. I have not got this toolpath all figured out, but I will and I will have built a library of places I can use it. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone in a direction to only scrap it and start all over. Sucks and I hate it, but I learn. Give you a great example this week. I am working on a manifold project. I like to make fully closed bodies with none of the cross holes in the for the HST toolpaths. I could not get the fill holes to work so I went back to making my chains to do my add boss to fill in the holes. I shot off an email to QC about my issue. I got back a totally different way to do the same task. My way may have taking me an hour at most. The way I was shown was just effective and took only a minute. Guess which process is going to be my new way forward?

 

Blah blah blah and sorry I do not make sense sometimes, but cut me some slack I am crazy after all. Point is the more we help each other the better we all will be. The better we all are then the better this profession gets.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This post should be pinned somewhere, I cannot agree with it enough!

[crazy^millman]

Pitka, thank you for the kind words, but I keep seeing this same issue time and time again. Amazing how many people are just comfortable getting the job done. I push the limits and like I said in this thread "I am not Perfect and make my share of mistakes". I got one of the most humblinh og compliments this week helping a customer. One of the guys on the shop floor told his friend and that friend agreed with that statement about me and he shared it with me. He said and I quote" We all thought we were real machinist till you came into the shop". I know what I know and I know my limits, but worked over 80 hours this week. Project was in such a state of disarray not even funny. I got to do what I do best and that was share and teach others what I know. Bonus on top of it all was I am getting paid to share that. I make them better they do better the better they become the more work they will get. I roughed a complete part 95% of the way in right at 45 minutes. Part like it on a different machine was right at 8 hours. The were using Vices and doing 3 sides and then working from there. I came in with the raptor system and rough 5 sides of the part. It will leave from, this operation 80% complete. Next operation will fly. I have been given a goal of 3 hours. I keep thinking I am crazy then people throw a 6 hour part at me and say we only budgeted 3. I will do my best, but at the end of the day it will be what it will given the best attention I can give it.

 

Sharing knowledge is hard thing for some people to do. I came up through the shops with people who hated me for trying and wanting to learn. I got accused of stealing $500 worth of tools at one shop. When I told them to call the police that was felony and they didn't. I called the police on myself because I was not quitting without the truth coming out. Police show up to investigate the theft and everyone looks at me like I am off my rocker. I would have gone to jail too. I didn't do it and if that meant I needed to stand before I judge to plead my case I would have. Officer sent me to the break room after he was also puzzled why I called the police on myself. Within minutes the story changed and the misplaced tools amazingly appeared. Cops figured out real quick what was going home and chewed the people who accused me of it up one side and down the other. I was sent home without pay. I had to walk 2 hours in 100 deg temps to where I was living. I came back on Monday and one of the owners pulled me to the side and told me he was selling off his part of the company and was leaving. He could not protect me anymore. See I stuck to it because and would not quit because I was in the apprentice program to be a Tool and Die Maker. Been a regular job I would have quit and not cared what they accused me of, but I wanted to get my Journeymen card. What is the point of my story you may ask? I did not let that stop me from learning and growing and pushing the limits of what I could do. I got an different job and was able to stay for 3 years in the program. Funny thing I ended up teaching some of the classes I was supposed to be learning. I learn more sometimes sharing what I know and hearing different ways to think about something than just charging off in my direction.

 

This thread might have been taking the wrong way by some people. See that is not my problem that is their problem. I got a job to do and keep doing my best. Not that my way is the only way. Not that my way is the best way. I always tell everyone when I teach them. I am sharing what I have learned and how I learned how to do the job. It is up to you to take what I teach you and apply it and use the best way you know how. Be safe, respect the machine, care about the part you are making. I also will tell people a good programmer is like an artist and the ability to extrapolate and do some of the things we do requires creativity, I look at a part I just machined and I see art. I see part of me in everything I am blessed to make. Sometimes I don't like what I see, but I gave it my best and it didn't work then time to get ideas from someone else.

 

Sorry for the long reply, but amazing how people in this profession are amazed by me I just don't get it. I am just trying to earn a living the best way I know how. Anyone and I mean anyone can do what I can do. I really feel I can teach anyone to do what I can do given enough time. Problem is most times people are not open to hearing what I am saying. Again not that I have it all figured out, but this thread got very little attention till I pushed it. How many people spend more time on the Off Topic than over here trying to help others and learn something? We all need down time, but you compare my postings with this forum and the Off Topic and I think that speaks volumes about I do what I preach and hopefully my actions reflect I do care and want anyone in this profession to do better. What ever little thing I can do to help others is just blessings I will get back in one way, shape or fashion.

 

Again hopefully what I share helps just one person and glad anyone can get anything from what I humbly put up.

[Pitka_Guru]

Where is the plus 1 million button? Excellent post!!

[Pitka_Guru]

Here you go sir. Pretty as a the Mona Lisa if I do say so myself. I would use the 1/4 tool leaving .01 and then come back with the 1/16 to finish. I did lock it to 4th axis output where the C axis will move the head will stay locked. I could do some axis limits and do it full 5 axis, but for the idea I thought this was good enough. I did just the inside area with kicking the head in the head page over and made it a C axis toolpath with the head kicked if you wanted to add a coolness factor to it.Thanks you for putting up that file. It just shows how versatile this toolpath really is.I have been trying for about 2 hours to upload this file to dropbox.https://www.dropbox....P TRY MORPH.zipHTH

 

I'm trying to download this file but the link is dead. Does anyone have a copy of this somewhere or is it on the ftp site? Thanks

[crazy^millman]

I'm trying to download this file but the link is dead. Does anyone have a copy of this somewhere or is it on the ftp site? Thanks

 

I fixed the link and here it is again: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zgqoh3ci5iylzmz/5TH%20AXIS%20HELP%20TRY%20MORPH.zip?dl=0

[Pitka_Guru]

Thanks Ron!