Rotary post configuration

[Smit]

I have recently been informed that our machine shop is going to be making a barrel cam. So far I've used the rotary table on our 3 axis (4 w/rotary) machines as indexers with mixed results, but never as a mill. My cam design engineer assures me that to make this cam the program will need to move in X, Y & A axis simultaneously (perhaps Z too?). So if anybody has any experience with programming barrel cams from a flat pattern, and the settings in the post processor that will enable it to do these things I would very much appreciate any help that you offer.

Thanks,

Larry

P.S. I'll be using a Haas VF-8, and programming w/ Mastercam 8.1.1

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Open up the Rolldie Sample in the Multi-Axis folder.

Create a line from end point to end point on the open side. Analyze that line and it should be 11.50586 long. Take 11.50586 and divide by Pi and that will give you your rotary diameter. Go to Xform, ROll, and chain the original geometry (not the line you just created). Once you chain the geometry, done, then a dialog box pops up. These are the roll parameters.On the operation, you want "copy", on rotation, you want "X" Axis, you want to "roll" it, Direction is CW, rotate about the X Axis and in the DIameter field put the length of the line (11.50586) and divide by Pi. Leave the rest as default.

Then you just run a contour toolpath on it, setting rotary axis replacement on and making sure your axis is correct.

Or, you can forget most of it, chain the contour, select roll on the rotary stuff, put the correct diameter in, check the right rotation axis and be done. You choose.

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James Meyette

[This message has been edited by James Meyette (edited 05-03-2001).]