5ax curve

[LucasGC]

So I've been having trouble with this operation not creating a full toolpath or creating it on the wrong side of surface normal.
Gonna post two files here to see if anyone can help.

the second file is frustrating because it's the same part mirrored, and on one side the toolpath works, the other it doesn't.

Thanks

outside vent plug.mcam

GB1-5210-10-01.mcam

[crazy^millman]

Convert to a surface and then untrim the surface. Then extend the surface in both direction above and below the cut and it will work. You are getting close to what we call a singularity event with the tool and the surface you are controlling the normal with. By make the surface bigger you are giving the software more area to do the math with. By having it so close like you have it hard for the software to determine what you really want. Yes odd it works on your non mirror part and 2 of the shapes and not all 4, but we can discuss that for weeks or solve the problem you are having with your specific file and get you moving in the right direction. If you do this for all the 4 areas you will notice a much nicer transition move on and off the part. I don't like the looks of your toolpaths because they don't flow on and off nicely like they do when I made the changes to your file like I noted above.

[LucasGC]

Hey thanks @C^Millman that helps a lot. I appreciate it. And yes I wasn't necessarily looking for a 'why doesn't this work for every part' but rather a way that it does work so that I may move on.

 

[LucasGC]

So that answers my question for the second file, but the first is still creating the toolpath underneath the part. I've created a surface from the solid and made sure the surface normal was facing the right way, but the approach still comes from the bottom of the part and is on the wrong side of the line.

Any help is appreciated

Thanks

[crazy^millman]

1 hour ago, LucasGC said:

So that answers my question for the second file, but the first is still creating the toolpath underneath the part. I've created a surface from the solid and made sure the surface normal was facing the right way, but the approach still comes from the bottom of the part and is on the wrong side of the line.

Any help is appreciated

Thanks

You have an odd one there. I would offset the surface 1mm. I would then made an edge curve on that offset surface. I would then use the original edge curve as my lower chain for a swarf toolpath and the new chain for my upper curve. Make sure to turn on sync by entity if using the old school swarf. If using the new school swarf then you will need to use chains and tell it to use the guide curves only and no surfaces to drive the toolpath. You could create a fence surface using the lower edge as your chain to make a fence surface that would be normal to drive with for swarf, but not sure that is really needed for this part.

[LucasGC]

Hmm,

I asked Mastercam about it and they said that I had untrimmed blanked parent surfaces with irregular surface norms. 

Now I've been trying to figure out where to find them...

[gcode]

Home/ hit the dropdown next to Blank

Select unblank. blanked entities will appear.. select them and they will unblank and be visible

[LucasGC]

58 minutes ago, gcode said:

Home/ hit the dropdown next to Blank

Select unblank. blanked entities will appear.. select them and they will unblank and be visible

I have tried this, nothing shows up though

[gcode]

make sure your level manager is set to used or named

If you look at the Entities field in the Level Manager the blanked entities will be counted in that field even though there is nothing visible on that level