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MACHINING JIM

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Posts posted by MACHINING JIM

  1. Not sure if I should post this here or in the Post processor forum but I'll start here for now. I had a strange problem occur today while thread milling a hole. Basically the toolpath did not do what was programmed and what Mastercam back plotted. I had programmed it to cut 3x .015" rough passes with a .005" finish pass, but what happened was a .015" first pass and them a huge second pass which actually broke the brand new tool right off due to the fact that the shank tried to pass through the wall of the bore.

    After inspection of the code I calculated that the toolpath position was going to overcut by .250 radially. I went back to recheck my program which still showed the correct toolpath and backplot.

    I figured something weird must be happening with the post so I called my re seller and recommended we use the Cimco editor backplot feature to try and narrow down the possibility's of what may be causing this. The Cimco software showed the same an incorrect toolpath that occurred on the machine.

     

    So whats happening. Thread milling is just basic X Y Z moves nothing out of the ordinary. Why is this not posting correctly? Why did the first pass go flawlessly. Does it have something to do with multipass?

     

    I am using a Heidenhain itnc 530 control on a Tos boring mill and running a generic conversational post by CNC software provided by my reseller and am on X7

  2. I have a customer that has sent me some iges files and I cannot seem to extract the wireframe. I usually have all files sent in Step format. I simply move all the wireframe entities to another level. Done deal. This method is not working for Iges? What am I missing?

  3. I usually go into misc values in each of the ops I want to transform. I uncheck the box that says "automatically set to post values when posting" and change the "lock on first wcs" to on. This will lock the transform to G54.

    Perhaps there is a better way but thats how I manage.

  4. I originally installed X6 V15.0.3.28 before it was pulled. Now I need to know what the best way to update to the latest revision would be ( V 15.0.4.3). Should I uninstall X6 and then reinstall the new version or can I use the repair function? I would like to sort this out so I can start using it.

     

    Thanks

  5. Jim, have any luck fixing this problem? My system does the same thing, but instead of white it goes black. I use the K350 keyboard and M510 mouse. Logitech has tried 3 times and can't figure out the problem. I just loaded new video card drivers and that didn't help. My pc's way behind on Windows update (if it ain't broke don't fix it) so I'm slowly installing the updates. Most of the one's I'm behind on are security updates though.

     

     

    Nope no luck. I just right click on the tab on my toolbar and exit the set point program when I restart my cpu. Pretty annoying. Waste of money as it is right now. Perhaps things may improve in the future.

  6. I am trying to figure out why when I import a DWG file from my own computer ( somthing I've designed) to Mastercam I have access to all the layers and colors that I draw with, but whan a cutomer sends me a file and I open it all I get is white lines with every layer? Is there a way to import there settings?

  7. Yes I to have also had this problem, I have not been able to use art for X5 MU1 since. I have sent my concerns to both, In House Solutions and my reseller but have yet to find a fix. I have just gone back to using X4 for the time being.

  8. Not even close. The new PS95 Makino goes for around $130K in Canadian dollars. It is a fully equipped machine with thru-spindle coolant, and there are no options. It is a dynamite machine, however, my personal favorite is the S56 which has been replaced with the redesigned F5.

     

    Carmen

     

    We only paid 60k for our haas with a 4th axis. Its like the old saying goes... "you get what you pay for". That said I really like the little haas I have. It does everything we want and more. Good bang for the buck!

    • Like 1
  9. Ahh if that Haas is all ya got, well that's what ya gotta work with (for now at least). Heck you may be able to run at 400%. The only way you know how fast you can go is when the control starts to choke, or tools break. If your Haas has the high speed machining the control should be able to handle any of the 2d hst no problem. If you don't have it, it is an option. I believe you can get a "trial" period of it too.

     

     

     

    Yes dynamic core and dynamic area are roughing toolpaths. Make sure you leave .010 or so for a basic contour cleanup operation. HOWEVER, both peel mill and dynamic contour has separate controls for finish passes (reduced feedr ates, cutter comp, lead in/out).

     

    hth

     

     

    I found the finish was choppy mainly because I was feeding at 150imp with only 4000rpm. .0125 chip per tooth tends to leave a funny finish. lol I did leave .01 for finishing but I was still pleasantly suprised with how well the roughing pass worked geometry wise that is. Sometimes with the traditional pocketing after roughing there are places where the is material left simply because the tool didnt get into these areas effectivly.

  10. Just ran the first pocket and all I have to say is WOW!!!!! Much Much better than traditional pocketing. I was able to bump up my feed by over %100 and I could have went %200 I would think but I am being held back by my limited RPM. I am running 120ipm at 4000 rpm the finish is a little choppy because of the mismatch in feeds and speeds but I will clean that up with a quick finish pass.

     

    Now the only thing left to do is show the owner how effective these dynamic paths are and push for a new machine to use them to there full potential! lol Not holding my breath on that though lol

  11. What kinnda finish am I going to get arount the perimeter of the pocket? Should I leave some material for a finish pass? Also since there is no finish pass with dynamic area mill would I just use a contour pass to run around the pocket to smooth everything out afterwards?

  12. Program with your conservative/safe numbers, and use feed overide to "tune" and figure out how fast you can go. I'll bet you will be at 200-300% on the feed overide wheel. Whatever the first cut sounds like, it will be that way through the entire toolpath. NO surprises of it burying itself in a corner anywhere in the toolpath.

     

    Make sure you turn the filter on also.

     

    Pull some numbers out of the database. They all are pretty darn solid.

     

    Aww! that make loads of sense. Sometimes when machining pockets with a smaller dia tool in the past I have broke tools in sharp corners. Its all starting to become clearer now.

  13. Regular helical is fine. If you use a rad larger than 1/2 your endmill diameter it will leave a pole in the center so keep that in mind.

     

     

    Yes true. I never usually use more than 50% so this shouldnt be an issue.

     

    What exactly makes this toolpath more effective in this case? Why couldnt I use a regular pocket toolpath in the same manner. Cutting full depth and just turning the roughing stepover down to the same values as the dynamic path. With the regular pocket at least if would run a finish pass around the pocket. I dunno just trying to wrap my head around this stuff.

  14. Will you be pre-drilling the start holes or do you plan on helical entry down to depth? Your four flute should work fine but im not sure how well it will like the helical entry 1" deep. Ive never tried that. I pre-drill our entry holes in steel and as stated above, we use s-carb for aluminum. You can literally drill the start hole with the endmill.

     

    Not being familiar with your machine I wouldnt want to mislead you, but if it were me on one of my lighter duty machines, I would start at 1" depth and .15 Radial. I would think that you should be able to get away with around 100ipm. no problem. If you plan on helical entering the material I would keep your plunge angle fairly shallow for that 4 flute endmill to be safe. Maybe 2deg and 50ipm?

     

    One caveat to this strategy. If your machine has trouble handling that feed rate, you can always keep your toolpath radius a little higher to keep the tool out of those tight areas and then come back with either a dynamic rest at a lower feed, or a different strategy all together to rough out the tighter areas without worrying about overshooting and gouging the part.

     

     

    Yes I was going to use a helical entry. I use this type entry usually. I do not have an enclosure on my machine so I tend to use my blowgun to get in there with my blow the chips clear. I was going to start with a .100 radial cut and run 50ipm just to see how things react and step up from there. Looks like I am going to have to use a .500 3 flute cutter as well since the .375 isnt quite long enough.

  15. Ok so here is my part. The bumps on the outside have a radius of about .375. I also found a 3 flute .375 Hanita endmill that looks like a much better choice for aluminum. Now that everyone knows my parameters where should I start for settings? Normally on a pocket routine I dont go much over 50ipm and around .150" doc so with dynamic milling what would be a conservitive start point.

    OSCILLATING SPROCKET.MCX-5

  16. I have to ask, why are you using this particular endmill in aluminum? I would think that there are much better cutters for your task. This is assuming that I am looking at the right cutter (Harvi). I am a big fan of SGS S-Carbs but im sure that you could get several opinions on which endmill works the best in Aluminum.

     

    Are you pre-drilling the hole or do you plan on helical entry?

     

    Im not exactly sure what Redfire means when he say's horsepower becomes irrelevant. Maybe he can explain his thinking. Im not arguing it, maybe I can learn something. I can bring my spindle loads in to the red zone using a 1/2" endmill depending on the machine. I have to run the parameters differently depending on which machine I plan on running the job in due to either lack of power, lack of high speed, or memory. If we use larger diameter endmills I can bring our bigger machines down as well depending on how aggressive I decide to get. Once you get the right combination of depth, axial, speed and feed, you can get your maximum material removal rates for any particular machine.

     

     

    Giving you suggestions without knowing the particular machine is kinda difficult. I could stall our old akira seiki with a 1/2" endmill no problem if I got aggressive enough. If you are looking for just a good safe starting point with a light radial cut rather than trying to get your maximum material removal then........

     

    What are some specifics on the machine you are going to be running this in? Horse Power, spindle speed, etc. 40 taper? 50 taper?

     

     

     

    My machine is a lightweight when it comes to machines. Its a HAAS TM-3 40 taper with only 7.5hp and 4000rpm. Pretty basic machine but I manage.

    As far as the endmill goes thats all I have. We are a small job shop and I have limited resources. I am not even 100 percent sure these toolpaths would be effective on my machine perhaps they would be slower. I guess thats why I am posting these question. I know I have run some pretty large files in the past and my control definitly has a hard time keeping up. I says its outputting 100-200 ipm when chewing through g code but it definitly isnt.

    Like I said perhaps Dynamic milling would be a total waste of time?

     

    Thanks again

    Jim

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