Hi all. I’m new on the scene. I’m working on a small object to be cut from softwood. The model imports just fine, but when I set it up to rough and then contour, some unexpected geometry shows up in the machining path that is not present in the model. Any ideas?
See image.
Could you share the workspace?
Sorry Matti. I’m not sure what you mean by that. If you mean settings then here’s an image of the contour settings.
you can export a workspace (.kmz) with files --> export and from that we can reproduce and debug your workflow.
the contour op is usually used for non-planar surfaces and it’s not meant for vertical faces. pocket and trace are usually better for those surfaces in isolation (vs global ops like rough and outline)
Thanks Stewart. The forum does not seem to be allowing me to attach it. So here is a link to it on my GDrive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-EvQrwMzUIJNLKFYxo4-NUSYoJccwLTX/view?usp=sharing
Pocket is tricky on this model as I cannot easily select the y-most pocket. Only individual facets of it.
a couple of things. I figured out your geometry issue. the tool definition has an 11mm flute. that’s not long enough to cut that side. the “step in” is KM moving the cut over by the shaft diameter so the shaft does not collide with the part. increasing the flute length causes the path to show as you would expect (but if it does not match your tool will end in disaster)
for pockets, you want to increase the selection angle to capture faces up to a change in angle. these would be pockets with the contour option enabled (not to be confused with the contour operation). but you would want to create a separate pocket op for each area and not have multiple areas in a single operation. tl;dr that’s not handled gracefully atm.
Brilliant. Thanks so much for the help.
Turns out I’m still having some difficulties with the pocket function. The circular pocket at the top seems to be fully selected, but only generates tool paths for the lower levels. I must be missing something else (perhaps understanding LOL).
I’ve replicated the error and fixed it in source. will push a release later today. alternatively, you can export your workspace and load it on the dev server. it will load slower because it’s not optimized for production, but it’ll be the latest code.
also, for this geometry, I recommend a refine value of 30 - 50.
Awesome. Thanks again.
