LOOONG bits?

[PatrickToomey]

I'm just starting to cut parts with Cut3D and I'm starting to see some potential issues. If I want to cut a corbel, the software can generate the toolpaths but at certain points it would be trying to cut maybe 3-6 inches below the surface of the file. This would not work in many cases because you can't have bits that long and the body of the spindle would hit the workpiece with shorter bits.

Is there a way to limit the cut depth per side? In other words, on the top the curvature of the corbel would be such that the spindle wouldn't hit anything on the part so that's fine but on the sides I don't want it trying to cut way down to the center of the part, it only needs to cut deep enough to do the design on the sides. It appears that once you pick the cut plane, it will cut to that depth on each side. If you could pick the cut plane per side I think that would solve my issue.

Also, is there any way to warn if the cut depth would exceed bit length at any point? I know I could do this by slicing the model but with a stain grade hardwood corbel I don't think the end result would be acceptable and the extra time involved would make it impractical.

[dacostad]

I second that idea/ request, I think there will be many such scenarios especially when doing 4 sided cutting with the only option being to slice the model.

I would think if in the tool library we can capture the tool lenght then the software can use this to advise on whether a cut is possible.

David

[BrianM]

Hi Patrick,

I'm just starting to cut parts with Cut3D and I'm starting to see some potential issues. If I want to cut a corbel, the software can generate the toolpaths but at certain points it would be trying to cut maybe 3-6 inches below the surface of the file. This would not work in many cases because you can't have bits that long and the body of the spindle would hit the workpiece with shorter bits.

Is there a way to limit the cut depth per side?

There is a way, but possibly it's not that obvious. If you enter a negative value for the "Overcut distance below Cut Plane" on Step 2, the toolpaths will be backed off from the cut plane by that amount.

If you want a different depth for Front / Back toolpaths to the Top and Bottom you will have to calculate the toolpaths in two passes. The first time, set the overcut distance for the Top and Bottom and save those toolpaths, then adjust the overcut distance to suit the Front and Back and recalculate and save the toolpaths for the front and back.


With regard to identifying the maximum cut depth there are a number of problems with this. If the design is quite 'open' with shallow walls (common on many woodworking designs) it can be cut with quite a short tool. If there are vertical or near vertical walls, much longer tools will be required. Without modelling the collet holder and spindle assembly we can't tell if a collision is going to occur. The cut plane depth entered by the user already sets the maximum possible depth in the model, so we would just be repeating the obvious by displaying that again.

When the toolpath has been simulated, moving the cursor over the model will display the X,Y and Z coordinates of the finished piece to allow the user to make a judgement about if the tool is likely to reach.

Brian

[Paco]

You can play with the cut plane to limit the depth of cut and work on region with some control with the margins settings.

Just be careful to keep the origin and material size setting the same you you make complex toolpaths... preview first if unsure.

[PatrickToomey]

Ahh, that makes sense, not sure why I didn't figure that out I knew you guys would have some way of doing it. I'll give that a try tomorrow. I see what you're saying about the depth warning issues since you would have to know precisely how the collet and spindle are setup and then try to do a collision detection there which is totally impractical. One thing I'm thinking is that if I'm getting close to a collision, I could cut it in eps foam first and see if the collet hits the part or not before trying it in wood.

[Normsthename]

I think it would be nice to be able to enter the tool length and size of the Collet.
And also it would be nice to be able to enter a simple overall diameter of the footprint and height of the router base so the software is aware of potential collisions.
Thanks for the above advice on setting the negative value, I will give it a try tomorrow!

Andy

[Paco]

I made the request for tapered bit calculation; anybody second? 1/8 " CED ball end tapered bit can reach up to 1-1/2" CEL + shank length. While most straight cut are for the most 1/2" CED.

[PatrickToomey]

Yes, I would also love to see tapered bit support, that would help me tremendously.