Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

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CX15
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Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

Post by CX15 »

Hi Everyone
I'm still learning, so please excuse if I'm asking dumb questions...

I'm using a 1/8" compression bit. Details here: https://www.amanatool.com/46180-k-cnc-s ... shank.html
The switchover from downcut and upcut is 7/32 form the bottom of the bit.
I'm cutting (Baltic Birch) plywood of 1/2" thickness.
I'm initially working on making 4 cuts of 1/8" at a time (4th cut will be slightly deeper to cut through the wood).

My problem is that when making the first and second cut, the upcut portion of the bit is ruining the top edge of the wood.
Only at the 3rd and 4th cut is the compression working as designed (downcut at top edge and upcut at bottom edge).

So my question is basically how to work around this:

SCENARIO A: PROFILE CUTTING
I think have an working strategy here:
- In the 2D Profile Toolpath options, I select <Allowance offset> to 0.1"
- Then I select <Do Seperate Last Pass> with 0.0" Allowance

Does this make sense to do it this way?

SCENARIO B: POCKET TOOLPATH
Here I dont really know what to do.
I cannot see any options for an offset pocket followed by a final pass.
Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.


Let me know if I should make this clearer with some pictures or specific examples.
Regards
Andre

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mtylerfl
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Re: Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

Post by mtylerfl »

Have you tried lead-in ramp cuts? You should be able to avoid ruining your top surface by allowing the bit to go to the appropriate depth prior to getting to the cut for the “good” portion of the material cutout.
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Re: Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

Post by IslaWW »

Your pass depths need to be deeper than the upspiral portion of the bit. 1/4" or more. In most cases compression bits are made to cut material in a single pass. Many smaller machines are not rigid enough to accomplish this accurately. If your machine cannot handle cutting the material in 2 passes, then you will have to use a different bit
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CX15
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Re: Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

Post by CX15 »

IslaWW wrote:
mtylerfl wrote:Have you tried lead-in ramp cuts? You should be able to avoid ruining your top surface by allowing the bit to go to the appropriate depth prior to getting to the cut for the “good” portion of the material cutout.
Yes, I use lead-in ramps on all cuts, but this still does not resolve the problem.
If the first cut leads in to a depth of 1/8" , I'm still upcutting the top edge.
IslaWW wrote:Your pass depths need to be deeper than the upspiral portion of the bit. 1/4" or more. In most cases compression bits are made to cut material in a single pass. Many smaller machines are not rigid enough to accomplish this accurately. If your machine cannot handle cutting the material in 2 passes, then you will have to use a different bit
Thanks Isla, this actually makes sense to me. I just wasnt sure if the 1/8" bit would handle a single pass through 1/4" plywood. But I guess what you are saying is that it was designed that way.
I will give it a shot and see how the machine handles it.

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mtylerfl
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Re: Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

Post by mtylerfl »

Yes, that is what I was referring to also. You gotta get that bit to proper depth before it starts cutting the “good part” of the material so the upcut portion of the bit isn’t “ripping up” the top of it.

For 0.5” thick material, it shouldn’t be a problem cutting full-depth anyway. I cut up to 0.75”-thick Pine and Poplar at full-depth on the CarveWright CNC when using a 0.125” dia. EM. Hardwoods do require shallower pass depths...I’ll set pass depths at 0.3” or 0.4” on the CarveWright. I’ve broken only two 0.125” dia. bits in 11 years doing it this way!
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Re: Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

Post by potzmannwoodshop »

mtylerfl wrote:Yes, that is what I was referring to also. You gotta get that bit to proper depth before it starts cutting the “good part” of the material so the upcut portion of the bit isn’t “ripping up” the top of it.

For 0.5” thick material, it shouldn’t be a problem cutting full-depth anyway. I cut up to 0.75”-thick Pine and Poplar at full-depth on the CarveWright CNC when using a 0.125” dia. EM. Hardwoods do require shallower pass depths...I’ll set pass depths at 0.3” or 0.4” on the CarveWright. I’ve broken only two 0.125” dia. bits in 11 years doing it this way!

Speeds and feeds for a .125" cutting full depth .5"? Im just curious, I usually cut .5" with a .25" compression at 250ipm and .75" with a .5" compression at 350ipm.

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Re: Compression bit and cutting strategy in Cut2D

Post by mtylerfl »

The CW CNC feeds/speeds are pre-set from the factory.

The 0.125” dia. EM is a 4-flute upcut. The max rpm for the CW is 20k, but I’m guessing the rpm are about 18k when performing a cut operation.

The bit enters the cut with a ramp of about 1” and I estimate it’s set at about 0.3 ips. After full depth is reached, it appears to move at 0.4 to 0.5 ips
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