Model in a dish

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JimmyJ
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:09 pm
Model of CNC Machine: sidewinder cnc

Model in a dish

Post by JimmyJ »

I need help with a model in a dish. I am using the baseball and bat from Vectric and a dome from the clipart. The dome is 30 degrees.
I brought in 2 bats and a baseball, resized and placed on top of each other. After I had looking like I thought they should I grouped them together. The preview looks good but the actual cut is not very good. I used a 1/16" tapered ball nose. I am new at putting models together and not sure I know everything I need to do. Some help would be appreciated. I can upload the file if needed.

Thanks

Jim
Attachments
This is the preview
This is the preview
This is the actual cut
This is the actual cut

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mtylerfl
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Re: Model in a dish

Post by mtylerfl »

Oh my! I would check over the machine before worrying about modeling, etc. 'Something' is seriously amiss.
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sharkcutup
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Model of CNC Machine: Shark HD3 Pro Extended Bed with Spindle
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Re: Model in a dish

Post by sharkcutup »

Could be several things in the cutting process. Putting the models together looks decent.

1.) Did you use the 3D Roughing Toolpath First? To clear out most of the material.
2.) Did you use the 3D Finishing Toolpath Second?
a.) Did you select 'offset' or 'raster' in the Area Machine Strategy (I would recommend selecting 'offset' because most of the items here are round)
3.) What was your feed rate? Looks to me as if it was carving a bit fast! Or it could me something not quite right with the machine! Or the material board was not held firm!!!
4.) What Post Processor did you save the toolpath with? For 3D model carving I have found that it is best to use the 'USB 3D Contour' post processor rather than the 'USB Arcs' post processor.

Just some thoughts!

Sharkcutup
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JimmyJ
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:09 pm
Model of CNC Machine: sidewinder cnc

Re: Model in a dish

Post by JimmyJ »

Thanks for the replies. I will check the machine but it was fine when carving some numbers and letters.
1. Just used the finishing tool path
2a. I used a raster at 35 deg.
3. The board was held firmly and the feed rate was 60 IPM
4. I have just started using UCCNC with the 2017 screen set and UCETH400 motion control. The post processor I used was Mach3 Arcs inch txt. Maybe the PP you suggested would work better if it works with UCCNC. Let me know what you think.

Jim

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martin54
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Model of CNC Machine: Gerber 48, Triac PC, Isel fixed gantry
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Re: Model in a dish

Post by martin54 »

Big difference between cutting numbers & letters which I am guessing were profile cut & 3D machining is in the z axis, rapid z movements when 3D cutting can cause problems that don't show up with other toolpath strategies.
If the toolpath preview looks good (& it doesn't look to bad from your screenshot) then the problem generally lies elsewhere, the post processor you are using with your set up should work OK as will some other post processors, there is not a dedicated UCCNC post but the mach, USB & stepcraft post processors all seem to work OK, I run the same motion controller & control software set up with a different CNC machine.

Why the 35 deg angle? I generally run my cuts either with or across the grain, depends on wood type to some degree, I find some wood types cut better with the grain & some across.

What is the max depth of your carving & what stepover were you using for the finish cut?

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sharkcutup
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Re: Model in a dish

Post by sharkcutup »

Martin54 (Thank you Martin54) has brought up a point that I completely missed and that is the step over being used.

What is your step over set to?

When I do a 'finish' pass with a .25 Ball nose bit I usually set the step over to 10%. It takes quite a bit of time to carve but the end results are very nice! Of course I also use a 'roughing' pass to clear most of the unwanted material first. By running a 'roughing' pass will also help in eliminating any small radius tip deflection during the carving 'finishing' pass!!

More comments & thoughts!

Sharkcutup
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JimmyJ
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:09 pm
Model of CNC Machine: sidewinder cnc

Re: Model in a dish

Post by JimmyJ »

Thanks Martin and Shark. The stepover was 8%. No rhyme or reason for the 35 deg. raster angle. Just tried it to see if it made a difference. The max depth is .286. I did not use a roughing cut just the finishing pass. Maybe a different bit would work better. Used the 1/16 ball nose because I thought it might work better in the threads of the ball. Do either of you have any suggestions for settings that may help. I have carved some 3d models before with good results. Not sure I understand much about the rapid z movements. I am going to try running it again and slow it down and maybe try a different bit. I will use a roughing pass first. I am missing something. Its probably something very simple. I would be willing to send you the file to look at if that would help. Thank ya'll very much for helping.

Jim

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martin54
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Re: Model in a dish

Post by martin54 »

If it has purchased clipart then posting it on the forum or sending it to someone else would probably be against the copyright :lol: :lol:

8% should have been fine what wood is it? Not great at identifying types of wood myself :oops:

The toolpath preview is very accurate, I use it a lot to decide what bit will give me the detail I require for 3D carving, toolpath with different sized bits & use the largest bit that gives the detail I require :lol: :lol:
You can save a lot of machining time doing that.

JimmyJ
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:09 pm
Model of CNC Machine: sidewinder cnc

Re: Model in a dish

Post by JimmyJ »

No problem on posting the file. I thought that might be the case. This was in pine. Just something to test on. I'll try some different things and see how it works out. I'll post back my results. I'll try it in some hard maple. Again, thanks for the help.

Jim

JimmyJ
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:09 pm
Model of CNC Machine: sidewinder cnc

Re: Model in a dish

Post by JimmyJ »

I found the problem. CV settings in UCCNC were in metric and did not change when I imported the mach3 xml file. Once I changed these
to imperial the cut is as it should be. Maybe this can be some help to someone else in the future.
Thanks again

Jim

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