Ramping and Tabs

[Kently]

What happens if you are using tabs and select sprial down ramping? Will the ramping be affected once the cut depth reaches the top of the tab? One person told me they have seen the ramping discontinued once the tab height is reached.

Also, what happens if you are using zig zag ramping and a tab is within the zig zag area?

Thanks,
Kent

[Tony Mac]

What happens if you are using tabs and select sprial down ramping? Will the ramping be affected once the cut depth reaches the top of the tab? One person told me they have seen the ramping discontinued once the tab height is reached.

Also, what happens if you are using zig zag ramping and a tab is within the zig zag area?

Thanks,
Kent

Hello Kent,

The Tabs are retained when using any of the Ramping options.

The toolpath ramps into the material and lifts over any tabs - leaving
material in place -and continues to ramp once past the opposite side
of each Tab.

You can check this using the Trial version and experimenting with
the various Profile cutting options.

Tony

[Kently]

I have purchased Aspire and I guess I could try some practice cuts to get my answer, but I am not sure I could really tell what is happening while the machine was running. Also, I don't see how to veiw exactly what is happening when simulating the toolpath...perhaps there is a feature in Aspire I don't know about that will let me see what is happening in detail.

Let me clarify the question. Assume you are performing a zig zag ramp over 1". What if you have a 1/2" length tab right in the middle of the area in which the zig zagging is to occur. For the purpose of this example, assume that the bit needs to step down by 0.01" per one sweep across the zig zag area. On the first pass, it would be down by 0.0025" when it hit the starting point of the tab, but then when it got to the other side it should be down by 0.0075". But since it was not plunging while traveling acress the tab, will it then need to plunge immediately down to a depth of 0.0075" when it clears the tab and then ramp down to the full 0.01" by the end of the first sweep. Or is the software smart enough to know that it was not getting to plunge while traversing the tab and therefore will just take more sweeps back and forth to get to full depth?

[tmerrill]

Kent,

See if this helps answer your question.

I set up a simple rectangle and used a Profile Outside toolpath to cutout. There is only one tab for this example, which I placed in the middle of the 1" zig-zag ramp.

The toolpath shows the 1" zig-zag ramp modifying itself to work over the tab during the last 3 passes.

I kept the number of passes small so we could see the individual toolpaths, so this doesn't exactly match the specs in your example.

Tim

[Tony Mac]

I have purchased Aspire and I guess I could try some practice cuts to get my answer, but I am not sure I could really tell what is happening while the machine was running. Also, I don't see how to veiw exactly what is happening when simulating the toolpath...perhaps there is a feature in Aspire I don't know about that will let me see what is happening in detail.

Let me clarify the question. Assume you are performing a zig zag ramp over 1". What if you have a 1/2" length tab right in the middle of the area in which the zig zagging is to occur. For the purpose of this example, assume that the bit needs to step down by 0.01" per one sweep across the zig zag area. On the first pass, it would be down by 0.0025" when it hit the starting point of the tab, but then when it got to the other side it should be down by 0.0075". But since it was not plunging while traveling acress the tab, will it then need to plunge immediately down to a depth of 0.0075" when it clears the tab and then ramp down to the full 0.01" by the end of the first sweep. Or is the software smart enough to know that it was not getting to plunge while traversing the tab and therefore will just take more sweeps back and forth to get to full depth?

I would suggest setting up a test file using your example data and looking at
the toolpath so you can see what the toolpath looks like.

Switching off the following options will enable the wireframe toolpath to be
viewed more easily,

View > Color Shaded View = Off
View > Draw Modelling Plane = Off

Tony

[Kently]

Yes, that answers my question perfectly. I can see that the ramp down is steeper after the tab is encountered, but it is not a step down. GREAT SOFTWARE!

I am new to Aspire, so I need to learn where to look for the detail you showed in your answer.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer this!

[tmerrill]

Kent,

Look at the attached screen capture.

After I set up and calculated my toolpath, by checking the box in the upper right corner (Profile 1) the toolpath becomes visible on your screen. This represents the travel of the exact bottom center point of your selected bit. The colors represent jog speed, plunge speed and cut speed.

The picture I posted above is the same one, only I left the material block (yellow portion) in place so you could see the toolpath in relation to the material.

Tony's suggestion, which I used for this picture, eliminates the material block so you can better see the toolpath. The commands that Tony references are found in the View menu, which I show dropped down in the upper left.

Regarding your comment about a stepdown following a tab, realize you have the option of creating a 3D tab as shown here or a step tab. With a step tab, you might see a step down. This would be a great exercise for you to do. Create a simple toolpath like I did, but with a single step tab. Then generate and preview your toolpath and see how it follows a step tab. If you don't like how it works, you have learned the need to use 3D tabs for your metal working.

If you try this and have questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Tim

[Kently]

I see what my problem was. I was simulating a cut through 1/2" of aluminum using 0.01" per passs. That's 50 trips around the circle and the result in the view mode was a blur of lines. The simuilation tools in Aspire are great!

Thanks again for the education.

[tmerrill]

Yes, that's why I didn't use your exact numbers and spaced the toolpath out. Still showed us what we wanted to know.

Happy you got this one behind you.

Tim