help to not cut air

[Bradmill]

Hi all, I am sure that there is some one who has posted a similar topic so I apologize in advance. I have a 3d object ( banjo neck) that I want to cut but there is no way to cut from a custom stock. I'm hoping that someone knows a good work around for this issue. In the past I was using fusion but i fear that this is not going to be free to use forever. Any way here is my issue. I usually bandsaw material away on the back side of the neck to speed things up and to save on bits. This has worked great in other software because I can just make a custom stock. Is there any way to just cut certain areas without having to make more than one file. I would just upgrade to aspire but it cannot do this either. Any ideas or suggestions would be welcomed.

[LittleGreyMan]

Hello,

Vectric products don't manage custom stock.
They are excellent products for 2D and bas-relief, but are somewhat limited for "high Z" 3D: no custom stock management and very basic toolpath (roughing and finishing).

See this thread:
http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25505

[Rcnewcomb]

One way to handle this is to use vectors to control machining. In areas that have already been cut away with the bandsaw you can specify a start depth on a profile or pocket toolpath. You would use the "Project onto 3D" option on the toolpath and use this in place of a 3D rough.

A 3D finish toolpath is always at full depth so there is no issue with air cutting in the Z dimension.

Another approach is to consider cutting multiple necks on one job using 2-sided machining where the side of the neck is facing up. Depending on the size of your machine you might cut as many as 8 necks at once with this approach.