need help with 3D finish toolpath lines

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misterx
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need help with 3D finish toolpath lines

Post by misterx »

I made this heart project out of select pine to see how it turns out, the finishing toolpath I used a 1/8'' Ballnose. It’s getting lines on the outside and I don’t want them there. Is it because it’s soft pine, I think it will do it to hard Wood also. Is there something I can do to eliminate the lines? And the profile cutout also is cutting bigger than the the rest of the project by a little over an 1/8” how can I get rid of that? Thanks Tim
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mtylerfl
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Re: need help with 3D finish toolpath lines

Post by mtylerfl »

Hi Tim,

Without seeing the actual file, we can only ask questions and make some guesses...

Did the Toolpath Preview show those waterlines? If so...

Take a close look at the model itself. Does it have those lines as part of the model?

Did you set a Boundary Offset of at least the radius of your Ballnose finish Bit?

Which Finishing strategy are you using? If using the Offset strategy, try adding a Stepover Retract @ the radius of the Bit

Perhaps a small Draft applied will help the Bit flow better over the steep walls of the model (maybe eliminating the water lines)

Did you perform a Roughing prior to the Finish? If so, did you specify a Machining Allowance?

And, no, the wood type shouldn’t cause nor eliminate lines like that. Excess Feed rate could be contributing to that, as could a “loosey-flexi machine”.

If nothing else helps, then just get out the sandpaper and eliminate the lines manually.
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Mike-S
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Re: need help with 3D finish toolpath lines

Post by Mike-S »

And the profile cutout also is cutting bigger than the the rest of the project by a little over an 1/8” how can I get rid of that?
Select the outline vector and offset it inward by the amount you want to shrink the outline cut. Select the new vector for the profile tool path.

Try using the Smooth tool and run it around the edge of your model. That may reduce the waterline marks.

misterx
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Re: need help with 3D finish toolpath lines

Post by misterx »

Thanks mtyerl, I didn’t see the lines on the toolpath preview. My Boundary offset was set at 0.1, and I used the offset strategy with a 0.0 stepover retract. I don’t know what a Draft is, and I did a roughing toolpath with a Boundary offset of 0.125 and a Machining Allowance of 0.02. Thanks again I haven’t done a lot of 3D stuff so when I here all this stuff it really helps!

misterx
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Re: need help with 3D finish toolpath lines

Post by misterx »

Thanks Mike S, I’ll offset it smaller and try that!

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Re: need help with 3D finish toolpath lines

Post by LittleGreyMan »

misterx wrote:Thanks mtyerl, I didn’t see the lines on the toolpath preview.
Hello,

Have a look at your finishing toolpath in the 3D view, I'm pretty sure you used and offset strategy and you will see the same shaky lines.

Unfortunately, Vectric products don't offer a waterline strategy for steep surfaces. As the stepover is horizontal and not vertical, it does not cut at best these surfaces.

You can use vectors to delimit these zones and generate a toolpath with a smaller stepover between these vectors.

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