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3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:49 am
by randyb
I'm running a pattern on Aspire that is using a vector boundary around a 3d solid and the toolpath will not cut all the way through the material on the outer perimeter.
Its seems to be acting as though the vector boundary is stopping the bit from going out past the outer edge of the shape and down the edge.
I've tried increasing the vector offset to almost tripple the diameter of the bit and also increasing the actual size of the vector boundary.
Nothing changes the results.
I had exactly the same problem with another pattern on the same project yesterday, kept trying to re calc and setup the pattern and suddenly it went all the way through the material and then each subsequent pattern worked.
Now I have the exact same issue again and I don't know what made it start working last time.
Any suggestions??
Thanks
Randy

Re: 3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 12:27 pm
by Leo
Are you relying on the 3D pattern to do the cutout?

I generally use a different tool and do the cutout as a profile "outside" pattern. Then, you can control the cutout depth better.

For the offset - I generally use about 1/2 or 3/4 the diameter of the cutter. I don't want it to cut the edges as they don't come out very well.

Re: 3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 2:24 pm
by zeeway
Agree with Leo. Since you would be typically using a ball nose tool for the 3-d, the edge profile would not come out cleanly...so it is better to use a separate tool with a 2-d cutout as Leo describes.

Angie

Re: 3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 3:06 pm
by COWBOY1296
Leo is spot on correct. Correct me if i am wrong but the vector boundary will cause your tool to only cut as deep as your shape height of your 3-d model in that area outside of the model. To many words in that one sentence so i hope it made sense. Then you do a profile cut out with tabs.

Re: 3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:36 pm
by randyb
I'm not using the 3d to do the cutout, the parts were actually already cut out using a profile as you suggested, the first time I tried to run the 3d program the bit stopped short of the outer edge. I was using a .5inch ball nose and the bit stopped what appeared to be where the outside edge of the tool intersected with the outer boundary.
That was with using no vector boundary offset.
Then when I started to increase the offset nothing was changing.
The only way I could get the tool to come fully to the edge of the pattern was to have it come right out and over the edge.
I would really like to be able to have it machine right to the edge without going over and down, your right it makes a mess of a what is currently a really nice clean edge.
Randy

Re: 3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:29 pm
by cnc4me
Randy,
I have run into the same situation as I think you are describing. I was milling a 3d image of a french rolling pin and found that the round nose bit would not continue to the edge. This had to do with the job size setting. Once I increased the job size so the bit would fit around my work area it gave me the results I was looking for.
Hope this helps.
Andy

Re: 3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:02 am
by Larry Stobbs
I am not sure if I totally understand you but if you pick your outside vector and use the offset selected vectors button to create another outside vector. You need to offset this vector enough of a distance to allow your carving bit to be outside of the area you want to carve. Use this new line as what you select when you run your 3D tool paths. This still will not let you cut all the way through the material but as someone else said you are better running that tool path by itself. I carve all of my 3D that way, it doesn't take that long to clear the extra material and I then will use a standard end mill to do the final cut out which gives me a nice clean line. Hope this makes since

Re: 3d profile finish path not going through material

Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:57 am
by randyb
It does, and it is the same process I use for cutting the part, my issue was with the ball nose running right off the edge of the pattern and then down the perimeter.
I was able to finally get it to work by setting the vector boundary to .07, this stopped it from running over the edge but it stopped just short of the edge which left a littel clean up work but far less than having the bit come over the edge.
Thanks
Randy