Formulas

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tomrandles
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Formulas

Post by tomrandles »

I recently updated to Aspire version11.

In the past versions I could enter a formula in toolpath box such as in the profile depth of cut I could enter Z+.1 and the formula would stay there so if I changed the material thickness I would not have to make any changes to the z depth of cut. In version 11 I can still use a formula but it is a one time use. Is there something I can do to get the formula to stay?

Thanks

Tom

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mtylerfl
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Re: Formulas

Post by mtylerfl »

Hi Tom,

Try entering z+0.1 instead (or Z+0.1) ...it’s the zero that matters - not the letter being upper or lowercase
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Adrian
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Re: Formulas

Post by Adrian »

Z+.1 is working fine for me in V11 in start depths and cut depths. Remember that you must not press the = as you would in drawing fields as that will calculate the value immediately.

If it's still not working for you which field are you using?

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adze_cnc
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Re: Formulas

Post by adze_cnc »

I presume the ".1" is an overcut distance through the material and into the wasteboard? If so you might want create a "document variable" and use that instead.

That's something I use. I created an overcut document variable called: oc

Now, for every toolpath that cuts through the full depth of the material I set the cut depth to be: t+{oc}

I use "t" rather than "z" because it re-enforces the concept that it is the thickness of the material much more than "z" does.

Usually I set "oc" to 0. But, if I do need to make it non-zero (say 3/1000) all I need to do is alter the value of "oc" then re-calculate the toolpaths. This is much easier than changing every instance of "z+0.1".

For that matter, when dealing with baltic birch plywood I create a "ps" or pre-score variable. For a through-cut profile I'll create two toolpaths (one using a down-cutting bit to pre-score the material to avoid chip-out and one to cut through the rest of the material).

The toolpaths:
  • Pre-score: start depth: 0 ; cut depth: {ps}
  • Finish cut: start depth: {ps} ; cut depth: t-{ps}+{oc}

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mtylerfl
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Re: Formulas

Post by mtylerfl »

Adrian wrote:
Wed Sep 08, 2021 9:27 pm
Z+.1 is working fine for me in V11 in start depths and cut depths. Remember that you must not press the = as you would in drawing fields as that will calculate the value immediately.

If it's still not working for you which field are you using?
Very interesting...I have to make sure the zero is entered. Otherwise the formula “doesn’t stick”.

Hmmm. I just realized my software version is 11.006 and an update is available for 11.007. I’ll go ahead and update to see if that allows the zero to be left out and still retain the formula.
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adze_cnc
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Re: Formulas

Post by adze_cnc »

Michael,

For quite a few versions (9.5x, 9.0x, 8.5x, etc.) I've noticed that there has been trouble with formulas (cut depth, etc.) that are entered with absolute numbers (t+0.2, z/3, etc.). There are instances where those values "stick" and others where they are evaluated to an absolute number (say 0.25 for t/3 if "t" is 0.75) when recalculating, copying, or otherwise altering the toolpath. It doesn't always happen but it does enough to be frustrating. That's why I started trying to always use document variable instead of absolute values.

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mtylerfl
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Re: Formulas

Post by mtylerfl »

After updating to version 11.007, the formula does indeed “stick” either way it is entered...

z+.1 or z+0.1

Must have been a minor “under the hood” fix between versions, I guess
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mtylerfl
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Re: Formulas

Post by mtylerfl »

adze_cnc wrote:
Wed Sep 08, 2021 9:46 pm
Michael,

For quite a few versions (9.5x, 9.0x, 8.5x, etc.) I've noticed that there has been trouble with formulas (cut depth, etc.) that are entered with absolute numbers (t+0.2, z/3, etc.). There are instances where those values "stick" and others where they are evaluated to an absolute number (say 0.25 for t/3 if "t" is 0.75) when recalculating, copying, or otherwise altering the toolpath. It doesn't always happen but it does enough to be frustrating. That's why I started trying to always use document variable instead of absolute values.
Interesting. Something I’ll need to keep an eye out for.
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tomrandles
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Re: Formulas

Post by tomrandles »

Adrian thank you that is what I was doing wrong (hitting the = sign after the formula).

I appreciate everyone's input.

Tom

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