Not sure whats happening

[toddmaci]

I am trying to cut a simple turning on my indexer. I start with a profile in Partwizard, save the tool path and use “carve the blank to shape using a partwizard profile” The first pass looks like it is working (from zero to 12 inches) when the machine starts going from 12 to 0 the bit rides about a 1/8 higher than the previous cut. Once back to zero, it goes back to 12 but with very similar z value as the initial run. Can anyone explain what is going on?

Thanks,

Todd

[Brady Watson]

What did you set the safe Z height to in the Indexer Virtual Tool to? Check it, bump it up and see if that changes anything for you.

-B

[myxpykalix]

On the 12 to 0 run,(the return) is it supposed to be cutting or is it supposed to be jogging back to 0 to start another 0 to 12 cutting toolpath?
If it is just jogging then your safe Z might be set too low, if it is supposed to be cutting on that return path but is raising up i'm not sure.

[toddmaci]

Thanks for the responses
Brady,
The safe z is set at .25. I will bump up and see.

Jack,
I am not sure if it is supposed to be cutting on the way back to 0. If it is not supposed to be cutting ,it sure take an awful long time to get back to 0

[myxpykalix]

sometimes when you make files the program uses a default speed for cutting, especially for the indexer that you can't change (I may be wrong on that point) but you might try running the file again and see what your jog speed is set at. try to reset the jog speed higher.

If the tool is following the profile on the return path rather than a straight jog back then it is supposed to be cutting.
i'm not comfortable trying to advise you on manually editing the cut file to try to change that behavior however you can go back and try to resave the file and when you go to the tool popup check to see what the stepdown and stepover is set to in the dialog box maybe it is set too low?

[toddmaci]

I set the safe z to 1 and that did not work.
Jack, I have been playing with the VS function and it does not change my problem. I don;t believe the jog speed has anything to do with it because these are all M5 commands. I did change the stepover but that only made it go a little faster. I looked at the .sbp fiel and from the postion 12 back to zero the z value does not change. It is slowly moving back to zero rather than quickly moving back to zero.I would almost expect to see a MH and them have it start a new path. Could it be something in the toolpath on the profile, before I bring it into the indexer? I have tried the 360 and 720 ( default speed) for the B move speed. I am using a .125 bit stepover,.25 bit stepdown.Any suggestions appreciated.

Todd

[toddmaci]

"Select the Toolpath tab and the Profile button. You want the toolpath to be ABOVE the profile so select the “inside” option at the top and then choose a shallow final depth so that the file doesn’t try to cut in multiple passes."

These are the instructions from the .pdf
What is considered a "shallow final depth"?

Thanks,

Todd

[bill.young]

Todd,

It's hard to tell, but one possibility is that it's related to what your rough blank radius setting and safez setting are in the fillin sheet, in relation to your profile toolpath. If your profile toolpath is higher than what you tell it your rough blank radius is, it may move up when you expect it to move down.

If you could email me your profile drawing from PartWizard and the values that you used in the fillin sheet, I'll be glad to take a look at them and see what I can figure out.

Bill

[myxpykalix]

Todd,
If you want to email me your sbp file and let me go try to run it on my indexer i can try to duplicate your problem and advise you. If the Z on the return is stationary than it is just a move back home to start another run and should jog back home faster than the toolpath for cutting. If you have a jpg or dxf of what the toolpath should look like so i can kind of see what it should be doing might help also.

[myxpykalix]

I defer to the MASTER....Obe BILL Kenobe..

[bill.young]

Todd,

When you're creating your toolpath in PartsWizard or PartWorks, any cutting depth that's less than the stepdown value in the tool database for the bit you're using is fine, but the easiest thing is to just pick a very small cutting depth... something like 0.01.

The cutting depth values for your profile toolpath are ignored when it's converted by the virtual tool, but you just don't want to create a toolpath that cuts in multiple passes, because it will keep cutting the path over and over again.

Hope this makes sense,
Bill

[toddmaci]

After re- toolpathing with a final depth of .04 the file worked fine.

Thanks for help Jack,Bill,Brady

Todd