Ramped Entry with Vector

[robinsoncr@naxs.net]

I watched a Thermwood process melamine panels at a recent tradeshow and noticed how the machine ramped down into the material and incrementally increased machine speed.

Can you do this within Vector? Can you manipulate machine cutting speeds in Vector without manually editing lines of code?

I would like to cut drain boards into solid surface, so the ramping of cutter depth over distance would be nice too.

Thanks for the help,

Chris R.

[srwtlc]

Chris, if you mean that you want to have the cutter come down into the material with a curved entry, yes you can do that by creating an approach from a point above your material to the starting point of your cut path. After creating that approach you need to break interpolate the arc as the ShopBot doesn't do archs in the z axis.

As far as manipulating speeds in vector, you would have to manually type them in the NC window, or set up some macros that you could just insert with a couple of mouse clicks.

Scott


4853

[sheldon@dingwallguitars.com]

Scott, I didn't realize you could create 3D approaches - cool. I'll have to look into that.

Chris, if you do this, chances are that the speed will be fairly slow (I think what you are looking for) until the the end of the approach, then ramp up then ramp up when there is a stretch of straight away.

Chris, you can also just place the axis at the bottom of the lead in tail, then cut and paste the tail at an angle. Don't forget to check that the angle doesn't interfere with non-cut areas and make sure to place the axis back at the home position. There are a couple of other ways using modify or just drawing a line using the coordinates.

[srwtlc]

Sheldon & Chris, what I usally do when I need something like this is, I make my connect to Z as normal then place a point at the top of the downfast entity, delete all the downfast and down entities, select the point first then the first part of the toolpath in the right direction, create approach, select just the arc part of the approach and break interpolate it into small segments (a setting that looks good is all I go by). Then all you have to do is shift-select your last (up) entity and your whole path should be selected and ready to go.

There's other ways of doing it too. Don't do a connect to z and just place a point on your starting entity, cut and paste that point to the height that you want, then do and approach. You can do a depart also, and with overlaps. You just have to be sure to break that arc into small segments because the ShopBot won't do a CG in the Z axis, it has to be M3's.

It works for me 8-)

[robinsoncr@naxs.net]

I don't want an arc'd entry. I'm trying to figure out a way to protect the bearings on the Columbo by avoiding plunging straight down into the material before cutting. ie I want to cut a line 608mm long. The tool contacts the line at z0 and the z-axis incrementally travels down as it travels forward. Now Imagine it's a circle. The spindle, after reaching full depth, would have to travel beyond it's starting point in order to cut the circle free.

Am I making sense?

Chris

[srwtlc]

"Am I making sense?" Sort of. Sounds like what you want to do is a helix or spiral down with a bottom pass. Yes, you could do this with Vector, but the resulting code after breaking and interpolating the spiral would (from my experience) give unsatisfactory movement results for cutting a circle. I tried a down helix for something (I can't remember what now) and I couldn't get a very smooth motion out of it. It was much slower than cutting it in multiple levels/passes.

Forgive me, I don't have a Columbo, but for what those things cost, are you saying that the bearings in them can't handle the thrust loads of plunging (with a bit that can plunge of course)? How large of a bit are we talking about here?

You can also do a circle with a spiral down and a bottom pass with the built in commands. Just write a file using that command with all the needed parameters. That will give a much smoother result. The CC or CP command.

[robinsoncr@naxs.net]

Scott,

I'm probably just being too protective of the spindle. The ceramic bearings are designed to support horizontal forces and not alot of vertical forces.

Of course, I'm using a mortising comp. bit. Sounds like it's way too much trouble to do the ramp.