Ability to add auxiliary operations in CAM

[konkers]

Currently there's no way to insert comments/opstops into the cam setups.  I find this quite useful for things like changing hold down locations.

[YoSmite]

Stop mid program options would be great. It would be nice just for clearing chips and checking tool ware.

[DS_P]

Should be an easy one to implement too since all you are adding is M01 or some parenthesis around text, and creatign two new really simple menu items to add them.  

[konkers]

Maybe it could be implemented by allowing one to insert a javascript opperation that allows you to make call to the post processor like:

onComment("Switch clamps from left to right side");

onCommand(COMMAND_OPTIONAL_STOP);

[anthony.graves]

This capability is currently supported using something called "Manual NC". It's currently not available from the toolbar, but here is how you access it:

1. Open one of your Fusion designs with CAM operations created
2. Right-click on a Setup and choose New Operation > Manual NC
3. A Manual NC dialog appears giving you the option to insert one of the following:

• Comment
• Stop
• Optional stop
• Dwell
• Tool break control
• Tool Measure
• Start Chip transport
• Stop Chip transport
• Open door
• Close door
• Calibrate
• Verify
• Clean
• Action
• Print message
• Display message
• Alarm
• Alert
• Passthrough
• Force tool change
• Call program

The new "operation" will be inserted as the next operation in your browser tree list. You can, of course, drag the operation up or down in the list, as well as use copy/paste to duplicate operations.

Note: These "types" are recgonzied or need to be recognized in the post processor for your specific machine/machine type. Our Post Team can assist you to make sure that your post will support the types you may choose to use as part of your normal workflow. You can access the via our Autodesk CAM Forum, a dedicated community forum for all of the Autodesk CAM solutions, or via email at cam.posts@autodesk.com. The Post Team can tell you how to implement the example you included in your post, as well as other scenarios you might consider.

Have a great day.

Anthony Graves

Product Manager, CAM

[konkers]

Thanks Anthony, this is exactly what I was looking for.

So far the post processor system has been realy easy to work with.  Though Javascript is not my favorite language, I appreciate the decision to use something well known. 

[anthony.graves]

Excellent. It is a pretty popular feature, for the reasons you intitially stated. With respect to the posts, your feedback is consistent with what we've heard from the beginning (HSMWorks days); popular language, versitile, and a large community of people who can contribute (also, it's super fast). Speaking of which, we started a GitHub respository here, so users can access posts and share them. We are still working on a setup where users can efficiently communicate edits and share posts, but I think this will be a great resource.

We appreciate your interest in our CAM tools for Fusion 360 - please share some photos of your projects with us when you get a chance. And, don't forget to tell your friends! 😉

Anthony Graves

Product Manager, CAM

[konkers]

"Speaking of which, we started a GitHub respository here, so users can access posts and share them. We are still working on a setup where users can efficiently communicate edits and share posts, but I think this will be a great resource."

Sweet!  I set up a local git repo for my modified tormach post.  I just forked your Mill-Post-Processors repo and uploaded my changes: https://github.com/konkers/Mill-Post-Processors

"please share some photos of your projects with us when you get a chance."

And... as long as we're taking the thread way off the rails, here's a pic of a prototype pairing knife blade I machined yesterday out of aluminium:

[anthony.graves]

konkers - nice! Thanks for sharing. I'll also point our Post Team to this thread so they can read about your use of GitHub. I want to make sure that we get some type of reference to this on the Autodesk CAM Forum Post Board so other users can check out your modified post.

Side note: Check out Grismo Knives. John Grismo has been using our software for a while now and he's also a Tormach owner/user. Figured you might find he work interesting or inspirational. I know I do.

Thanks again,

Anthony Graves

Product Manager, CAM

[anthony.graves]

Update: When I went back to check out the Post Board I noticed you already had a nice thread going there. Nice job.

Graves

[RandyKopf]

Oh dang! this is really huge for documentation to keep track of what a program is doing. I assumed it existed. And it really needs to be in any decent CAM system.