topic Re: Line projection issue in PowerMill Forum

Line projection issue

old_snickers — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 21:00:00 GMT

I have 4 workpieces arranged in a tensioning device with a grid 50 x 50. Each of them has a diameter of about 30mm. I have to calculate them with line projection and a lollipop-like tool because they have some undercut.

Now my problem is: i want to calculate the first workpiece and the others disturb this, although they are really far enough away. The "preview" shows the white lines, which are projected from outside. Now my toolpath on the workpiece to be processed, is interrupted in these areas, where the white lines touch the other workpieces. Ok, I can set the others to ignore, but with this the collision test is senseless...
Is there any possibility to reduce the enlargement of these projection lines? Incidentally, they grow up and get smaller with the blank and the tool diameter.

(PowerMILL 2015)

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 17:58:47 GMT

The result looks like this:

Re: Line projection issue

DanMcDan — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 07:02:34 GMT

Does not constant Z with undercutting work for this?

If not you could set it to "ignore" all the other surfaces in the Thickness tab.

Re: Line projection issue

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 11:31:57 GMT

Hi, @old_snickers

What's wrong with the ignore option of the other cylindrical features? You said they are far away from each other anyway so there would be plenty of space between them to put the tool in there.

I made quickly something similar and line projection is working fine on that if you ignore the other cylindrical features.

I have placed them in different levels so I can select them easily.

Kind regards

George

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 21:00:54 GMT

Thank you very much for your replies!

Z-Level with undercut would be a nice solution, but it calculates unbearably slow (at least in my PowerMILL 2015). I would love it, if it were very much faster.

And Yes, I've realized it this time with the "ignore option", because I was not able to see another way. But I would rather have a possibility to decrease the projection range, because I often have to change these models and every time I have to set the new surfaces to "ignore", again and again and again... quite annoying...

There is something analogical for the "Surface Projection" in my user_menu:

"5 Axis Projection Range +/- 1mm" 1 "EDIT SURFPROJ AUTORANGE OFF EDIT SURFPROJ RANGEMIN -1 EDIT SURFPROJ RANGEMAX 1"

"5 Axis Projection Range +/- 2mm" 1 "EDIT SURFPROJ AUTORANGE OFF EDIT SURFPROJ RANGEMIN -2 EDIT SURFPROJ RANGEMAX 2"

And so on...

I spent some time on staring at the available commands, but found nothing similar for the Line Projection. Any ideas?

Re: Line projection issue

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 09:50:39 GMT

Process only one piece, then Copy and Translate

Re: Line projection issue

CAMXPRESS — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 14:54:34 GMT

Hello old_snickers,

I have made a Screencast to you what might have the solution to change the preview frame size at PM.

However it may not solve this particular problem for you.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/screencast/Main/Details/666e73dc-6f11-4350-b8fc-21eafd5aa9c4.html

Regards,

CAMXPRESS

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 17:36:37 GMT

Hello CAMXPRESS,

thank You for the video. This will reduce the preview lines, that's correct so far. But with this block which is smaller than my workpiece PowerMILL will not calculate. Even with the activated option to allow the tool outside. Or is there another trick to force that?

Re: Line projection issue

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 23:01:29 GMT

Z-Level with undercut would be a nice solution, but it calculates unbearably slow (at least in my PowerMILL 2015). I would love it, if it were very much faster.

I use PM15.

I use this in every project . I am guessing you need a high tolerance if the calculation times are realy slow. Lollipop cutters are the worst on calculation times.

The shapes I undercut are not simple. I get away with a 0.05 Metric tolerance. 10 minutes to calculate 6 bosses are not uncommon.

As for line projection. Have you tried throwing the centre more into the corner away from the other 3 bosses ? . Its been a long time since I used line projection way back in 2003 but I think that's how I used to overcome the problem.

Goffa

p.s If using constant Z with undercut why would you go from top to bottom and not just the Z level's the undercut is at ? . Or is it undercut/tapered all the way down ? .

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 19:31:03 GMT

Our normally used tolerance is 0.003 mm or less. With these circumstances line projection does in a couple of seconds, what Z-level with undercut in more than a minute does. And "yes", it is varying, where the undercuts are.

But I like the idea "throwing the centre more into the corner away from the other 3 bosses". I'll give this tomorrow a try...

Re: Line projection issue

NanchenO — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 08:29:59 GMT

Have you tryed to move your leads in-out to the center of the four blocks after calculation ? I often use this when default the leads in-out are not well placed and it often corrects the problem within 2-3 seconds.

Olivier

Re: Line projection issue

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 09:27:25 GMT

The tool path doesn't look joined/complete.

I have never been able to move the leads in/out on any tool path that's not complete. i.e starts and finishes at the same point.

Goffa

Re: Line projection issue

M_Hennig — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 13:18:39 GMT

I have had this problem many times. Ignore works but is a bad option, too easy to ram your leads and links into areas on the model. I always change the block size to only one area, then transform as many as you want, update leads and links last. but you must change block to only one.

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 19:38:47 GMT

Thanks to all for your answers and ideas. I tried some but the only solution seems to be "setting the others to ignore". But as M.Hennig said, it's a bad option.

I've made a "quick an dirty" example of my problem and zipped it for uploading it here. And yes, I know there are some other possibilitys to calculate this, but I want to do it with line projection. Call me small-minded. If someone wants to try and is successful, please tell me, how you made it happen...

Re: Line projection issue

M_Hennig — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 19:44:34 GMT

I can tell you how to make this work, get ready to gasp........ Take all the other bosses, I mean the model, select them, MOVE them down, say 20 inches out of the way, calculate, move them back up and translate..

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:15:09 GMT

Uuuugh.... no way, that's too easy. Ok, great idea, I'm sure this will work. I have to try out what the collision check tells me when everything was calculated and all the models are back in their positions.

But still I would prefer to have an opportunity to simply reduce the range of the projection lines...

Re: Line projection issue

M_Hennig — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:29:11 GMT

Do you know the type in commands for that? You can turn the autorange to off.

Mike Hennig
5axis programming specialist

[omega logo]

Omega Tool, Inc.
N93 W14430 Whittaker Way
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
262-255-0205
262-255-3964 fax

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 18:30:24 GMT

No, I unfortunately don't know these commands. That's what I originally had tried to ask with my bumpy english...

I know the commands for the surface projection strategy, but of course they don't take any effect at my favored line projection. And I was not able to find out the corresponding commands for this. You know them? PLEASE, tell me!

Re: Line projection issue

M_Hennig — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 18:33:11 GMT

Those are the only ones I know as well, I thought they worked for the line projection also, but I could be mistaken.

Mike Hennig
5axis programming specialist

[omega logo]

Omega Tool, Inc.
N93 W14430 Whittaker Way
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
262-255-0205
262-255-3964 fax

Re: Line projection issue

old_snickers — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 22:06:01 GMT

Nope.. as I wrote, it's something like this:

"EDIT SURFPROJ AUTORANGE OFF EDIT SURFPROJ RANGEMIN -1 EDIT SURFPROJ RANGEMAX 1"

This takes only affect on the surface projection. So anyway. The best and simliest idea is to move the currently unused bosses away while processing a model and replace them all when all the toolpaths are calculated. I've tested it: the gauge and the collision check are successful on every toolpath, which PowerMILL did not calculate completely before. I would this call a bug in the software. Maybe PowerMILL above 2015 doesn not have this fault, I don't know...

Seems as I have to accept your suggestion as solution (at the moment, perhaps the developers read sometimes here in the forum, too)

At any rates many, many thanks to all!