Specify max height 2 rail relief

[augusto.pedroza]

In the following webinar: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhAm-K213wY

Around 10:13 you set the material thickness to 15 mm. I am unable to do the same, as soon as I specify 15 mm as my thickness, the 'ok' button becomes disabled. My suspicion is that the cross section of my 2 rail sweep is taller than that. Should I have set my scale final height to 15mm when creating the 2 rail sweep?

If feels like only setting the material thickness in the end can cause a lot of problems. Adjusting the Z height of existing 3d reliefs is challenging.

Can  I set the material thickness in the beginning and have all 3d reliefs respect that as I am creating them?

Thanks,

  Augusto Pedroza

[mikeis]

  Augusto Pedroza,

    Are you in the toolpath selection, where you set the material height?

    When you are there what is the height that artcam gives? It does give you that so you know the minimum thickness of material you will need, so if you want you can use a thicker piece, if you use a thinner one it will gouge your table, this is for your safety and to help you.

If you want, or can only use a thinner piece of material there are things you can do before the toolpath selection to shrink you model down so it will work on thinner material.

  Sorry I just came in from the cold and my head is dozing off, it's warm in here.......don't mean to meander.

mike

[augusto.pedroza]

It gives me the thickness of 34mm. It would be more useful if I could specify the thickness upfront and ArtCAM specified my relief height limits based on that. I come from the Vectric world where you can fully setup your material at any point in time and the software will warn me if at any point my toolpaths are not respecting these limits.

[dillon.moulder · Accepted solution]

Hi @augusto.pedroza,

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@augusto.pedroza wrote:

It would be more useful if I could specify the thickness upfront and ArtCAM specified my relief height limits based on that.

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You can specify the model's thickness immediately after you've created the model in Autodesk ArtCAM Standard 2017 by selecting the Toolpath > Material Setup menu option, typing the required value in the Material Setup dialog's Thickness box, and then clicking OK.

Doing so would mean that you do not have to specify the model's thickness when creating your toolpaths. I hope that this information is of some assistance to you.

Kind regards,

[mikeis]

Dillon,

    When doing it this way (material thickness) will your models be lowered before the toolpath? To fit the material thickness?

   The reason I am asking is the question that was asked about the 2 rail sweep.

   Mike

[mikeis]

Augusto,

In artcam you can adjust your model size (if it's on a layer by it's self) the scale tool down in the relief tools. or you can use the cookie cutter, or you can import the model into another season of artcam and there too you can adjust the size (Z) of the model.

mike

mike

[dillon.moulder · Accepted solution]

Hi @mikeis,

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mikeis wrote:

When doing it this way (material thickness) will your models be lowered before the toolpath? To fit the material thickness?

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No, but you will be warned that the relief does not fit within the constraints of your material block when you create the Machine Relief toolpath, as shown below:

Clicking Yes displays the Material Setup dialog, so that you can adjust the material settings. If the relief's Z height (shown in the Model Information area below the Project panel's splitter when the tree's Model item is selected) is greater than the specified material thickness, you would need to use a thicker sheet of material or scale the relief in Z.

Kind regards,

[mikeis]

Dillon,

   I figured as much, was just thrown for a loop, since I add models and adjust as I go, have never use this before I am all done (stating height).

   mike

   Oh thanks too.

[augusto.pedroza]

May I suggest that ArtCAM proactively warns you about that as you are creating the reliefs, not only at the toolpath stage?

Thanks for all the help!

[dillon.moulder]

Hi @augusto.pedroza,

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@augusto.pedroza wrote:

May I suggest that ArtCAM proactively warns you about that as you are creating the reliefs, not only at the toolpath stage?

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You're most welcome to submit this as an idea on the ArtCAM Ideas page.

Thanks in advance for your time and cooperation.

Kind regards,