Announcements
Attention for Customers without Multi-Factor Authentication or Single Sign-On - OTP Verification rolls out April 2025. Read all about it here.
kmcgheeCMFPG
2278 Views, 6 Replies

How do I do a Predrill Location in fusion

I have never liked plunging endmills, and in my old software it was easy to tell the machine to drill a hole first for the endmill to "plunge" into. I have no clue how to use the predrill feature that is in Fusion and was hoping someone could help. I played with it first, I made  a circle where I wanted the hole to occur and I could get it spotted and drilled but the predrill feature would not recognize it.

 

Attached is my file, and you will see that there is a number of contour cuts made in the center and one around the outside that makes the gear. I want to predrill each plunge location first. Could someone school me up?

AmandaFowler
in reply to: kmcgheeCMFPG

Hi @kmcgheeCMFPG,
Thanks for posting - when I program something like this where I want to predrill a hole, I do a drill operation for the holes and then use the "entry position" option inside of the contour path to select where the tool will start.

 

Let me know if that helps you out!


Amanda Fowler
Technical Support Specialist (CAM / HSMWorks)
kmcgheeCMFPG
in reply to: AmandaFowler

Thank you so much, that did exactly what I wanted it too!!!

kmcgheeCMFPG
in reply to: AmandaFowler

So I guess I spoke to soon, while it does let me define the entry point, it does not enter in the predrilled hole rather slightly offset, right onto the contour line. I have attached the file and would greatly appreciate any support you can give.

Easy fix, just change your Entry Positions to Predrill Positions and it'll work how you want it to.

 

Also, you might want to add a lead-in/lead-out and a little overlap to minimize gouging at the entry/exit point.

 

 

Entry PositionEntry Position

 

Predrill Position w/ Lead-in/Lead-out & Finishing OverlapPredrill Position w/ Lead-in/Lead-out & Finishing Overlap

 

 

 

Nick Santiago

Thank you!!!!! one question though, when I went to apply that to my original model (in keeping with the I do I will learn and remember philosophy) it gives me a warning that it can't be done unless "keep tool down" is checked, and I see you checked it, but I worry about doing anything that I do not understand, is there anything you can explain about "keep tool down?" I don't understand it from the hover over explanation.

AmandaFowler
in reply to: kmcgheeCMFPG

@kmcgheeCMFPG all "Keep Tool Down" does is limit the number of retracts made. It uses the "Maximum Stay Down" parameter to determine how long of a move the tool will stay down for instead of retracting to a safe plane and coming back down for the next pass. It'll only stay down if there's another pass to be made within the distance specified. Hope that clears it up a little. 


Amanda Fowler
Technical Support Specialist (CAM / HSMWorks)