Default Tool Stepdown Changed on all tools

[euclidmandd]

As of the latest update, Fusion seems to be changing the default stepdown for all my existing tools with "used stepdown" to .9 x flute length. This is a BIG problem. This changes the slotting parameters such that the tool will break with that deep of a cut (it already happened once today). I have probably hundreds of parts with multiple tools that will all need to be manually changed back to the proper stepdown if this is not fixed. Any one I overlook will break a $20-$50 tool. I'm hoping I can roll fusion back to a previous version until a fix happens or this is going to be very annoying and very expensive problem.

As a side note, I've also noticed some instability on where work coordinates locate on a part. I'm not sure if it's something with this specific part or the latest update. The part in question uses "model box point" and if I save, close, reopen, sometime the coordinate will switch to the other side of the part. This is also potentially a dangerous problem. I'll post separately if I figure out more about what conditions cause the issue.

[seth.madore]

Did you have a value intentionally set in those boxes for stepdown and stepover? Many months ago, we did change the default value to be 90% of flute length, but we did not revert anyone's stepdowns if they had defined a non-default value.

No, rolling back is not an option for Fusion.

Regarding the WCS moving around; if you can capture that behavior in a video and share that here, that would be most appreciated!

[euclidmandd]

Thanks for the quick reply

To be honest I'm not 100% sure how the previous .25 stepdown was defined. I think it was just manually set, but maybe it may have been a formula set to 100% of the tool diameter. But something for sure isn't quite right because both my regular slotting (.25 DOC) and shallow slotting (.05 DOC) parameters within the same tool are now both 90% flute length. They were different before, so I don't see how they could have both ben set to a default.

I'm also not 100% sure when this change happened for me. Digging into it more, there's something else funny going on. Take a look at the video linked below. It seems like the new default only kicks in if I change something else about the tool like the RPM where it needs to update the tool parameters. Even when creating a new toolpath in a new part, it will use the old .25 value until the tool needs to be updated. So it's possible this has been lurking in the background for a while and I only noticed it today when changing the RPM on a tool. Maybe not as bad as I though, but still not a good situation.

Can I change the user default for the stepdown? That would help to get me back to something a little safer at least. If I right-click on the stepdown field, I can "reset to user default", but I'm not seeing any option to set the current formula to as the default.

video link

[seth.madore]

Replying quickly before I head out for the evening;

You can set the default parameters in the toolpath itself, either with a numerical value or a parameter expression. Click on the three-dot menu next to the field and select "edit expression". It's defaulted to tool_fluteLength * 0.75, so change it to what you prefer.

I am struggling to reproduce what you're showing, at least for now. I'll try to spend some time on it tomorrow and see what I make of it..

[euclidmandd]

Ok, have a good evening and let me know what you find out.

I don't think changing the default in the operation really helps since the tool parameter overrides the operation default when "use stepdown" is selected in the tool.

Another clue: I exported my tool library to a csv file, and the old step down values are still in there (see attached). So I guess the good news is that they're not totally gone; just getting overridden somehow.

Total tangent, but this is a case where having more global tool parameters would be really nice. I think in a lot of cases I'd prefer to have the parameters update from a master tool definition any time I open a file. Then maybe I have the ability to copy the global tool into a specific part file and have it be independent if needed. That might have some bad unintended consequences though.

[euclidmandd · Accepted solution]

An update for anyone else stumbling on this thread:

I've been in contact with tech support and they said they identified the issue and will be working on a fix.

The change only happens if the tool is opened in the tool library for the part and then "accept" is selected. So for now, as long as the tool isn't opened the defaults don't get overridden.