Help with toolpaths for another strange little part, please

[charley]

Hi all,

I've got another darn part with some elements that I'm just not figuring out how to get good toolpaths for.  I think I've got some of it pretty good, but the darned small (and I do mean small, 0.011"-wide full-radius grooves) features on either end of the groove feature are eluding me.  I'd figured I would be able to figure out how to deal with them with a 3D parallel op, but I sure couldn't work it out.  The 3D scallop ops I do show (please see attached file) are surely not great or optimal...any tips on how to get the CAM right for this weird little part, would, as always, be really appreciated.

[DanielMolloy · Accepted solution]

Hi @charley,

Take a look at the attached (final operation), I got this by extracting and extending the geometry from the model and then using this to drive a trace toolpath to drive the cutter down the center of the groove.

Will this do the job for you?

[charley]

Daniel,

Yes!!  Fantastic, thanks for providing me with this addition!  So, now my only problem is not having the SLIGHTEST CLUE how you DID this!  Unfortunately I know nothing about the "Trace" op or your "extracting and extending the geometry" process, I'll have to read up on it and see if I can parse out how you did this.  Any additional explanation about this 'magic' process that you did here, would be golden for my education, I am certain of that.  Anyhow, sure looks like it works fully now (were you ok with my two Scallop ops?  I felt like those were surely pretty faulty, but, maybe not so much?  If you were to do it 'from scratch', how would you go about it?) and I'll try to actually make the darn thing soon.  Thanks again!  --Charley

[charley]

Daniel, I'm seeing now that it's pretty obvious that I can simply kill off my (faulty anyhow) 3D Scallop operations that I had originally, and just have your added 3D Trace operation complete the part--great.  I'm still hoping to learn just how you did this curve path generation, for the Trace to then follow.  Did you go into F360 Design to accomplish that?  I know next to nothing about F360 Design, as I use Solidworks to generate all my models, that I then import into F360.  Is this Trace path something I should have done in SW, do you think?  Thanks again for your help on this at any rate, and I need to totally "Accept Solution" here, too.  --Charley

[charley]

Sorry, I've been using the term "3D Trace", and I'm seeing, no, it's a 2D operation.  Got it.  --Charley

[DanielMolloy]

Hi @charley,

Glad to have helped, so to create the curve used to drive the curve there were a number of steps, i will try and take you through it.

1: From the design workspace select create sketch, and then the face highlighted in the below screenshot, this will put you into the sketch environment using the face we picked as the reference.

2: once in the sketch environment, select the create drop down menu then select project.

3: Select the geometry as is screenshot below and click ok.

4: The projected line should now be colored in purple. Now we need to draw two lines to extend the curve we just projected so select the line command.

5: Draw the line as shown below (you will need to do the same at the other end of this curve, i have just drawn one as there is already a lot of screenshots!)

6: Once both lines have been drawn you can select finish sketch. The result of this should be the below curve.

From here we can switch back into the manufacturing workspace, the trace toolpath is an often overlooked strategy in fusion, it allows you to simply drive the centre of the tool along a curve which suits the curve we just created perfectly.

Hopefully this is all clear, it is a slightly complicated thing to explain using screenshots.

If you want to learn some more about fusion modeling then the self-paced learning is a great place to start, i will include a link below.

Fusion 360 Help | Self-paced learning for Fusion 360 | Autodesk

[charley]

Daniel, this is fantastic material, thanks for taking the time to elaborate on this process.  Early this morning, I buckled down and dug into the Design sketch geometryu process on my own and amazingly, I actually got it!  I’ll have to study your detail above fully as it is somewhat different than what I managed to do, but fundamentally pretty similar I’m happy to say.  I can see how Trace is a really powerful approach, for sure.  Thanks for that tutorial link, too, I’ll definitely check that out.  Charley