How to CAM for oscillating knife

[Anonymous]

First off, let me say, I'm way out of my understanding here so if you need more info to help me in any way please just say so and I'll get any info I can.

The company I work for bought a large industrial cnc machine, and I've been tasked with figuring it all out since I've had some experience with my hobby cnc at home and Fusion 360.

This machine is a 3-axis, with oscillating knife attachment, and also a 4th axis (which I'll try figuring out later).

The knife is NOT a tool, it's a permanently attached secondary "spindle" per say.

I have no clue how to even start in Fusion 360 to design a cut.  I understand adaptives, traces, and all that, but how do you design something so when g-code is generated it knows to treat it as a knife that only rotates for turns or curves or such??

My knife is my C axis. Is this something I can even do in fusion?

Sorry for kind of vague information but since I'm so blind on this particular matter it's hard to word it all correctly.

I appreciate any help or guidance and as I learn I'll have better, more informative questions and posts.

[seth.madore · Accepted solution]

Trailing knife, tangential knife, oscillating knife; I believe these are all names for the same thing.

Give this thread a read and this one as well

This isn't something that Fusion supports natively, and you will likely need to hack a post to get it to work. If you aren't comfortable doing that yourself, you will need to enlist the services of a Reseller

Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply.  It helps me a ton just getting proper terminology.

With at least that I was able to start reaching out on the proper channels to get the ball rolling on a custom post-processor for our machine.

Once that is done I can start learning the designing from there.

[cpodbob]

Hey 

I was wondering if you ever got the oscillating knife to work?

and how hard was it to get it to work?

I'm in the same boat 

thank you

-Chris 

[daniel_lyall]

Have a look at this . https://apps.autodesk.com/FUSION/en/Detail/Index?id=3603732473616813300&appLang=en&os=Mac

[Protective-foam_com]

Hello,
I have been a plotter owner with an oscillating knife function for a week.
As for most, it is a problem for me to regenerate the NC program, including the C axis for knife rotation.

I would like to point out that this is an active oscillating knife (not trailing) for which the 4th axis is responsible for rotation.

Is there any plugin for F360 or separate application that will allow me to convert NC program to use C axis?

Thank you in advance for your help

[dreyfusduke]

A tangential knife is controlled mathematically by a driven axis.   It is not a trailing knife, or a drag knife.

[Anonymous]

please watch this video, also shows the CAM software that is used for motor driven look ahead oscillating knife cnc machines.  https://youtu.be/Z6-T6owlnw8

[BLACKBETON]

Hi 

I am getting back on this topic, I need to get an oscillating  knife for my CNC, is there any solution to make tool path drôle fusion 360 ? That’s my main cam software and i can’t believe Autodesk didn’t think about this very common tool in the available cam options 

any solution ? 

thanks !