Multiple Setups use cut stock from previous

[Anonymous]

I am giving HSM another shot. I searched for this and the last I found was from the beginning of the year where the answer was basically it was being worked on.

Is it still not available?  I tried Simulate on Setup 1, but when I right click and choose Stock > Save Stock, I get Failed to save stock??

Also is 4th Axis supported ..  ie the spindle only traveling in two axis, and the third axis is material rotation?

[LibertyMachine]

It's still not a fully-finished area of the software, but it can be done, relatively painless-ly. Two methods: Draw what you expect your remaining stock to look like as a separate model and select that on your second op as needed, or Save out the stock as an .stl and re-import it. Be warned though, it most likely will come in YUUUGE (metric/imp conversion error)

I did not have an error when I ran CAM Simulation and right-click>Save Stock. Not sure what you ran into...

4th axis is in, but only indexing, no 4th axis wrapping. That will be coming along soon I believe, with some rumors putting it in November, or early 2017

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the Reply Seth,

I tried making a separate model.  It defaults to loading it from C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp\Fusion360CAM\1 folder???  Anyhow if I leave off the IPT, it says the file doesn't exist and if I add the .ipt I get an Internal Cam Kernel Error. 

I tried another model and tried to save the stock after the first setup, and again, got the failed to create model.  

I can't get the other Cam software I use to remove all the material in a couple of areas.   I was hoping to see if HSM would be able to get in and get everything, and it would sure be nice to see it on the screen, rather than running the part to find out if it can or not.  I have to say, it does appear that HSM is able to get in and get it all, but it would still be nice to see the fully machined part.

The other issue with it not being able to bring the remaining stock to a new setup, is that the machine is going to be trying to cut a whole lot of air, on the rest of the setups, wasting a lot of machine time.

If the developers want to see either of the files just let me know

[LibertyMachine]

woah woah woah.

IPT? That's not a Fusion format I'm familiar with... (Inventor perhaps?)

If you want to share the file here I'd be glad to take a look at it. To share: File > Export > Save to local folder. Return to thread and attach the .f3d file in your reply

[HughesTooling]

Make sure you have the Stock Mode set to standard.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies Seth and Mark,

Setting Stock to Standard, allowed me to export the stock to a STL file.  I opened it in Meshmixer, and converted the units to Inch, and re exported it.  When I brought it into Fusion, it was half the size of the original part.  So I uploaded the original and when I brought it in it was twice the size.    Scaling it moved it way off origin, and maybe because of graphics issues or? it took quite a few tries before getting it to Size.  But now I can't constrain it and can't seem to figure out how to locate it precisely. If I get some fee time today I will try to research how we are supposed to deal with Mesh bodies.    I don't get why they couldn't make it so the export automatically exported it right into the file, in the right place with the right scaling.   

[Anonymous]

I moved the stl as close as I could visually, but when I go into cam and choose to use a solid it won't let me select the stl part?

[HughesTooling]

As you've found you can't use an stl, you'd think if the cam saved to stl it would read it back. I've done a screencast to show how to import and convert. First start a new design and turn history off then import the stl. With history off you get an option mesh to brep on the right click menu in the model workspace.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Thanks Mark, 

Very helpful screencast.  Unfortunately my mesh has over 9K triangles and won't convert.  I took it into the Mesh environment and reduced it to the point it was starting to loose detail, and it still told me it didn't recommend converting it, but I went ahead and turned it to a component.  I tried multiple face groups but it would fail every time trying to merge faces.

I am a relative newbie on CAM stuff, but every other cam program I have seen imports STL files. At least I now understand why they haven't automated the export and import since STL files are useless in the CAM module, and the conversion is to dependent on the complexity. Still it is hard to understand why this is still so messed up needing workarounds that are likely to fail on anything complex, when IMO one of the main things about a CAM package is being able to see what you are going to end up with, before ever firing up the machine.

I will probably end up running a part, because from what I can see it appears it might be able to remove everything where my other cam package doesn't even when using the 4th axis.

[Anonymous]

If anyone wants to play with it here is one of the files.  I have been doing 4 setups at 90º increments doing adaptive clearing , and then with the other cam package I was doing a 4th axis parallel finishing.  I haven't decided what finishing I am going to try here.

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I will probably end up running a part, because from what I can see it appears it might be able to remove everything where my other cam package doesn't even when using the 4th axis.

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Do you know you can select all the setups or just select the setups folder and simulate. This will not help with rest machining but ate least you'll see what you'll get.

Also have you tried setting up tool orientation in an op. Do you have a 4th axis and a post setup for 4 axis work? See attached file. If you are using the standard version of Fusion you'll need to activate tool orientation in your preferences under preview.

Sim with tool orientation. Looks like you might need to set the depth a bit deeper.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Mark,

I had tried right clicking on the setups folder before, but your post made me try highlighting it and going to the actions pulldown, and selecting simulate there.  Sure seems like it should be in a context menu on the setups folder.

Anyhow, that at least lets me see what I will end up with. Still will be cutting a lot of air, but I can live with that.  Maybe the 4th axis stuff will fix that, I haven't had a chance to try it yet.  

Thanks for sticking with me, and finding something workable.