Help needed with slot/pocket milling. Get Path error messages?

[jgaertner]

Hello, 

I am trying to mill 2 closed and 2 open pockets or slots in MS with a 1/4" dia. end mill. Willing to go slow with the milling but I cannot get a valid tool path? Have tried 2d and 3D clearing, pockets etc. Any help would be appreciated.

Jgaertner

See attached file for details.

[LibertyMachine]

Set Tool Outside boundary with a .25 offset

And turn on Rest Machining, from previous operations.

That's only needed if you are trying to do both open and closed pockets in one operation. I typically try to break them up as needed to minimize any chance of an oversight or some such issue.

File is attached

[jgaertner]

Thanks Seth. Is it possible to make a cut full material thickness? I was kind of shooting for an adaptive clearing where the mill would chew away at the pocket/slots full face depth?

Jgaertner

[LibertyMachine]

2D and 3D Pocket clearing operations primarily employ conventional machining strategies. Anything you do at full depth is going to be a rather hefty cut. If the goal is to "chew" away at something in the manner of adaptive, then Adaptive is what you should be using.

File attached

[jgaertner]

Thanks for the help. I do want to try at this adaptive strategy for this piece as a test piece. I am attaching a new version of the same part. Can you explain why the mill will not punch all the way through the material? It is leaving some small layer behind. The Piece of MS is on a sacrificial mount which holds it above the vise jaws, so I do not care if the mill cuts away at it.

Jgaertner

[Trigg3r]

You have both Axial and Radial stock to leave checked and set at .002" so the toolpath will leave that amount of the stock uncut.

Also, you may find 2D Adaptive more suited to roughing simpler 'single height' parts like this.

I've attached an example 🙂

[jgaertner]

Hello Trigger,

I do not seem to be able to copy your steps in selecting the right features to do the 2D adaptive milling? I used a saved copy of the same file but it is not working for me? I have looked at your example carefully. Any help with your steps on how you selected the features?

Jgaertner

[Trigg3r]

@jgaertner no problem just give me an hour or so to get sorted at work.

[Trigg3r · Accepted solution]

@jgaertner What problems where you having with selection ?

You can see above that I've selected the lower contour (easier for heights selection) of both closed pockets and when selecting the third open pocket, the whole perimeter is selected (blue). 2D ops need to be told about stock as they aren't smart, so next we select stock contours. If you had modelled your stock, we would have chosen that body, but because you simply selected a virtual stock size in the setup, we have nothing to select, and the op automatically selects this virtual stock (orange) when stock contours is checked, hence no need to select anything.

Now the 2D Adaptive has material to remove, and a stock definition to remove it from. As the outer perimeter is the same size as the stock, only the closed and open pockets require to be cleared.

Hope that makes sense. 😄 

[jgaertner]

Thank you for the picture and explanation. For some reason I was getting a tool path all the way around the piece of stock? I then was trying to select just the two open pocket lines. That did not work. I think I need to learn more about the 2D and 3D processes. I know John Saunders has made a video on this subject and I need to watch it again.

Appreciate your help. Will post a picture of the part when it is done on the mill.

Jgaertner

[jgaertner]

I got the part made. Except for a tool height issue with the chamfer tool, it came out pretty nice. I appreciate everyone's help. Learned a great deal.

I still am wondering what is the "Best" strategy for hogging this piece out. When the Mill machined the second closed slot, there sure seemed to be a lot of chatter compared to the other closed slot and the 2 open slots? Is it better to mill down in layers or make the slot with the full depth of the tool?

Any thoughts on this?

Jgaertner

[jgaertner]

I got the part made. Except for a tool height issue with the chamfer tool, it came out pretty nice. I appreciate everyone's help. Learned a great deal.

I still am wondering what is the "Best" strategy for hogging this piece out. When the Mill machined the second closed slot, there sure seemed to be a lot of chatter compared to the other closed slot and the 2 open slots? Is it better to mill down in layers or make the slot with the full depth of the tool?

Any thoughts on this?

Jgaertner