Milling Handed Parts Workflow

[andy.concept303]

Hi all

Looking for some advice on the best workflow for milling handed parts.  Quite often I’m sent a CAD model of one part and asked to produce a handed pair, but only one pair, so I just mirror the body in CAD first and use the two bodies for the tools paths.   Now I’m aware and have used the mirror tool path function, but I’m not keen on using this as the mirrored tool path also swaps the milling direction (climb to conventional), and for larger parts means two vices.

As the parts are usually at least two ops, I end up just coping the toolpaths over to the second body, which can be time consuming.  But this becomes even more of a pain for the second op when using stock from previous op, as I obviously want to run first op on both parts first.

Anyway, here’s my typical workflow for one pair of parts:-

1. Create toolpath for LH part op1 – post code & machine
2. Copy toolpath from (1) over to RH part op1 – post code & machine
3. Create toolpath for RH part op2 (using previous stock) – post code & machine
4. Copy toolpath from (3) over to LH part op2 + re-establish op1 LH part toolpath to allow previous stock to work – post code & machine

Obviously with an op3 it gets worse!

Hope that makes sense, I’m sure I’m over thinking it and there’s an easy solution but I’m not seeing it!

Any help really appreciated.

Thanks.

[loudonbendall]

Is your main issue with your current workflow simply just reselecting geometry? Sorry, I don't quite understand what your problem is.

You could make each setup be a different WCS and then select both while holding control and post both at once. As long as you have each WCS right in the machine and all of the settings in your post correct it should run your first setup then the second. I've never tried running something like this but I did post two setups at once and dig through the program to see if it changed the WCS and it did. Let me know if this helps and if it didn't please further explain your problem.

Thanks!

[andy.concept303]

Hi

Many thanks for reply and info.  Sorry yes, the issue I have is having to reselect all the geometry for each tool path each time.  And as the parts are usually not that small, I’m having to do each part / op at a time i.e. per post.

Hope this makes sense. 

Thanks.

[loudonbendall · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately, there's no other way around this except the Mirror command. However, you could duplicate two different setups, change the duplicated setup so everything is set to conventional milling, then mirror the setup with the "keep original" box unchecked. This in theory should create an opposite-handed part but I have not tested this yet. Another idea I had was to reverse the direction of the x and y-axis in the machine's control, but that's way more finicky and dangerous.

Cheers.

[andy.concept303]

Ok, many thanks, I was sure there was an easy solution I wasn’t seeing!  

[Anonymous]

i have this often as well.  what i do is i try to build all the toolpaths with some kind of awareness, 3d etc, drilling by hole size range... it streamlines the process and only the least model aware toolpaths will need to be clicked on.

edit, reread the post.  so what i will do is make an assembly, and will nest the stock and model in the same sub component as separate components, essentially they will be laid on top of each other, then i will do a setup get it finished and ready to machine, then before im ready to run the opposite part, i'll set a plane, and mirror the component, go back to cam, duplicate the original setup and replace the model and stock with the mirrored part, and regenerate all the tool paths, if anyone dont then i'll edit them and reselect the geometry, but this has been quick and robust for me. imo anyway.

 

 

[andy.concept303]

Hi, many thanks, some great tips there, will give them a try, thank you!