Multiple gouges and major issues with Rotary Pocket

[davidU4TDQ]

Hi. I am having major issues with a 4th Axis project in Fusion. I am trying to do a rotary pocket rough pass.

The tool paths seem erratic often crashing through stock and making deep cuts that break the tool.

Despite defining where the headstock is, I get links going directly into it. Fusion will not let me trim any paths.

I often get horizontal ramps in to a cut with the tool taking an excessive run up and often crashing through stock.

When I try to set machining boundaries, for instance with silhouette, Fusion complains about "invalid geometry - closed machining boundary required".

Fusion repeatedly crashes on simulations

During simulations, Fusion reports tool crashes that aren't there.

So far I have tried:

Setting high feed rate mode to "always use high feed" (I don't think this is "dog leg syndrome")

Turning off smoothing

Trying unsuccessfully to set machining boundaries

Playing with clearance settings / ramp lengths

Nothing seems to help. My CNC seems fine and have tested it on a known good 4th axis file and everything is working as it should. I've spent a small fortune on flex tokens, bits and stock trying to make this work. Any help appreciated.

[seth.madore]

Would you be able to share your Fusion file here?
File > Export > Save to local folder, return to thread and attach the .f3d/.f3z file in your reply.

[davidU4TDQ]

Hi Seth. Thanks for the quick response. I would, but I just seem to have lost it. Reason being, Fusion keeps crashing. When I open again, it offers me a recovery file. I've realised that at 3am trying to get this job done I accidentally didn't accept the recovery file. And now the project has reverted back to a very early version before the project crashed for the first time(?) If the recovery file is kept locally somewhere (I'm on MacOS) I can dig it out for you. Could you point me to the location?

[seth.madore]

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-find-recove...

[davidU4TDQ]

Fusion is showing 0 recovery files for this project.

I've been through every GUID folder and checked crash recovery folders and they are empty.

So to add to my woes, I seem to have lost all my work.

I have the .cnc. Happy to send privately if that's of any help?

[davidU4TDQ · Accepted solution]

I may have solved it after starting from scratch. Setting ramp type to automatic seems to result in erratic behaviour. I've set it to plunge for now and the paths look much better. I'll test it out and see what happens.

[davidU4TDQ]

Confirmed. The issue was auto ramp type. Set it to anything other than auto (I used plunge which is a bit aggressive. Zig zag probably safer) and everything works perfectly. I really hope this helps someone because it has taken me days to troubleshoot 🙂

[BRadovan]

Hi @seth.madore,

I hope I can continue here. We have problem with Rotary pocket operation. It doesn't respect stepdown, but at some point, tool goes deeper than it should and then it goes, as I can see, with step up.

See attached image and project.

Important note is that we have already used this operation on same part (February) and things were just fine. Maybe is this problem created with some of updates.