Difficulty Programming a Large Part Covered in Holes in a double Helical Pattern.

[Gebert_braxten]

The part in question^
There are 130 holes in a double helix pattern. From top to bottom they are counterbored, then chamfered, then taper threaded. Each hole is also tilted slightly towards the x axis on top of being off center. 
I can already program one of these holes full of features without to much difficulty. And I have already figured out how to hold the thing in real life with a 4th axis to index the part. 
Given I can use tokens and what have you to get whatever features I need out of fusion360, how on earth do I just simply do everything in one spot, rotate the part and do it again in a slightly different but perfectly predictable spot in XYZ? I REALLY don't want to have to spin this thing 500 times.

[a.laasW8M6T]

Hi

its not 100% clear what your asking.

1. Do you want to Drill/Chamfer/Tap Each hole then move to the next
2. or do you want to drill all the holes, then chamfer all the holes, then tap all the holes.

Obviously option 1 would result in 130x3 tool changes so I imagine that doesn't make sense(to me)

Probably the best option would be to create a hole signature for that hole that includes all the strategies required to machine it, then use hole recognition to find and machine all the holes

You can select the signature directly from the model and add operations to the template

[Gebert_braxten]

Because of how maniacally heavy this part is, I really don't want to turn this thing more then I have to. I can probably justify pretty reasonably turning it a couple dozen times if it saves a lot of time in tool changes. I have never used the templates function so I will have to give that a look when I get in on Monday. 

Another difficult thing about his part is that the holes are NOT parallel to the x/y plane, and are actually at a 6* angle which we will achieve by tilting the entire 4th axis. How big of a problem will that be to program/account for inside fusion?

Thank you so much for responding, I have been ripping my hair out trying to figure this thing out, I've had to teach myself everything I know up until this point. 

[a.laasW8M6T]

Hi

The rotary at an angle does make it more difficult, not impossible

Question though is the 4th axis an NC controlled rotary or are you using a manually positioned rotary?

[Gebert_braxten]

The 4th axis is NC controlled, thank goodness. I'm wary of turning the part lots of times because of the friction the fixturing will be going through due to the angle the whole setup will be tilted at. 

I should also mention that I have not used a 4th axis before. I understand it conceptually, however programming one is a very new experience for me. 

[a.laasW8M6T]

Ok Good, was just double checking

Now I reasonably understand the challenge.

Are you able to share the Fusion part File?(Goto File>Export>Save as .f3d/.f3z)

I would be easier if I work through it myself and can then show the approach.

The tilted axis makes things a bit more challenging in Fusion to set up.

[Gebert_braxten]

Unfortunately I cannot share the file. I have so far accounted for the tilt in the setup itself, lining it up with the bottom of the holes. Getting the right xyz touchoff points will be a challenge, but not impossible for me. Simply knowing more or less what button to press and menus to use to conquer this part is really all I need. 
Thank you for your concern and time!

[a.laasW8M6T · Accepted solution]

So one of the key things with programming most 4 axis stuff is you need to set your WCS on rotary centerline

In most cases the rotary is along X so the YZ needs to be on centerline and X can be anywhere along the rotary axis.

Because you have the rotary axis tilted this complicates things, Probably the easiest thing to do is establish the XYZ on the Center end of the part in Fusion.

The next tricky bit is you will need to use a Machine definition that tells Fusion that your rotary axis is tilted at 6° otherwise when you come to post process you will get an error saying "Direction not supported for Machine Configuration"

See video for explanation

[navya_gelli]

Hello @Gebert_braxten,

Welcome to the Community!

Just following up to see whether the issue has been resolved or if you’re still experiencing difficulties. Was the response from a.laasW8M6T helpful? If so, please consider accepting the response that resolved the issue. Any update would be appreciated and may also help other community members facing a similar problem.