How is rough machining of this part done? (3D Adaptive vs Pocket)

[LastFX]

Hello everyone... 

We have a part like you see in the picture. (I am adding 3D data to the attachment.)

We will machine this part with positioning using 4 axes. We cannot process with simultaneous Rotary command because our company does not use Fusion 360.

We will process this piece 6 times by turning it 60 degrees.

The question is. Should we use 3D Adaptive for this process? Or 3D Pocket? The material is hard steel. It will be processed gradually with 0.5 mm z depth passes using a 32 diameter face mill.

I don't fully understand the difference between 3D Adaptive and Pocket...

[ckautz]

Depending if your 4th axis on your Mill can feed, you can still use simultaneous 4th axis in Inventor CAM. We have done similar parts using the 2d contour, wrapping toolpath around the part, and using a face mill to rough and finish. We had to make a sketch following the center of the spiral, and used "Multiple Depths".

As for 3D Pocket V 3D Adaptive, the main difference I've noticed is that 3D Adaptive always has equal tool load, where as 3D Pocket will occasionally take full diameter cuts.

3D Pocket:

3D Adaptive:

I would advise to use 3D Adaptive, as you can feed it higher using while knowing exactly what the engagement is at all times. If you were to use 3D Pocket, your tool/inserts will quickly fail if you set the feed to be related to the stepover. In the above 2 examples, I set the max stepover to 12.7mm to display the difference easier.

The stepover in 3D Pocket seems to be related to the distance between each pass, whereas in 3D Adaptive, it is the engagement of the tool.

Use 3D Adaptive

[LastFX]

Thank you for your answer...

4 axes can be used in InventorCAM. I know this. However, you can only use wrap toolpaths in 2D pockets and contours with fixed z depth.

You cannot use wrap toolpath on the screw part in the picture I shared above because the z depths of the body of this part are different. There are curves.. Teeth are different.. angles are different..

This job can literally be handled with the ROTARY command in Fusion 360, but it is not included in InventorCam.

As for the 3D Adaptive and 3D Pocket issue... I think I understand the difference.

But there is a problem. When I use 3D Adaptive, toolpath calculation takes too long. Even though I use an Intel Core i7 12700 H processor... I hope the Autodesk team is working on optimization. All I know is that the 3D adaptive process uses a single core of the processor...