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Constant Z setup-UP finish tool path

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Message 1 of 11
Anonymous
1477 Views, 10 Replies

Constant Z setup-UP finish tool path

Is there any way to program 3D finish toolpaths to start at the bottom and work up rather than step down? This was an option in Mastercam that I used almost exclusively. 

10 REPLIES 10
Message 2 of 11
iamcdn79
in reply to: Anonymous

If you click on the 'reorder toolpath' icon then click on the 'reverse order' it will start at the end 

 

Capture.PNG


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Message 3 of 11
iamcdn79
in reply to: Anonymous

Or you could add this to a macro

EDIT TOOLPATH REVERSE_ORDER

 if you use it a lot without having to pull up the 'reorder toolpath' page everytime


Intel Core i9 13900KF CPU
128 GB Kingston Beast DDR4 SDRAM
PNY RTX A2000 6GB Video Card
WD 1 TB SSD Hard Drive
Windows 11 Pro

Message 4 of 11
Anonymous
in reply to: iamcdn79

You're awesome

Message 5 of 11
DanMcDan
in reply to: Anonymous

I use this all the time. typically I would program using Conventional milling, then reverse and the re-order the toolpath to get a spiral climb milling toolpath going UP the component.

Message 6 of 11
Anonymous
in reply to: DanMcDan

another slightly more complicated use for reorder is surface machining with 3Doffset finishing referencing a Pattern. I like to drive my finishes to a pattern made off a corner pencil finish so that I don't end up rolling into a female corner. 3D offsets always start near the pattern, though. I take the first half on one side of the pattern and move to the top and reverse order and direction. That makes a seamless flow of toolpath across a mold surface that is referencing the geometry itself to make the pattern.

Message 7 of 11
Jaanyaar
in reply to: Anonymous


@Anonymous wrote:

another slightly more complicated use for reorder is surface machining with 3Doffset finishing referencing a Pattern. I like to drive my finishes to a pattern made off a corner pencil finish so that I don't end up rolling into a female corner. 3D offsets always start near the pattern, though. I take the first half on one side of the pattern and move to the top and reverse order and direction. That makes a seamless flow of toolpath across a mold surface that is referencing the geometry itself to make the pattern.


Please may you attach an image of that situation? This way I can get you completely. Thank you.

Message 8 of 11
Anonymous
in reply to: Jaanyaar

Did a quick screencast on using a corner finish pattern to generate a full 3D offset finish including reorder and edit start points. Enjoy!

 

 

Message 9 of 11
precicam
in reply to: DanMcDan


@DanMcDan wrote:

I use this all the time. typically I would program using Conventional milling, then reverse and the re-order the toolpath to get a spiral climb milling toolpath going UP the component.


 

I'm intrigued to know the benefit of this. If I understand correctly, during the first pass (starting at bottom of, lets say a hole) the entire flute would be in contact with the job, and then the cutter starts going up. Wouldn't all the subsequent cuts that go up, be redundant? 

Message 10 of 11
Anonymous
in reply to: precicam


@Anonymous wrote:

@DanMcDan wrote:

I use this all the time. typically I would program using Conventional milling, then reverse and the re-order the toolpath to get a spiral climb milling toolpath going UP the component.


 

I'm intrigued to know the benefit of this. If I understand correctly, during the first pass (starting at bottom of, lets say a hole) the entire flute would be in contact with the job, and then the cutter starts going up. Wouldn't all the subsequent cuts that go up, be redundant? 


Only if you were machining a vertical wall.

 

Assuming the finish pass is cutting a 3D surface, the vertical flutes of the tool remove material with each step over. I have found this very helpful when machining harder materials without spending a lot of time roughing first. Removing a little material with the side of the cutter has very little (if any) impact on the final surface finish or cut time.

Message 11 of 11
cory_marty
in reply to: Anonymous

The "reverse direction" edit is exactly the result that I think many of us are looking for.  But you still have to do it maunally...  It would be very nice to see in the next release of Powermill that this is just a drop down option in the constant z menu "top to bottom" or "Bottom to top"  I find this is much more efficient of a tool path for step up roughing then if I would use step up in the vortex roughing toolpath.

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