Well after a somewhat painful journey, I was able to make something usefull.

It's a Keychain or will be. it's for SBG Clan (Saved By Grace) a HALO 3 group I run with.

Used Alibre to Draw it. Dolphin CAD/CAM to make the tool paths and contours. MACH 3 and my KDN Tools converted X-2.

Now after this process I feel like I can make anything. As a matter of fact I showed it to the Two Machinst and work. One has given me a job to do for him. He wants a Left Handed Muffler Bearing. Need to do some research on them first I guess.

The first photo is using MeshCam 3d profiling. It didn't make smooth arcs or lines.

The second Photo is cutting

The third is where I am still having trouble setting up starting points. The first layer is the points from 0.00 to -0.10 the second layer should have cut from -0.10 to -0.20. Well it cut from 0.00 to -0.20.

The Fourth photo is success. I started the program to find out where it was going to cut first and than moved and reclamped the material.

Suggestions?

Smitty

Smitty,

Congrats! Looks great!

Be careful on that Left Handed Muffler bearing. They can be really tricky. Right Handed muffler bearings are much easier. :)

Making chips.... looking good

Them machinist keep those next to their left hand allen wrench:stickpokeThem guys :)

Jack

Smitty,

Congrats! Looks great!

Be careful on that Left Handed Muffler bearing. They can be really tricky. Right Handed muffler bearings are much easier. :)

I didn't think they were giving me the easy one to make. Still researching. LOL

Smitty

Nice job on that emblem Smitty, I always liked those little witness marks from the tool paths.

Left Handed Muffler Bearing, are not a problem after you have made a few, I 've made plenty of them, it is what I call all those jobs I screwed up on, although I now refer to them as custom parts.


Ken

I didn't think they were giving me the easy one to make. Still researching. LOL

Smitty

oh, and you'll need a metric crescent wrench to make them. I have one if you need it.
http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE-1000227reg.jpg

you might want to consider a fix bubble level to level it

The truth is that if you make a right handed muffler bearing and flip it over you'll have a left handed version. just remember to chamfer on the opposite side.

I have been looking for a g code file for this. I have been out this week snipe hunting and when I got back, I saw this. Oh, and we didn't get any snipe for those wondering. :confused:;)

Maybe the left hand muffler bearing is what I need to attach my exhaust manifold on with?

The truth is that if you make a right handed muffler bearing and flip it over you'll have a left handed version. just remember to chamfer on the opposite side.

Hey now!!! That's supposed to be a trade secret!! Mum's the word.... :)

Smitty, I have Meshcam As well. I did a Jpeg picture and the cut was defiantly not what I wanted. I got pretty much what you got your first time around. I would like too start using Meshcam for 3-d types, but need too start small before I go big.

Here is how mine turned out.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/SpeedsCustom/Picture173.jpg

The Lettering is bubbly and the logo looks smooth, but there are lots of little lines and gaps and bubbles.


Still figuring it out.



-Jason

Ahhhhhh the wandering tool.

What sort of endmills are you guys using for your finishing paths in Meshcam? I would have thought that you'd need ball-nose to get smooth curves on 3D stuff.

I was using an endmill. But my thoughts on this were, even if I was using an endmill, shouldn't it go around corners etc and still leave me with a smooth cut, just as if I were doing 2d work.

I like your Halo chain though, I want too be able too get some stuff going with Mesh.


-Jason

The truth is that if you make a right handed muffler bearing and flip it over you'll have a left handed version. just remember to chamfer on the opposite side.

Figures a machinst would know the short cut to making something.

Smitty

MeshCam seems to be great for 3d stuff and your right you will need a Ball Mill to make the profiles so I went and bought one, to play with.

Dolphin CAD/CAM made increadably smooth contours, it's for 2.5D not 3D so that could make a huge differance. It sets Z and cuts X-Y. Mesh Floats all three axis at once.

Back to the Muffler Bearing, you would think that McMaster Carr has them. Nope, I even called them and JEGS.

Smitty

Back to the Muffler Bearing, you would think that McMaster Carr has them. Nope, I even called them and JEGS.

Smitty


That's because left hand muffler bearings are used in left handed smoke shifters, which is what you need for snipe hunting, check local sporting goods store.

Just a little observation here. You may want to check the squareness of your mill. It looks as if your tool tip is not flat. to the work piece. Alot of those lines should not be there.

maybe tramming or checking to see if something moved would be the helping hand in this.

You you machine a pocket and you run your fingernail over the cuts and the tooling marks grab your finger nail then you know your not milling flat. Hope it helps.Also a 33% step over rate of your tool might help.

Smitty, I have Meshcam As well. I did a Jpeg picture and the cut was defiantly not what I wanted. I got pretty much what you got your first time around. I would like too start using Meshcam for 3-d types, but need too start small before I go big.

Here is how mine turned out.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/SpeedsCustom/Picture173.jpg

The Lettering is bubbly and the logo looks smooth, but there are lots of little lines and gaps and bubbles.


Still figuring it out.



-Jason

Nope, it has something too do with the program, and I'm being an idiot. Machine is squared. At one point I noticed that the 2 nd cuts were going deeper than they should have been, I was pretty confused.

-Speed