I am using turbocadcam3. I am cutting 6 pieces of .500" thick circles at a time out of balsa wood.
I am cutting these pieces in two Z depth of cuts of .250". What is nagging me is the fact that between each cut( of each piece), the end mill retracts to the Z clearance point before proceeding with the second cut. I have not been able to figure out how to make the two cuts without the tool retracting. I can understand why the mill would need to come up when working with metal, but with balsa I don't need all of these additional moves. I've remove d practically every piece of G code that I could think of. Does anyone know if turbocadcam allows one to do what I want to do? I am using the "chain offset milling" option. Or can someone tell me how to edit the code.
thanks
tc
Here's a snipped of the code...
( MYAPP01 )
O1
G20
G17 G40 G49 G90 Z0.35
( TOOL COMMENT IS NOT FOUND )
T1
G00 G90 G54 X2.8161 Y1.5 S764 M03
G43 H1 Z0.35
( OPERATION NAME = OPERATION-1 )
F43.4
( MILLING CHAIN OFFSET )
G02 X0.1839 Z-0.28 I-1.3161
X2.8161 I1.3161
G02 X0.1839 Z-0.56 I-1.3161
X2.8161 I1.3161
( MILLING CHAIN OFFSET )
Y4.5016
G02 X0.1839 Z-0.28 I-1.3161
X2.8161 I1.3161
G02 X0.1839 Z-0.56 I-1.3161
X2.8161 I1.3161
( MILLING CHAIN OFFSET )

I don't like the Z values mixed into the G02 commands, as this could be misinterpreted as a helical command sequence. Depending on how the cnc interprets this, the Z component could be an incremental amount, so, because you are running in absolute mode, and Z is modal, it will want to retract to the original Z absolute position between moves. "Modal" means that a particular value is deemed to be in effect, until it is specifically changed in code.

So, somehow, edit your post processor or your code, using G01 moves to control Z plunges on seperate lines from your arc cutting G02 instructions.

After creating your circle and offset and before finishing the command... look at the bottom of the screen, you should see a hand to the left of the finish flag. Select this to set up your path milling options (if your path milling). After setting up the options press the finish flag.

If you have already finished the command you can select the part tree on the cam palette. Then select the milling operation you want to edit. Then select view operations parameters. From there you can edit the Rapid plane directly.

The only thing is you can't set the rapid plane lower than the clearz plane and it has to be greater than 0... I think.

Hope thats what you were looking for...

Robert

from the code that TCC writes, it appears that there's no way to eliminate the tool from coming up between cuts. The cutting routines are identical except for the fact that in the second snipped the tool is asked to go lower.

The manufacturer support person told me that it's built into the code. This is fine for metal, but for wood, especially for light wood, it steals valuable time seeing the tool go up and down between simple cuts in the same piece.


As to Dungs suggestion, to place a piece of code that forces the tool up, I am a beginner so it would be difficult for me to start playing with the right code.

thanks for the help.
tc