Simple V-cutter "Canoe" Shape in CamBam

[jbeuckm]

I'm new to CAM. I have been using Cambam for a week or so and am familiar with the basics.

I want to make one Vee-bit pass (from point A to B in the image) while plunging the Z down for the first half and up for the second half. The goal is to create this kind of leaf shape with a valley longwise and lowest point in the center. How would I set this up in Cambam?

Secondarily, I would like to manipulate the plunge rate so that the depth was a curve rather that straight down and up. But most importantly is the first step of getting the single pass plunge movement going. I know how to write the g-code but I'm hoping there is a function in Cambam for doing this.

Thank you
Joe

[10bulls]

Hi Joe,

CamBam doesn't provide a V engraving operation as such, but has many workarounds for common problems.

The engraving machine operation is a great general purpose operation,as it will follow your source drawing in X,Y and Z. So you can use it to basically draw a toolpath using CAD.

In the attached file, I have created a polyline arc then rotated it so that it descibes a curved Z move. The arc was then used as the source of an engraving operation.

Arcs are usually only defined within the XY plane and will give unexpected results when rotated out of XY. To get around this...
1. Draw an arc or other curved line.
2. Select the arc then use 'Draw - Point List - Divide Geometry', and enter a number such as 30. This will generate 30 points along the selected shape.
3. With the points selected, select 'Edit - Convert to - Polyline' (or CTRL+P)

This will form a polyline made up of straight line segments which can then be rotated, scaled or skewed without causing arc problems.

I drew an arc polyline along the X axis, then used Transform - Rotate, to rotate the shape 90 degrees about the X axis (Press the X key in the rotation mode to change the axis of rotation).

The shape can then be rotated about the Z axis, moved and scaled into the correct size and position.

I hope this helps.

[jbeuckm]

Thanks - that's exactly what I needed. I ended up making more of a bent stick for the depth profile since an arc plunged too deeply at the terminals and left round edges instead of pointy. This procedure is working really well.