Need Help!- edgecam solidmachinist help needed

[jw1911]

i am having trouble generating path for a pocket that is open at the top. can generate all roughing and finishing toolpaths for the bottom but the open parts never generate and none of it takes all of the stock off. i can take screen shots if it will help or i will email some one my solidworks model if it will help. just using the standard 3x horizontal post - been working for me so far.

any recommendations on what process to use?

[lamebridge]

I'm having a tough time understanding what you mean exactly by open on top. It sounds like you're describing what Edgecam's feature finder would find as an "open pocket". Did you have "open pocket" selected when you ran feature finder? You may want to select every type of feature, then run feature finder to see what you get.

If you still can't find a feature that will correctly create toolpath, you may want to select the entire model, and use a roughing cycle. Set your Z depth to the deepest Z dimension in the pocket, and create a containment boundry to confine the toolpath to the pocket.

You can easily create a containment boundry by using the "create geometry from edges" to select the outermost edges of the pocket. On the open side of the pocket, you can translate or offset the your boundary away from the part to allow the tool an area to approach from. The containment must be closed.

I hope that helps.

I'm just guessing at what the problem is. Some screenshots would really help, and what version of Edgecam you're using and your level of experience.

[lamebridge]

Is your "level" in whatever cycle you're using at the (Z) top face of the part?

If you haven't already, try making your level 0, and select associative.

[jw1911]

thanks... i'll put up some screenshots

[jw1911]

first picture is the part and setup in the machine

second is the part with the generated roughing path

third another view showing the level

[lamebridge]

I would say by what I see in the screen shots that I'd try using the roughing cycle, and follow the instructions I suggested before, but set your level at zero, but do not check associative (assuming that your top face is Z0.0).
This way Edgecam will machine everything from absolute Z0.0, down to the bottom of the pocket. Edgecam will also likely want to machine all around your part, so youll need to create a containment boundry. Then, under the "more" tab in the roughing cycle, select tool inside. That'll keep the tool inside the containment.

[tummen]

I get the feeling that you did not create a stock yet. Without stock edgecam only mashines internal pockets.
Try create box or circular stock, then in the mashining cycle you have to set stoch to profile (works only with box stock i think) or digitise to select a 3d oblect working as your stock. then you can later mashine the stock away.
finishing works without stock, roughing needs it.