hello i need some help from a real mastercam expert. I am trying to create a slot but i dont want the cutter to plunge unit 3 in from the edge of part. i need it to cut .25 deep and stop 3 in from end of part and retract straight up. please help! thanks
hi there
if you want the lead in and lead out to come out before the end you can select , to lead in and out at the midpoint of a geometry. So if you select the longest edge curve then it will enter and exit at the midpoint of that curve/line . you can also give it a percentage of in and out and remove the arc movement if it is a narrow slot and just have it entering and exiting perpendicular to the geometry, if that makes sense!
thank you it worked!! WOO HOO i don't know why i didnt think of that. only problem i have is that it leaves a little step on the inside of the end of the slot.
I do a lot of slots, and usually I'll create a line parallel to the length but right down the center. Turn off lead in/out and cutter comp in Profile, and just ramp down into it. Then to finish the walls, I'll turn lead in/out back on (along with Wear comp) and adjust the radius/angle/length parameters so the tool starts in the already machined center and ramps into the finished side. This, of course, requires a cutter dia smaller than the width of the slot... but then, you'd never (almost never anyway) expect a perfect slot in one pass, since you're climb cutting on one side, conventional on the other.
1/8" slot use 3/32" endmill, 1/4" slot use 3/16"...so forth. This method is great for high pressure/high vacuum O-ring grooves.
...btw, I'll create my dummy toolpath geometry in its own level so you can unclutter things and make sure you're cutting what you want on the complex parts.
And don't forget, there are times when it's really Ok to just write some code into your program by hand.
Last edited by fizzissist; 09-23-2014 at 07:54 AM.
Reason: ...tasteful additions..
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mastercam expert needed
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