MasterCam 4th axis project question

[HomeCNC]

I'm hoping to get some feedback on my machining strategy I used in MasterCam. The model I'm going to cut is called a "Last". It is a foot form for building a shoe. I support CAD/CAM tools for a very large athletic footwear company, getting this model was ease. I also did not want to bother the CAM engineers here at work with my stupid questions

Doing the finish cut in Mastercam was easy. I just found the Multiaxis menu and went with rotary4ax. The problem I am having is I don't see a multiaxis roughing routine.

What I did was to rough the part on the right side of the last and then on the left side of the last. I would just spin the 4th axis to 90 degrees and do one side then spin the axis to -90 and do the other side. I wanted to stop when the cutter got to the center axis, but Mastercam did not stop there. It went on down past center to the bottom of the material. What I did was to delete the tool path that was below the center axis for each side. See my pictures below.

Was this method acceptable or is there a much better way?

[HuFlungDung]

Is there a "bottom of job" parameter that you can set to limit the toolpath depth?

[cadcam]

Homecnc, what path did you use for roughing?
If you used Surfcae pocket or parriall this has option for depth that you can control how fare it can go and how far down to start.

If you want to send me your file I can set it and show you.
I have a few seats of MC here ;-)

[HomeCNC]

Homecnc, what path did you use for roughing?
If you used Surfcae pocket or parriall this has option for depth that you can control how fare it can go and how far down to start.

I did use Sruface Rough Pocket. I did not see a depth stop command. Where would it be?

[cadcam]

It's on the Rough Paramters page 3rd tab at the bottom called cut depths.

[sendkeys]

so that's how the dutch make wooden shoes

[cadcam]

That is funny

[HomeCNC]

I tried the Rough Parameters page for cut depths. I though that was to set the maximum cut depth for each pass, not the total depth of cut of the pocket. Anyway I tried to set the "Critical Depths" to 0 which is the center of the 4th axis. It still produced tool path going past the center of the axis. You can see from the right side of my picture. We are looking at the top view and the tool path passes center.

[cadcam]

Jeff, can you share your file with me?
I will set it up and explane more to you.I know we can get this to work I just finished a project for a customer and showed the hole class how to do this two weeks ago.

I use Absolute on this instead of Incramental.
If you want,mail the file, if you dont want to share it with the hole world.

Thanks Jay

[wholepair]

It's been a while since I've programed with solids or surfaces in Mastercam. But from what I can remember - when you use a roughing routine you can select both driving surfaces and bounding surfaces. The bounding surfaces are what I used to keep the tool from going places I did'nt want it to go. There were other parameters to control how toolpath generated at surface/edges but I remember finding the boundry surface to be more usefull. I remember I often created plane surfaces at depths I wanted to stay above and put them on a layer called bounds or something. You can also use bounding geometry(you know those antiquated data objects called lines and arcs).

I haven't used anything after MCAM8 - I think after looking at your screen shots that what I am refering to as Boundry Surfaces might actually be called Check Surfaces...
I see that you have none selected.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4063

I think this is how it works...
Put a planer surface at the center axis of your shoe where you want to stop cutting - select it in the surface parameters page as a check/surface and then enter how far away you want to stay from it, this depending on what kind of roughing tool you are using.

MASTERCAM ROCKS! They taught me SmartCam where I went to school but as soon as I got out I tought myself Mastercam. There are alot of great books out there - check amazon.com or abe.com - theres alot of crap books out there to - so be decerning.

This is funny - I just sent a long email to you - @homecnc.info - and now I find I'm writing you again... What shoe company are you indebting with your skills?
- is it the N word?

[cadcam]

Wholepair we have Depth control in mastercam without hve to make the extra surfaces to control the depths.
That way was a good way before V8 were you could use depth cuts to control this now.

But your way is still a good way thow.

What do you program with now?

[wholepair]

I haven't switched to another program. I would expect a sales rep and an instructor to think such things, I just don't work as a programer anymore. But, If I ever needed to write code again - I would turn to mastercam... I would rather use an old DOS version of mastercam then any recent CAM software I've seen.

I'm really interested in MastercamART... And am curious about Rhino...