Setting up form tools

[Malgiliath]

Hi guys,

I have been using SolidCam since Christmas and find it very easy to use, however I have come across a small problem which I hope some one can give some advice on.

I have to create a profile using a form cutter. I need to have the diameter size referenced to the smallest diameter of the form tool and to Z reference to the centre line of the radius form. (See attached image)

Any help will be grately received as we do quite a bit of work using form tools and need to set them in this way.

regards

Steve

[gabert]

You are looking for information on "shaped tools" The geometry is based upon a sketch. See SolidCam help shaped tools

Regards
GDG

[Malgiliath]

The help file has no useful information about what I am wanting, sorry.

What I need is a reference point which can be moved about the shape and not dictated to by SolidCam.

[Brakeman Bob]

To have a reference point moved around the shape is not possible, but there are solutions.

The thing I would do is define the shaped tool in "Shaped Tools", assign it to a tool in the library (probable an endmill would be best) and in the tool topology page set the diameter to the smallest diameter of your formtool (Ø19.7 in the example given). This works for the D offset.
For the H offset I am afraid that the programmer will have to remember to set the depth correctly when defining the job.

[gabert]

The tool diameter will work for diameter if tool is set up as a mill.

We use tool message to set our tool offsets when we set up a tool and have the following code in our .gpp file to load those offsets in the start of our output file.

@def_tool
{nl, ' (TOOL ', tool_number, ' = ', tool_message, ')'}
{nb, 'G10 L10 P', tool_number, ' R', msg_mill_tool1}
endp

GDG