[mountaindew]

After reading some of the threads and posts I figured it might be helpful to post a new thread on 2d contour operations.
I noted in another post if sprut cant do it with a 2d contour operation of some type, its going to be hard to do in 2d.

My next projects require or could benefit from the option of using a arbor saw for some of the operations.
Recently tormach did a video on how to use a arbor saw but left out the part I need "how to set this up in a cam system"

The screen clips below will help any new sprutcam user set up a arbor saw and include in cam programs.
This is a general example to get things going all feeds speeds and operations require review.

Loaded test part into sputcam and setup for operations

Attachment 249228


Define the tool
I used torus mill but other mill profiles will work.
I set the diameter to 2" to match saw
I set the length to 0.0625 to match saw thickness
Other settings like overhang need adjustment also.

Attachment 249206

Holder definition "optional pain I go thru to get it looking good"

Attachment 249208

Parameters
Create 2d contour op
Select arbor saw tool above
Select bottom of slot "shown yellow and blue highlight on part"
In assignment tab select add pocket
Adjust compensation as required to show tool path offset by dia of tool "shown with red circles"

Attachment 249210

Note top and bottom levels filled automatically and set depth of cut to thickness of saw blade in this case 0.062

Attachment 249212

Rough step parameters sets the depth of cut for each pass in the xy plane

Attachment 249214

Verify number of passes and other parameters


Extend 2d tool paths to clear approach and return of tool by the diameter of tool as distance
Very important or collisions will happen and it wont check out
"shown in yellow and red highlight lines"

Attachment 249216


Run and verify tool paths

Attachment 249218

if all checks out and setting are good with gouge detection on then

Attachment 249220


Then repeat with a new copy of 2d contour operation for each pocket or slot

Attachment 249222


Simulate


Attachment 249224


Generate g-code and test at mill


Attachment 249226

What you see is what you get


Saved this operation and named 2d contour Arbor saw hss for easy addition to any cam models that will require this.

A key habit I have NOTES "what you see above I copied directly and pasted it for others to use"

Added all the visual clips and notes above to my m.s. ONE NOTE program for easy reference on future projects under sprutcam arbor saw setup.
now I can quickly review and set this up all from my notebook and cam program

I enjoy learning using videos as a medium but find concise information like above more valuable then face time so many videos have these days.
Just my opinion
Hope this helps


md

[pickled]

Bravo- well done! I have never used a slitting saw via CAM before. I was always hand coding the G-code because the operations were typically pretty simple. Now I can expand my horizons a bit without having to endure all the pain thanks to your tutorial. Cheers!

[David C. Allen]

MD, you are always raising the bar when it comes to SprutCAM. I enjoy reading your post and the tutorials you do.

I have a question on the selection of the pocket.

Select bottom of slot "shown yellow and blue highlight on part"

So I must be missing something??

Attachment 249410

But when I select pocket

Attachment 249412

I get the warning.

Thanks

David

[mountaindew]

Hi David
Im guessing that how the part Is drawn and what program draws it is making the difference here!
Another way is to select a line at the bottom of the pocket and use that as the tool path . "shown below and added with the curve button"
Then select the top face of the slot and add that as top surface "sets the z level to start at:
Then select bottom face and set as bottom surface. "sets the z level to stop at"
You should see tool path in the z direction match those 2 surfaces and it will mill to depth of the line/curve that defined the tool path
Then extend the lead in and out tool paths past edge of part or away from part for entry and exit clearance of saw blade.

Attachment 249420 .

A few ways to define the 2d tool paths if sput does not recognize the surfaces as pockets
I have noticed strange things like that also if I draw them a certain way.
Anyway the line at bottom of pocket should give it the path it needs to follow.
md

[mountaindew]

To add some detail I glossed over above.

Match dimensions for rough passes and tool paths will start at edge and step in by distance
Also top level and bottom levels can be defined and used in job assignment as noted in previous post.
With either surface as a pocket or a line entity at bottom of slot as the 2d tool path.

Attachment 249422

Another note and big time head ache or trick that is good to understand in sprut

With a closed 2d tool path " full circle" lead in and out extensions must be defined for tool to clear as shown below on right side of model

Attachment 249424

In order to get lead in and lead out points for adjusting tool path select curve then right mouse click to add to assignment. "very important trick"
If you use the curve button in assignment tab the lead in and out points wont be visible or available. "don't know why"
Shown below in with red marks are lead in and out Points and job assignment curve added with right mouse click not the button with red x marked on assignment tab.

Attachment 249426

Note the closed 2d circle tool path with lead in and out extensions.

One very important correction to above info is the saw arbor I defined above

I Used 0.50 as arbor holder dia and it should be 0.75 so that sput will detect tool holder collision with part in deep grooves as shown above.
please correct or set to size of your holder

hope this helps
md

[popspipes]

MD,
Check out the"transform" selection in Strategy, There was a post a few months back that talked about it for multiple ops. Instead of selecting multiple copies of 2d contour. I dont remember the name of the post, but at the time I thought I would like to try that at some point.

[mountaindew]

MD,
Check out the"transform" selection in Strategy, There was a post a few months back that talked about it for multiple ops. Instead of selecting multiple copies of 2d contour. I dont remember the name of the post, but at the time I thought I would like to try that at some point.

Thanks for the pointer!
I don't use that tab much yet and most of what I do is not very uniform so multiply by axis is not very useful.
In this case its very useful because the slots are spaced equal and sprutcam likes this method because far less code generated.

Attachment 249494

Also used this as good example to add to my notebook for milling strategy's!
Thanks again for suggesting I look at this different!
I get stuck in brute force methods and forget to look for symmetrical ways.
md

[popspipes]

Your welcome sir.
I tend to use what works for me as well too, sometimes its a bit unorthodox but then it doesnt raise or lower my pay anyway so whats the difference ha!

[David C. Allen]

MD, you maybe right on the way the file was created, but with this file I have had no success. So I have attached the file.

David

[popspipes]

I didnt have any luck either, I do use sprut 7 though. I could not get the model to rotate on the x axis to align the cutter with the slots, I couldnt get the edges or curves selections to work either.

this may be due to the version of Sprut I use.

I did select a slotting mill and set it up as a 2" slitting saw but it was 90 degrees off to the part and I couldnt rotate it to align it with the cutter.

[mountaindew]

MD, you maybe right on the way the file was created, but with this file I have had no success. So I have attached the file.

David

I mentioned above if using bottom level does not work for pocket to use a line along the bottom of the pocket as the tool path.
Below is a clip of your part with a line along the bottom of your pocket highlighted "in light blue" and added to the job assignment with the curve button.
Then to set top and bottom level "z" the top and bottom face of pocket is selected and added to job assignment list 1 at a time.
And of course you must adjust lead in and out "extend" so tool does not approach and hit part.
Attachment 249594

hope this helps
md

[popspipes]

Attachment 249596

I played with this type of file last night in Sprut 7, I got it to work with multiple passes in each op. I didnt get the transform function to work though, I had to do it with multiple copies and different stock settings for each op to index into the part at .100 per op.

I had a problem getting the op to start at the bottom and finish at the top level of the slot, I finally entered a negative number for the top level, then the op would be contained to the actual slot, it simulated ok but I have never used a negative number for the top level??

[David C. Allen]

I finally got a handle on the slitting saw operation!

I talked with Jacob at SprutCAM America and down loaded the latest version of SprutCAM 8

http://download.sprutcam.com/downloa...ease_EN_RU.zip

"Just run this over your current download. Do not uninstall what you have."

Attachment 250022

Secondly the tool definition for the slitting saw needed to be changed to use Undercut mill and then change the type to Slot Mill.

Attachment 250024

Attachment 250032

I am sure MD was able to generate the proper G-code using his tool definition, but the simulation would not run on my version of SprutCAM 8, until I changed to a Undercut mill.

Attachment 250026

So now the G-code and the simulation work, so life is good!!

Again a big thank you to MD, for always raising the bar when it comes to SprutCAM and Jacob at SprutCAM America for prompt tech support.

David

[mountaindew]

To be honest!
They are wrong!
Want to make sputcam work well? use a powerful computer! period !

As for tool definition I could use and did use 4 different types of tool definitions including this type for this operation and all worked just fine. "its an open database model"
And I still can and show all of them in use they all post and they all work !

The example above I first did with a number of tool definitions!
found little difference so I choose one and used it as an example



Attachment 250056


the picture above shows the test tool definitions I did and then selected operations for 5 different slots with 5 different too definitions
they all worked!

I had no problem with your file and using any of 4 different tool definitions for arbor saw. And I bet I could do it with another 4 or 5 different types of tools.
Then again as others have said its a buggy, designed software that has so many problems and versions they don't even know whats going on!
lol

md

[pickled]

Love it MD! I laugh at the fact that you can essentially reverse engineer the design achitecture and can divine the developers intent from just being an end user LOL! Good stuff and hopefully someone over there is picking up on what you are putting down here :-). Voice of the customer rules!

[mountaindew]

Love it MD! I laugh at the fact that you can essentially reverse engineer the design achitecture and can divine the developers intent from just being an end user LOL! Good stuff and hopefully someone over there is picking up on what you are putting down here :-). Voice of the customer rules!

I think it has more to do with a clean computer software stack and a decent workstation computer
these programs are complex and leak resources all the time. when this happens bugs come and go. some see them others don't.
At times things work perfect and other times they don't.
Save and Reboot computer and take another look. is what I do.
And 90% of all my problems and errors I see are in the tools section " others will agree"

Also reflecting on my rant above kind of shows my brute force methods and they can be questionable
After complete review I had changed the tool definition and decided on the one david used above "undercut" and had not updated that like in text or pictures. I did do update with the levels and couple other settings. oops my bad. I had went on to setup woodruff keys and dove tail using that same tool name / type.
The picture above even shows this lol

md needs to chill a bit

[pickled]

MD might need to cut-back on the caffeine a little bit and meditate more :-). I too get to the point where I KNOW that XYZ operation shouldn't look like the result on the screen, or a simulation should roll faster. It is then when I treat Sprut like a cranky 1 year old and put it down for a little nap. Just like my little guy-SPRUT will usually wake up with a little bit brighter disposition and life can go on. I do agree that some validation needs to happen at the tools section because there is some serious Voodoo that stems from there! I don''t know what the Russian word for Voodoo is, but they need to find the evil Hexadecimal that's putting out the bad Juju and exorcise it!

[mountaindew]

I was cranky because sprut did the ground and pound on me, then knocked me out in the 1st round that day.
Was beat up so bad my hair even hurt. "I understand David's frustration"
md

[pickled]

Ground and pound...you are lucky! That Sprut B!tch usually gets me in a choke hold LOL!

[mountaindew]

Attachment 250024


David

David,
Would you post a screen clip of your tool holder definition?
I like the more accurate looks of yours.
Did you set this up or did sprut tech support provide this?
md