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Anyone know if there is a file/location for setting up default options in V27 (Turn especially)
What I am meaning is for things like stock dimensions, Depths of cut, finish amounts, whether to used canned cycles or not etc.
It is not a huge deal but it is a lot of extra changing each time you do a new part and I sometimes I forget, especially the canned cycle for threading..
Hood
Why not just do a couple of features and save them out, that way you only have to load one and change a few numbers where needed, pretty much like using Fanuc canned cycles, the vast majority of Lathe operations can be done at the machine by just changing a few numbers in saved canned cycles anyway:D
If you are using Mach3 then the "Wizards" only require you to fill in a few boxes and you`re done :D
Yes, that would work well for the operations right enough will have to start using features.
It wouldn't work for the stock dimensions, colour and transparency though. It also wouldn't help with such things as the rectangular surface plane defaulting to metric equiv of 2" x 2" x 1/2" rads etc. All not really a huge deal as mentioned but a bit annoying that you have to change every time you use.
Regarding Machs wizards, well to me they are very basic and not much use unless you are simply wanting to just do a quick reduction in dia or enlarge a bore or similar. Also the standard ones have a few niggles such as the finish pass amount also determines the amount left on Z when roughing, not a great idea when you have an extra 1mm on the Z that the finishing tool tries to remove. I altered a couple of the wizards so I have options to set the Z finish amount and also altered it to have the possibility of selecting a different tool for finish and roughing.
To be honest though I hardly ever use the wizards, its often just as quick to MDI if it is a simple job and definitely much quicker to do anything slightly more complex in BobCAD than do lots of separate operations in the wizards or cut/paste wizard code to produce a finished part.
Hood
OOPS posted too early, meant to finish by saying I was just hoping thee was a file somewhere that I could set defaults for certain things in BobCAD, looks like there isn't though as I have searched through all I can think of.
Hood
Unless you have pretty much the same stock for multiple jobs then you`re stuck with changing sizes as required, however if you often use for example say 50mm round bar stock then it is easy to open BC, change the BobCAD-1 default drawing stock size, colour, transparency etc, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hood
Then just save it out as maybe 50 x 20-Trans - Grey for a 50mm bar stock at 20% transparency Grey in colour and next time you open BC just open that file and you have all your things just as you like them :D
There is a way of setting a path to the file so that BC will open it by default, I`ve seen it done a while ago, think it was SBC or maybe Burrman that came up with that but I can`t remember just how it was done :(
Maybe better anyway to make a few for the most common of stock etc that you use and then you have a choice, you can use the features to save out canned cycles for simple Lathe turning, facing, boring etc, etc and just load as required and change a few numbers.
I find it easier to have the G code canned cycle in the Lathe control so it`s only a few minutes to bring it up on screen and alter a few numbers at the machine, can have it done in the time it takes to walk to the office and launch BC :D :D :D
Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro:
I used to do kind of similar to what you said, I had a file that I had a load of operations done and I had the posting and toolpaths blanked.
I would then just enable the toolpath and posting for the operations I needed and then choose the new geometry, it worked well most of the time but I found that sometimes it would change settings in the operations for some reason, I then had to go through each page and check to make sure nothing had changed and in the end it was just as easy doing things from scratch.
With you mentioning the saved features then I think that may be the way to go, maybe save a default file with stock colour and transparency set but no operations blanked out and instead just import saved features as and when required.
In Win7 I can have the file pinned to the taskbar so I can easily access it, so looks like most of my niggles can be solved that way, will still have to merge a solid part with that file to get my part into the file but as long as I remember to Save As rather than just Save it will work fine.
Yes canned cycles are great, Mach Lathe has very little in the way of cycles unfortunately, Brian reckons wizards are just as good, I disagree :)
There is the new turn wizards that are similar to the Mill addons in that you can step through a complete part and then post the code but it is just as quick and easy to do in CAM as to do that.
Hood
Made a couple of default files (Lathe and Mill) and pinned them to the taskbar and made up a few lathe features. Tried it out and it works great, much quicker :)
Hood
Nice one, way to go eh?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hood
Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro: