[BurrMan]

Good idea, how would you proceed to make your tabs not the full thickness of your stock ?

Could you do this from the parameters page of the profile feature? Just set it up to leave what you need for a tab. Or you could place geometry up in Z like you mentioned Claude.

[BurrMan]

Well that was wrong Claude. The parameters page wont do it. I did this using the stock edit and top of part settings. Set the stock down, then set the top of part along with the depth. You can see the rapids above zero, but the cuts stay down at the material.

[Claude Boudreau]

Well that was wrong Claude. The parameters page wont do it. I did this using the stock edit and top of part settings. Set the stock down, then set the top of part along with the depth. You can see the rapids above zero, but the cuts stay down at the material.

I dont understand why this option has not been added a long time ago. This seem essential to every cnc software that want to compete.
I would suggest Bobcad to make a free addon with this , stop calling and do what s right.

[BurrMan]

I guess I'm a bit lost. I just posted a picture of a profile op that leaves tabs. It's followed by a few posts as if it didnt do it.. I know "Other" software may have a button that says "Tabs", but this didnt take me 4 hours to setup either.

Claude, your last post has a subject of "cutting air". If you look at the picture, the cuts all happen at the material as you asked...Anything above that is a "rapid move" which isnt cutting air, and can also be controlled and lowered to the material height with the "rapid plane" setting in the feature edit.

What is it that I have missed? Is it a deal breaker to have a "button" to do something?

[Magnum164]

What is it that I have missed? Is it a deal breaker to have a "button" to do something?

Well actually yes. Especially when my current software will allow me to import a 3D model of my actual fixtures to use. Having carpal tunnel, I do count mouse clicks to get a job done. Too many clicks and I am done


You can probably do the above on parametric models, but organic models or STL or other imported models may not be that easy.

[BurrMan]

Well actually yes. Especially when my current software will allow me to import a 3D model of my actual fixtures to use. Having carpal tunnel, I do count mouse clicks to get a job done. Too many clicks and I am done

You can probably do the above on parametric models, but organic models or STL or other imported models may not be that easy.

I agree. If tabbing is something you require in many situations on various data sources, having a software that does this automatically for you would probably be a good investment.

If you need to do a tab job, there can be a method shown here. If your job is tabbing all the time, The statement that BobCad doesnt tab is more correct!

[Magnum164]

I agree. If tabbing is something you require in many situations on various data sources, having a software that does this automatically for you would probably be a good investment.

If you need to do a tab job, there can be a method shown here. If your job is tabbing all the time, The statement that BobCad doesnt tab is more correct!

I can agree with that

[Magnum164]

I guess I'm a bit lost. I just posted a picture of a profile op that leaves tabs. It's followed by a few posts as if it didnt do it..

Why not post the file. Not knowing BobCAD that well I am not sure what I am looking at. At least with the file I can see if it will post and verify.

[BurrMan]

Magnum164,
Here's the file. The only settings made are the stock properties, the top of part and depth of cut settings. It seems to tab. If you look at these values, see if you can then figure out how to get it to tab at a particular depth.

Seems the only obstacle is for having it tab at other than 2d depths??? You mentioned 3d models. This example is for using 2d geometry to have the profile operation work with contours. I have recently been fooling around with using the z level finish 3d toolpath as a profiling op on 3d geometry. I think it would work pretty good for this too, but havnt done any specific example. I think for it to work well with the z-level op as a tabbing source, the "boundry" would need to force that "rapid between tabs"....I dont know if it would work this way or not. If you have an example, I would like to look at it with you.

[Magnum164]

Magnum164,
Here's the file. The only settings made are the stock properties, the top of part and depth of cut settings. It seems to tab. If you look at these values, see if you can then figure out how to get it to tab at a particular depth.

Seems the only obstacle is for having it tab at other than 2d depths??? You mentioned 3d models. This example is for using 2d geometry to have the profile operation work with contours. I have recently been fooling around with using the z level finish 3d toolpath as a profiling op on 3d geometry. I think it would work pretty good for this too, but havent done any specific example. I think for it to work well with the z-level op as a tabbing source, the "boundry" would need to force that "rapid between tabs"....I dont know if it would work this way or not. If you have an example, I would like to look at it with you.

Thanks I will try and look at this later tonight or this week. The z-level with 3D is where I have not had luck. At first my files posted, then calling up a few nights later the post failed. If I can part with a file I will send.

[Magnum164]

Magnum164,
Here's the file. The only settings made are the stock properties, the top of part and depth of cut settings. It seems to tab. If you look at these values, see if you can then figure out how to get it to tab at a particular depth.

Seems the only obstacle is for having it tab at other than 2d depths??? You mentioned 3d models. This example is for using 2d geometry to have the profile operation work with contours. I have recently been fooling around with using the z level finish 3d toolpath as a profiling op on 3d geometry. I think it would work pretty good for this too, but havnt done any specific example. I think for it to work well with the z-level op as a tabbing source, the "boundry" would need to force that "rapid between tabs"....I dont know if it would work this way or not. If you have an example, I would like to look at it with you.

I finally got to call BobCAD yesterday. Seems they are having posting problems with the current version on 64bit machines so I had to reinstall back a few builds. They said they just found the problem, but I turned in a ticket with the problem several weeks ago. Anyway I have the file now and can post and also run through predator.... I'll give it one more try

[Claude Boudreau]

I guess I'm a bit lost. I just posted a picture of a profile op that leaves tabs. It's followed by a few posts as if it didnt do it.. I know "Other" software may have a button that says "Tabs", but this didnt take me 4 hours to setup either.

Claude, your last post has a subject of "cutting air". If you look at the picture, the cuts all happen at the material as you asked...Anything above that is a "rapid move" which isnt cutting air, and can also be controlled and lowered to the material height with the "rapid plane" setting in the feature edit.

What is it that I have missed? Is it a deal breaker to have a "button" to do something?

Leaving tab the full thickness of the stock is ok but not very convenient in real life. A tab to me is something just thick enough to propely hold your stock , but easy enough to cutoff after.
When you said you were wrong in your post , it confused me as to your ability to realize this. If you have a solution other than stated before please post it.

The cutting air title was not intended to your post , just a way of saying how important this feature is for everyone without a vacuum table.

[BurrMan]

Hey Claude,
The file I posted just does the tabing down at some depth... So it is not "toolpathing" the tab at the entire stocks depth. But, you would have to run a pre-profile that took the stock down. There is no option that will say "profile down to this depth, then do a tabbing finish cut". This would just need to be setup with 2 profile features.

Did you look at the file I posted? It will verify the tabbing. This tabbing is happening at -.4 deep. The depth of this tabbing cut is .01... I think this is what you were refering too. Is something missing here? I just didnt add the "Pre-Profile" op that would show taking the stock down to that depth first.

[Claude Boudreau]

Hey Claude,
The file I posted just does the tabing down at some depth... So it is not "toolpathing" the tab at the entire stocks depth. But, you would have to run a pre-profile that took the stock down. There is no option that will say "profile down to this depth, then do a tabbing finish cut". This would just need to be setup with 2 profile features.

Did you look at the file I posted? It will verify the tabbing. This tabbing is happening at -.4 deep. The depth of this tabbing cut is .01... I think this is what you were refering too. Is something missing here? I just didnt add the "Pre-Profile" op that would show taking the stock down to that depth first.

Hi BurrMan,
I see, should be easy enough to do, profile to the top of the tabs with multiple pass , then do the tab profile.
Just a few things , your example seem to show your rapid at Z=0 even though you have the clearance set at .1 in milling stock edit...

One last thing , I guess the contour option does not have a 3d feature capable of following a tab drawn as an arc or the top part of a triangle per example. You would have to use 3d engrave to cut those? this would eliminate the rapid move by creating a continous contour for the tab profile.