[ag53711]

We've just released our first series of SprutCAM tutorials at Tormach.com. Enjoy - and let us know what you think at [email protected]. We are especially interested in suggestions for future video topics.

Follow the link below to access the videos.

http://www.tormach.com/videos_cadcam.html

Regards

Andy Grevstad
Applications Engineer
Tormach

[dkaustin]

Looks like good content. Unfortunately, they're not really watchable on my 'puter.

Even with a broadband connection, the download rate can't keep up. If I pause the video to let it catch up, it re-starts the download from zero when I resume the video. Then it crashes my 'puter. When the computer comes back up, Firefox informs me there's a problem with the last page that was open.

Don't know where the issue lies. (I'm not a big fan of Adobe flash player.)

How about making the tutorials available as .wmv files? At least I can view those.

[R.DesJardin]

Works great for me, great resource to have, thanks guys
and............................
Chamfer milling is one that troubles me, I can't seem to get the tool offset during the cut.

[ag53711]

dkaustin:

We are uploading the SprutCAM vidoes to Youtube as well this morning. Maybe you'll have better luck viewing thru there.

andy

[R.DesJardin]

dkaustin:

We are uploading the SprutCAM vidoes to Youtube as well this morning. Maybe you'll have better luck viewing thru there.

andy

Then that will let me watch them on my TV using my TiVo that links to YouTube. Bedtime stories on my TV.:idea:

[Don Clement]

Andy,

Thanks for posting the SprutCAM videos. SprutCAM has great potential if only there is material available for training. The videos look like a good step towards that.

[MichaelHenry]

Andy,

How about some tutorials on *how* you should decide what values to use for certain input parameters? One example would be the safe value.

It would also be nice to see tutorials where every input paramter for given ops or screens was discussed so far as what they do and when you need to change from default values.

BTW, I noticed that the Tool Table tutorial uses "inch" values in the narration but the dialog boxes for each tool are set to metric.

Mike

[dkaustin]

The Youtube videos work just fine. Thanks for putting them out there.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tormachllc

Something I would like to see in future tutorials is how to handle plunge cuts, e.g. how to make multiples of a part out of a big piece of stock without machining away the entire workpiece. Hope it's clear what I am talking about. I have been able to "fudge" it by creating virtual workpieces slightly larger than the part, but there may be better ways to do it.

[saabaero]

Great videos!!!! Thanks much!

I learned more in less than a hour than I learned in months of playing and reading!

Looking forward to more advanced operations.

[dkaustin]

Just a question, which you might address in future tutorials. In the Sprutcam Part Profiling tutorial, to profile the "island" in the upper left corner you chose the 2D Contouring operation with the base curves of the island as the job assignment.

Is this preferable to, say, choosing the Waterline Finishing operation with the side faces of the island as the job assignment?

I'm curious as to whether one approach is better (makes more efficient use of computer resources, for example), or if it's just a matter of user preference. In future tutorials, I would appreciate some insight into the logic behind the choice of different operations and parameters.

I also second Mike Henry's request for enlightenment as to the logic behind the choice of some of the more obscure parameter and strategy values.

I think this series of tutorials is going to be a valuable asset, and I look forward to the next installment.

[ag53711]

Guys:

Thanks for all the great feedback here and by email to [email protected]. As you can see, we are just getting started with these and plan to address a lot of the requests in the future, so keep things coming.

By the way, we are also supporting SprutCAM in house now through [email protected]

Andy

[ag53711]

Two more tutorials are now up at http://www.tormach.com/videos_cadcam.html

3 way pocketing and chamfering

Enjoy!

[R.DesJardin]

When can we expect a 4th axis machining tutorial?
I am current using my 4th but I'm sure I could learn better and/or different ways of programming it. Thanks for what you guys have done so far.

[ag53711]

4th axis tutorials will most likely be in the next release group, probably Oct or Nov. Thanks for your patience, we're working on them.

[justgary]

After watching the SprutCAM videos created by Tormach, I would like to offer a tip that might help new users:

The videos do a good job of demonstrating the process of using SprutCAM, but tend to skip over a very important detail of tool selection. In SprutCAM, selecting the desired tool from the tool table does not set its tool number. Thus, you should make it a habit to always select the tool, then set the tool number to match the proper number from the table. Otherwise, you run the risk of one or both of the following happening:

1. You get the wrong offset from the Mach3 tool table (if you use offsets in Mach3) when you run the program; and

2. If you use the same tool number back-to-back for two different operations, SprutCAM will not generate a tool change.

Either of those could easily cause a crash, ruining your part, your tooling, or even your mill. Ask me how I know.

The bottom line: Always set the tool number by hand after you select the desired tool!

Regards,

- Just Gary

P.S. Otherwise, I thought the videos were very well done, and presented useful information in a clear, easy-to-follow manner. Great job, Tormach!