Offset off

[paul60]

i own a new prt standard 1 month old the problem i am having is the foll . if i design [eg] a square using turbocad with theoffset on the outside i end up with the finish product larger by the size of my cutter [3/8 cutter ] and my offsex is set on the outside of the design i have also checked the design and the measurments are correct
any idear why this is so?
thanks

[mikejohn]

Paul
The first thing we have to ask is, do you have the correct cutter diameter selected, (VC)?
Are you offsetting in TurboCad, then cutting outside(O) instead of true(T)?
Print a file, maybe we can see more.

..............Mike

[garyb]

Paul I maybe interpreting this wrong but it sounds like your adding an offset then when you toolpath its automatically adding the offset of your cutter. That being the case don't add the offset and you should be at the correct size.
Then being offsex might not be helping either

[dhunt]

Gary,
Sounds like you're making sense.
I'm the guy who helps Paul with his design stuff:
I have a grounding in Vector9 (not PartWizard)
making cut files intended for consumption by SB version 2.39.

We're trying the new(XP) SB v. 3.4.25 (which is designed to accept files generated by PW, not by Vector9,it would seem).

Why am I still using Vector9?
because I spent yrs. learning the Dutch Thing,
and becoz I couldn't believe how completely difrnt(interface) PW was(compared to Vector)
when it first came out!
I find PW far too shiny and new (after yrs. of Vector slogging!)

But more and more it's lookin like this old dog is going to have to learn the new PW trick,
becoz now you're talking about letting SB 3.4 do the toolpaths,
instead of doing them myself,via offsets, in Vector9.

So.
If I want to continue using Vector9 for SB 3.4 usage,
you're saying I should forget all about offsets?
I just drop the outline of the part I want to make, by three passes(however many)??
and SB 3.4.25 will do the Magic, all by itself?

Clearly I have some adaptation to do!
- or revert to Win.98 and the good old, un-complicated SB v.2.39 I've known and loved for several years.

I have to say that so far it hasn't been fun adapting from 2.39 to 3.4.25....
Yes, it's kinda the same, but also a lot difrnt!

[srwtlc]

David,

It doesn't matter to SB3 whether you make your part files with Vector 8,9,10, or 11, Parts Wizard, Vcarve Pro, Visual Mill, ArtCam, or manually with notepad. SB3 read the same kind of part files as SB2. SB3 operates in much the same way as SB2 does except that you can also use the mouse for things. SB3 still uses many of the same 2 key commands. SB3 doesn't do toolpaths (with exception of the canned routines), it reads them and sends that info on to the controller. You may be confusing the .dxf to .spb converter with SB3 when you speak of dropping a outline into something.

Parts Wizard can take your outline (or you can make the outline in PW) and when you choose a tool, it will apply the offsets according to the tool diameter and whether you want Inside, Outside, or on the line. In Vector, you have to offset your outline by the radius of the bit to make the proper toolpath.

With Pauls post above, it sounds like you are drawing the part in TC and adding a offset around it that is equal to the cutter diameter and then cutting on the line which will give you a part that is too big by the amount of the cutter diameter. Or you are offsetting by the cutter radius and then cutting on the outside of the line which will again give you the same results.

[dhunt]

Scott,
Thanks for your input.
Okay...I think you've just hit the nail on the head.

The offset I used (in Vector9) was the dia. of the tool and not HALF-THE-DIA. of the tool..duh!
Offsets should be the RADIUS of the tool!

I should know better, but was working with the world's worst monitor(about to die) and couldn't see too well what I was doing
(not that that is an excuse, it just didn't help!)
-it was also the first time in about 3 months that I was putting together a cut file(on a lousy monitor) so...

Like it says on the baby's bib.. SPIT HAPPENS!
Thanks again..