Toolpathing question?

[myxpykalix]

I'm unclear on something. I'm trying to toolpath this wainscoting that im designing and so far i have been working on it as a single panel (thinking i could copy/paste my vectors and toolpaths) to create a multiple paneled waincoting on a 8 ft long piece. The thought being I would cut, for example, 4 sets of flutes, change tool, cut 4 sets of carved accents, ect.
Now after doing the toolpathing on one panel it occurs to me i'm unclear on how to do that.
Do i mark my material for 4 different Zzero points and just rerun each toolpath while leaving the tool in for each section or is there a way to repeat toolpaths at a set interval and let it repeat each toolpath on different sections? I hope i explained it correctly. thanks

[harryball]

Jack, I think I understand what you are asking. One of my bat house kits is a complete design layed out on a 2' x 4' section, or 1/4" sheet of plywood. I use 2 bits in the process.

I created a master part file that calls my first toolpath with bit A four times in a row with an offset using the FP command.

So I run 4 times with an X offset of 0, 24, 48, 72

After I run tool A I switch to tool B and run another master part file in a like manner. From an observers point of view the machine is just running cutting 4 kits, from the system point of view it runs the same file 4 times.

Hope that helps,
Robert

[myxpykalix]

Ok here are a couple pics I cut and pasted in my photo program to illustrate what i'm trying to do. In "panel1a.jpg" if i was to do an offset as you describe running all toolpaths I think that is what i would get. And what i want is what you see in "panel2b.jpg". I guess what i'm trying to figure out, do i have to draw the whole 8' panel out with each panel and click each seperate toolpath on each sperate panel and save all seperate toolpaths as one file for the seperate elements on each panel as illustrated by the different colors being different toolpaths but would cut like in the pic? I hope that makes sense?

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[fleinbach]

What program are you using to create the tool paths? I know what you are trying to do can be done in Artcam.

[ed_lang]

Mr Ball is doing what you want to do. see above post.

Use the offset Luke - the force will be with you.

[jsfrost]

Jack,

There is more than one right answer to your question. If you have a file for the green toolpath, you can run it in the six locations shown in your illustration using the FP command as Mr. Ball suggests. This may be the only easy way if the design is a purchased cut file. So long as your material and table is flat to a reasonable tolerance (no table or material is ever perfect), no need to Z0 at each location. Done this way, you need a master file to run the single green toolpath file six times (once in each of the six locations.)

Provided that your design Software can toolpath the green design, you can also draw multiple panels, select the vectors corresponding to the green in six locations and toolpath the entire sheet. This would result in a single toolpath having all six green designs.

Which method is better? This depends on the software you are using, your preferences, and maybe the number of variations you will be cutting.

The same would be true of your red, blue and yellow toolpaths.

In general, if I will be cutting a project once, I try to optimize design time. If I will be cutting a project very frequently, I try to optimize cutting time.