How to Draw a Drillpoint?

[chodges]

This may have been asked before, but I can’t find a related thread ...

What is the proper way to draw a point for a “drilling toolpath?”

Whatever I try seems to result in drill holes not placed where I want them, even though other objects in the same file are located correctly when machined with different strategies, i.e. Profile, or V-carve, etc.

For example, if I want an 1/8” hole and I am using an 1/8” diameter bit, should I just draw an 1/8” circle where I want the hole to be?

Or should I indicate the center point of the hole with intersecting perpendicular lines like this +, or a combination of both like this ?

Thanks!

[frank]

Hi Charlie,

The center point for drilling a hole is the center point of a circle. The diamerter of the circle doesn't matter. The hole will be drilled in the center.

[br928]

In PartWizard, Partworks and Aspire just draw a circle of any size. The software will drill in the center.

[tmerrill]

It doesn't even need to be a circle. It will drill at the center of any closed vector shape.

[Brady Watson]

It doesn't even need to be a circle. It will drill at the center of any closed vector shape.

Yep...all of them do this...PartWizard, PartWorks, Pro, Aspire

-B

[MogulTx]

...but for your visual use, my belied is that it is best to (1) use a symbol that will mean the same thing to everyone who looks at it- so you can share the drawing with an employee, helper, friends here on the web... without having to teach them how to interpret your drawings and (2) so YOU will know what it says when you look at the drawing 6 months or a year from now.

Most of the professional drafts people I have dealt with seem to use the actual circle if they are drawing in a format that could be "rendered" into a real 3D view of the item. And the ones that draw only for a 2D schematic type of drawing will use a circle that has xy dimension lines and a crosshairs center to it like you have drawn.

Most people you will ever have a need to talk to about a drawing will not have partworks, nor a CAD program from which to evaluate the information. Make the drawing a teaching tool that is self explanatory and there will be less ambiguity if you ever need to confer with someone else on it. The few extra minutes it might take are well worh it when you forget what you did on it! Yes. I speak from experience.

I also make sure that I modify my cut files with as much info as possible. That prevents me from being confused when I go back to cut them at some point in the future and can't recall what special set up information is used to achieve good results!

Have fun with it. These are great machines!

Monty

[gene]

If you put the + in the center of the circle doesn't that divide the circle into 4 closed vectors?

[tmerrill]

No, not without a lot of extra steps. You would simply have a circle with two open vectors inside it.

[bleeth]

No Gene. Although if you start cutting vectors it will cut the circle to the lines the circle is still a complete circle until you either cut it with the tool or via node editing.
In my experience the "cross Hairs" center lines drawn in CAD drawings are a dimensioning/positiioning aid. I don't bother with any of that when drawing in PW, ACP, or Aspire as it is just more vectors to clutter up what are specific machining drawings and not for presentation. As this is the purpose of those programs that is why there are no dimensioning tools in them or various line types.

[danhamm]

I use Coreldraw mostly, and in it I have 4 symbols for drill points,
the symbol is a circle with 1 to 4 lines coming off the circle, they were originally used for drilling circuit boards. using the board schematic one could lay out the drill points using the schematic and lines rather quickly
and there are a lot of drill points in some boards..

[br928]

PartWizard will allow you to choose lines and drill holes at their center. So a circle with two lines will result in 3 holes drilled in the same location.

When PartWizard calculates drill toolpaths, it indicates the center with a symbol that you want. A circle with an X in the middle.

[tmerrill]

Stan,

I am sure your answer will help people who still use PartWizard (???) but my answer to Gene had nothing to do with drilling holes. It simply answered his question whether after drawing lines in a circle do you still have a circle or 4 closed pie shapes.

Tim

[bleeth]

RE: "PartWizard will allow you to choose lines and drill holes at their center. So a circle with two lines will result in 3 holes drilled in the same location."

That is also (and I know Stan knows this but I just want it to be clear for the non old hands) assuming you selected the lines as well as the circles. Now if you did your drawing in ACAD and imported the dxf's into the programs being discussed and selected the lines and the circles, if the lines were drawn as "center line" dashes, you could end up with holes all over the place!:eek:

Tim: Lots of people still use Part Wizard since it was only a couple years or so since SB changed over to Vectric products. Since my main Cad/Cam is ACPro when I am training a "newbie" in the plant to get into some basic programming I use Part wizard.

[tmerrill]

I realize people still use PartWizard, but couldn't figure out a link between the quote and the post.

[br928]

I realize people still use PartWizard, but couldn't figure out a link between the quote and the post.

Was not trying to pick on you Tim.:)

I guess the link was that PartWizard would also pick the open vectors (lines).

I will try to use my "Quotes" more wisely.

[tmerrill]

OK, that makes sense.

Not sure about other programs, but Aspire and V-Carve Pro now have a Vector selector that can help just select circles (for example). Especially powerful if one combines it with layers.

Tim

[bleeth]

Kum-bye-ya:)

[danhamm]

Guess I'm safe none of the cam programs I use will drill or pocket a line..so I'll keep on using my method..

[CNYDWW]

*sits back eating chips*