Two Rail sweep on Indexer

[kubotaman]

I make a two rail sweep and create the finish cut to be used on my indexer but with one problem. Cuts perfect but starts at the wrong end on the piece I want to cut. How do I make the cut start at the opposite end? I have tried in node mode to make a different start node but dosn't seem to make any difference. Any help out there??

[myxpykalix]

Have you tried taking the material out of the indexer and turning it around?:rolleyes:

A couple questions...What program are you using to create your file?

Some have a option, i think to start at the head, center, or tail.

What difference does it make whether it starts at the tailstock and moves up to headstock or vice versa? Is there something causing an issue for it not to cut correctly due to where it starts?

Cuts perfect but starts at the wrong end on the piece I want to cut.

Wrong end according to who? I think it thinks its correct. I had to get used to the same thing, thinking it should always be headstock to tailstock direction but it basically told me "I know better"
Maybe if you have a picture someone could see your settings and figure out why the setting is where it is and how to change it because i'm sure it probably can be changed.

[Brady Watson]

If you have your indexer in the Y, the natural starting point will be towards Y0, which is probably where you have your tailstock :) No big deal - if you are using a raster toolpath for finishing, just change the raster angle to be 180 degrees from where it is set now. Then it should switch the start point from one end to the other, although it doesn't seem to make much difference in this context.

If you are doing a 2D toolpath and you switched the nodes to reflect where you want your start point to be, and you are using a Vectric product, make sure that you have 'Use Vector Start Points (don't optimize) checked in the toolpath fill in sheet. This will respect your set start points and start where you want it to.

-B

[kubotaman]

Yes Brady I am using Aspire. I will certainly try what you are telling me to do. I figured that Aspire had a way of doing what I wanted but couldn't come up with the answer. I even tried standing on the other side of my machine but for some strange reason that didn't solve the problem!

[Brady Watson]

Daryl,
There are some things you'll have to live with using the indexer in the Y like that. Yes, it would be nice to make the far side of the Y (lets say Y48" @ the headstock) your zero point in order for things to jive with your brain. I know it seems foreign with the tailstock @ Y0. You have a few options, and you'll have to decide what works best for your type of work:

1) Save your current configuration in SB3 using the US command. Give it a meaningful name, like Daryl3AxisConfig or something like that. Be sure to save it in C:\Program Files (x86)\ShopBot\ShopBot 3\Settings so that you can easily find it again later. Then call up the VU command and put a negative sign in front of the Y unit value. This will make the Y move in the opposite direction as it does normally. (note - your C3 will NOT work with this configuration - just zero out manually) Now you can zero out the Y at the headstock and the tool will move left to right if you are standing in front of the indexer. Be sure to save the new configuration as something like Daryl4thAxisConfig or something you will remember. Then you can easily switch between 3 & 4 axis 'modes' by using the UR command and pointing to the config file you saved for whatever mode you want to run.

2) Setup your files end for end in Aspire. Some users prefer to have certain designs or features at the headstock end rather than the tailstock end. It matters not. You can rotate the part 180 deg in Aspire if you want to flip your work around & avoid swapping out configuration files. It's one or the other - you should pick the one that makes most sense to you. It is important to make sure that you indexer is spinning the correct way, or non-symmetrical parts will come out as mirror images to what you programmed in Aspire. That is to say, if you programmed it to cut some barley twists or spirals and wanted them to be a right-hand helix/spiral, you would get a left-hand one if the indexer is not spinning in the correct direction. The headstock should move in the positive turning towards you if you are standing in front of the indexer. If it is going the wrong way, swap green & black wires on a Standard, or sign the VU negative (on either Alpha or Standard) to change rotary direction.

Hope that helps...

-B

[kubotaman]

Brady I may have mislead you and for that I stand corrected. My indexer is on the table in the X direction. I have created my "model" of what I want to cut by way of a two rail sweep. That is no problem. But the problem is it always cuts from the tailstock, far end, and for the life of me I can't get it to start at the headstock. I have changed the nodes to start at the headstock and all angles of cut but no change has been accomplished. I have even looked into the tools section of ShopBot software hoping a person can reverse the cutting file in the edit mode. Nothing was to be found in that department. I can work aroung my problem but I am positive what I want to be done can be accomplished Any more thoughts?

[Brady Watson]

OK - Indexer in X...

You did a 2RS - got that. You are machining the 2RS relief using a 3D machining strategy - Yes? Did you choose offset or raster? What was the raster angle you picked?

-B

[kubotaman]

Brady I did a Rastor. I have for the angles I tried 90', 180's and of course changing the starting points.

[Brady Watson]

Daryl,
I just tried to duplicate what you did in v3.5 and changing the raster angle from 0 to 180 effectively swaps the starting point from one end in X to the other.

Maybe if you post the file I or someone else can better assist you. Even a screenshot of what you have going on & the toolpath fill in sheet of your TP would be helpful.

-B

[garyc]

Daryl...
Try a raster angle of -180 degrees and see if that changes anything. Doesn't make sense, but in some cases gives wanted results.

[kubotaman]

Brady I did angle the angle of 90 and it still started on the tailstock end. I did 180 and nothing better. I even tried 360. But the one angle I didn't do was 270 degrees and guess what? It seems to now start on the headstock! Seems like we may have solved the problem! Hopefully! Can I still send the file and see if you see something wrong I may have been doing? Thanks for your efforts. I also have a simple question. Why, on two of my computers, when I preview a cutting of a file, sometimes it will may make a stray cut un-related to the toolpath? It has happened numerous times but sooner or later if I preview again it will not show it? Can it be "That's the way it is"? It will make the wrong cut on a final project if i don't catch it. Of course this is in Aspire. I have sent that exact question to them to see what they say. Thank you much for your time!

[Brady Watson]

Q1: Brady I did angle the angle of 90 and it still started on the tailstock end. I did 180 and nothing better. I even tried 360. But the one angle I didn't do was 270 degrees and guess what? It seems to now start on the headstock! ...

Q2: Why, on two of my computers, when I preview a cutting of a file, sometimes it will may make a stray cut un-related to the toolpath? It has happened numerous times but sooner or later if I preview again it will not show it?


A1:...if you are using a raster toolpath for finishing, just change the raster angle to be 180 degrees from where it is set now. Then it should switch the start point from one end to the other...

A2: The short answer is, I don't know. Good to hear you are sending documentation to Vectric. This could be a number of things, including lassoing around the entire project instead of individually selecting vectors to machine. Rouge vectors and nodes smaller than the eye can see when at normal screen resolution can be included in the selection to machine. These can be a result of something as simple as a jittery hand when creating a shape like a rectangle and you accidentally create a really small one, or some dirty/spurious vector points or shapes came in with the design. All sorts of things like this are possible. I have never seen Aspire do anything like this, but I have seen dirty vectors get selected and inadvertently toolpathed.

-B

[kubotaman]

Thanks for the explanation!!!