chiere
09-06-2007, 10:54 AM
Arrrrgggg!!!!!
So, I moved from cutting EPS foam w/ a 1/4" ballnose bit, to cutting HD foam, 15 lb, with a 1/8" ballnose bit. I'm using the machine relief function in ArtCAM. The pieces are 3/4" deep, I'm only going 200 ipm, and stepping over .008". Everything was perfect. The bottem of the finished work was as smoothe as a baby's butt.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. After cutting 10 pieces, it was discovered that the square was off by 1/8 inch. And the short story is, due to a lack of care in table assembly (over my constant protests, and ignored requests for maintanance) the table needed serious readjustment. No shims or levels were used during assembly, and so the wheels (where they touched the rails) have made sharp peaks and shaved edges on the rails. And, of course, now that it is critical, nothing is square,....
So my boss put the shop apes to fixing it. One fella takes pride in his work, and has done his best to make it right. He's used a level, he's used shims, and he's even ground off the ridges on the sides of the rails. All the wheels now stay in constant contact with the rails. It's even cutting (almost) square.
But the tool marks are horrendous. I can see every pass. It looks like I am using a 1/8" ballnose, and stepping it over 1/16"!
I did put a level on everything, and there does appear to be a slight twist in the two rails, (Front left is 1/16 low and front right is 1/16" high, with the back end being the reverse of that.)
At first, I thought I had just pathed something wrong, but I went back and used a file I had already cut before the 'fix' that had cut perfect, and now it's just awfull!!!!
What do I try next?? (besides getting rid of the twist) Thanks!
So, I moved from cutting EPS foam w/ a 1/4" ballnose bit, to cutting HD foam, 15 lb, with a 1/8" ballnose bit. I'm using the machine relief function in ArtCAM. The pieces are 3/4" deep, I'm only going 200 ipm, and stepping over .008". Everything was perfect. The bottem of the finished work was as smoothe as a baby's butt.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. After cutting 10 pieces, it was discovered that the square was off by 1/8 inch. And the short story is, due to a lack of care in table assembly (over my constant protests, and ignored requests for maintanance) the table needed serious readjustment. No shims or levels were used during assembly, and so the wheels (where they touched the rails) have made sharp peaks and shaved edges on the rails. And, of course, now that it is critical, nothing is square,....
So my boss put the shop apes to fixing it. One fella takes pride in his work, and has done his best to make it right. He's used a level, he's used shims, and he's even ground off the ridges on the sides of the rails. All the wheels now stay in constant contact with the rails. It's even cutting (almost) square.
But the tool marks are horrendous. I can see every pass. It looks like I am using a 1/8" ballnose, and stepping it over 1/16"!
I did put a level on everything, and there does appear to be a slight twist in the two rails, (Front left is 1/16 low and front right is 1/16" high, with the back end being the reverse of that.)
At first, I thought I had just pathed something wrong, but I went back and used a file I had already cut before the 'fix' that had cut perfect, and now it's just awfull!!!!
What do I try next?? (besides getting rid of the twist) Thanks!