PartWorks 3D Question

[mudbug765]

Last week I downloaded Partworks 2D and 3D versions in advance of picking up my new ShopBot in June. I am primarily interested in using the ShopBot for designing electric guitars with students in my manufacturing class. I have a guitar body drawn in AutoDesk inventor, and saved it as an STL file. I imported the STL file into Partworks3D. I was able to preview toolpaths just fine with the software. However, it seems to be machining every square inch of the guitar. This is hardly necessary as the body blanks will be surfaced to the proper thickness to begin with. If I machine the body this way, it will be wasting time, and there will be stray tool marks on the flat surfaces of the guitar that will require additional sanding. All I want it to do is machine the pockets and the body contours. If the body contours were not part of the deal, I could just put the pockets into the 2D version of the software (which I have also done and successfully generated spb files) but the 2D loses the ability to make the neato body contours. Am I missing something? If the 3D Partworks program is unable to skip over machining the flat surfaces of the guitar body, which do not need machining, is there another software title I should be looking at?

[blackhawk]

Doug - Can you post a screen shot of the toolpath preview? It sounds like you need to draw vectors to outline just the areas that you want to machine. This will eliminate the machining in the unwanted areas.

[erik_f]

I'm pretty sure you can do what Brad is talking about in Aspire, but I don't think you can do it in PW3d. You can do your pockets like you said in PW2d but that still leaves you the problem of your neato boddy contours.

[mudbug765]

Thanks for the reply. Brad, in PW3D, I'm not seeing where you can define vectors for just what you want machined, as you can do in PW2d. Here's a screenshot of PW3D with the toolpaths as the blue lines, the red lines are where it raises up/lowers into the workpiece.

4188

[blackhawk]

With Aspire, you can offset the 3D shape to create a vector or just simply free hand an outline of the area. You then select tha vector and Aspire will only toolpath the area inside. PW 3D may be different. I have only used Aspire.

[robtown]

does the face of this guitar body have a curve to it?

If not, you can accomplish this with just vectors and using "area clear" for the pockets, you don't need to whole 3d model.

If so, then you need to JUST do the face of the guitar with your STL and then use vectors to pocket and do your final cutout.

The way you have this setup it will take about 3 times as long to machine this part.

I don't own PW3D but it should have a "selected vectors" option for your 3d cut?

[robtown]

Also, you should already have all the vectors you need to make this happen in your ACAD file. You shouldn't have to redraw anything in PW3D or Aspire.

[erik_f]

Since you only have PW3d and can't define specific areas to machine via a vector outline...I don't see why you couldn't cut way the parts of the file that you don't want to 3d mill...just make sure you don't move the geometry. Have one file with just the portions of the guitar body you want to machine 3d, one for pocketing and profile that includes the entire shape of the guitar that you want to cut.

[cutitout]

Erik has the same idea I did

you need to take the 3d model in the same 3d space and cutaway the "flat" area that you do not wish to cut. then I would expand the surfaces that are left so the cutter ramps into the body and out in case the thickness is off slightly.

I have done this on several of my projects and it seem to work good in Cut3d.

[tony_mac]

Doug,

There is a 'trick' that may help you but not guaranteed.

Open the design in PW3D
Set size etc. > Next
Select - Slice Model
Enter a Slice Thickness a few thousands less than the thickness of the guitar
OK > Saves 2 slices automatically

Close the file

Open the Slice that represents the guitar body

Calculate toolpaths and they should only machine around the edges of the guitar.

I hope this makes sense and helps.

Tony

[mudbug765]

Eric Sifford

Your idea of removing the portions of the 3D model that should not be machined is what I had been wondering about. I'm going to try that.

Thanks,

Doug

[cutitout]

yes Doug
the big trick is to keep them in the same 3d space. I cut from center as my 0 and sometimes add material to both models in the corners so both keep the same overall model size and space.

Hope thats clear as mud to you.

[beacon14]

Listen to Tony he knows what he is talking about.

[mitch_prest]

I second what Tony says.. I have not found another way to get around the machining of the whole piece.. and I have tried..

mitch

[cutitout]

I do not believe the "slice model" will cut the needed 3d sections of the model. From what I gather he is looking for a way to couture the needed surfaces but not run back and forth over the "flat" parts. wasting time and marking up nice flat stock with the cutter running over it.

The sliced direction may give a "cut out" of the body but no 3d surfaces

[odulfst]

You can't use PW2D to cut the outline? If you give it the outline vectors you want it should cut-out and pocket everything you want.

I am confused when you say 2D won't cut the contours, but you also say you don't want to cut the surface. If by "contours" you mean the outside profile of the body, then PW2D will work very well. If you want to cut a 3D contour into the surface then you need PW3D.

Does this help at all?

Tony

[macswell]

Hello guys, I am some what new with my shopbot and iam attempting to cut a line drawing profile into a 3d material. i have laminated over a mold and now i would just like to cut the out line of my finished piece out of the mold, when i go into PW3d it wants to raster and cut all the material and not just follow one line in a 3d motion, is this a similar problem? what would be the easiest way to do this?

[widgetworks_unlimited]

Hey Tony M - Thanks for sharing that slicing tip... very clever work around!

I learn something new every time a get on this forum...