Move Speed in New Part Wizard Release

[johnny]

I loaded the latest version of Part Wizard and noticed that it set my move speeds after I saved the tool paths; I couldn't control my speed from within the cutting program anymore. Has anyone experienced this and are there any solutions?

Thanks

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Johnny,
My experience is that the control software will default to the last speed run in a file. If you ran .5IPS in the last file...when you go to use the keyboard to move the tool it will move at .5 IPS. You can set move speeds easily by using MS (xy speed) , (Z speed) IE MS 2.0, 1.0...You can do the same for jog speeds by using JS and the same parameters.

-Brady

[bill.young]

Part Wizard adds an MS line to each file which resets the speeds when you run that file. I don't know of a way to stop Part Wizard from doing it, but you can change the values that it adds or disable it in each file if you don't like it.

The speeds are stored for each tool in the tool database, so if you always use the same speeds you can open the tool database and select the bit that you want to use...1/4" end mill for instance. Click the edit button and change the settings for "feed rate" to your preferred X and Y move speed and "plunge rate" to your Z-axis speed. Save it and they'll be used each time you use that tool. You'll need to do it for each tool, but it only needs to be done once.

If you tend to vary your speeds or just don't want a part file setting your speeds, then use the ShopBot Editor or Notepad to open each part file that you've created in Part Wizard, look near the top of the file for a line that starts with "MS", and either delete that line or turn it into a comment (so the ShopBot software will ignore it) by putting a ' (apostrophe) in front of it.

Bill

[johnny]

I don't if you are speaking of the new version (1.020, feb 28 buid is what I have), but my older version didn't lock my speeds. I prefer to adjust it from the control software, but with the new PW, I have to keep recreating the file and setting different speeds until I get one I am satisfied with. Rather than being able to control it from the control software, each time I open the file, I am locked to the speed set by partwizard.

I am just trying to avoid any extra steps:
create file > export to PW > send to control software. That already is more steps than I'd like.

Thanks again.

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Johnny,
It isn't hard to change move speeds of the part that you want to machine. It should take no longer than 15 seconds to type FE, edit the 1st line....MS 2.0, 1.0 (or whatever speed you chose in PW), save it and press FP to cut it.

What Bill was saying is that you can eliminate the file dictating the speed by placing an apostrophe ' before the MS command or delete that line entirely.

Adding the move speed to the file is a default function of PartWizard. There is no way to not get that into your file. You will need to manually do it.

As far as CNC machining goes and encountering more steps than you like...there isn't another machine out there that is easier to use...I gaurantee that! The big $250,000 and up machines WISH that they were this easy to use.

-Brady

[johnny]

Brady - your last sentance is a nice bit of information. I will stop my complaining!

[jkforney]

Johnny
At any point in running a file you can hit the s key. That will give you a choice of things to do. Simply hit the i key for insert command and then ms for move speed and put in a new speed. Note the xy speed then a comma and then the z speed. Then hit the r key to resume. This will only change the speed up to another ms, if any, in your file.

This makes no changes to your file. So if you need to always go one speed edit your tool in PartWizard or for one time changes use the down arrow on the right side of the tool to make non permanent changes.

John Forney

[mikea@mts.net]

Hello John
Have you ever noticed tht the shopbot doesn't change speeds after the file is paused and you insert the new speed variables. Most of the time it seems to run at the same speed.

Mike

[jkforney]

Occasionally I have had the machine run at the same speed for a short while. It may have to do with amount of code that is load already. Most of the time the change is immediate or at least it seems.

Maybe Ted could jump in here.

By the way, I just finished cutting a foam sign with a wood grain texture 4 x 8 that had over 800,000 lines of code. I saw a couple of messages about a "stack something or other" and "correcting the problem". Don't have any idea what that was about. Anyone?

John Forney

[bjwat@comcast.net]

I too had similar things happen now that you mention the speed issue. I was running a 3D toolpath that MillWizard generated and wanted to bump up the speed by inserting the command. It looked like it went at the same speed...and then about 5min later it sped up...Which leads me to believe that it had to finish running the commands in the stack/buffer before it could apply the new speed settings...I could be wrong. Any ideas?

John,
The stack...is a chunk of your code that the control bites off from the part file in order to process it. It keeps a 'stack' of code in it as a buffer so that there is an uninterupted stream of data going to the control box. I know that you can change the amount of data that the stack holds in the program, but I have not seen the need to do this.

-Brady