Public Service Announcement - Make More in Less Time via Tuning

[Brady Watson]

I machined about 20 3D reliefs over the past 2 days and I wanted to share my findings, because they are significant. I was running v3.8.14 on it, if for no other reason than it's been a cold Winter & I just didn't get around to updating it. I was having some issues when starting a file (it would pause too long/hang once in a while) so it was time to load up v3.8.26. I installed it and by mistake did a UR (was going for UI when brain fart happened) - setting my machine settings back to stock. I continued machining my reliefs - except instead of taking 17 minutes, they took 20 min each.

So, I opened up the VR settings and tweaked the defaults a little & re-ran the file. This resulted in a time of 16 min. So I went back and tweaked some more & got the time down to 12 min(!) - Absolutely no changes in the toolpath or move speed. Everything was untouched in the SBP. (4.625 x 2.5" part, 3D raster @ 10% SO, 1/16" ball, MS,2,1; 18k, cherry)

The first round I changed the 3D Ramp Threshold from 100 to 150, my usual custom 'tweak'. This alone knocked off 4 minutes or 20% of the overall time. The 2nd adjustment, I changed my Min Dist to Check from .15 to .08 (my usual default tweak number) AND the 3D Ramp Threshold from 150 to 200...this brought my ET down to just over 12 minutes, or a savings of 40% over the original ET! Yowsa!

So that meant that I was able to machine 5 parts per hour compared to only 3 parts per hour with the original VR settings. After a while I get sick of seeing the same thing being machined over and over again...so this was a real blessing! If you have no clue what I am talking about when I mention VR, go read this article.

I usually recommend that people only tweak the Slow Corner Speed setting from the default 65 to something in the 35-50 range, as this will change the characteristics of the tool enough to understand what is going on. You have to be careful fooling with some of the settings, as they will cause the tool to move in unexpected or undesirable ways. For the most part, you aren't going to hurt your tool...you can always click back to default settings at the bottom of the VR fill-in sheet.

3D Ramp Threshold adjusts the tool's sensitivity to ramping conditions. Higher values result in more aggressive cutting moves, with less cushion in all directions. If you are running a cat whisker diameter bit, you might want to leave this down around 100-150. You won't find any love above 400.

When I run files, I always use FE to look at it before I run it. I almost always tweak the MS to be what I want it to be & maybe program the tool to goto a location off the material when done. I will often open up the VR settings and adjust the Slow Corner Speed if I find that the tool is taking corners too fast or not fast enough. SCS works in the XZ & YZ planes as well...so keep that in mind.

As I've said before, the machine will go as fast as it wants to go or as fast as the material and bit will allow you to go...so be prudent. I've listed speed recommendations for cutting 3D in the article.

Play around...be patient, listen to the tool and what she wants...coffee helps. The more you can learn about your tool, the better you will be as a machinist & the more free time you'll have to play.

Have fun!

-B

[JimmyD]

Thank you Brady, you are a gentleman and a scholar. I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share.

Jim

[scottp55]

Thanks Brady!!
scott

[David Iannone]

Thank you Brady.

I always read your posts. Ya darn right time is money!

Can you give us a few pics to go with your description? I would like to see some of your 3D production machining.

Dave

[adrianm]

I tuned my machine for tight corners and short runs (probably 90% of my work) after reading Brady's article a few years ago. The difference was incredible. These days I have three separate config files that I load depending on what the makeup of the sheet I'm working on is. It's worth spending as much time as you can reading about and understanding the various settings as you'll get that time back ten fold if not more.

[Brady Watson]

All - You're welcome.

Dave - No pics at the moment...I just ran them off without taking any. Nothing too fancy - plinth blocks in a starburst/fan pattern.

-B

[Ajcoholic]

I machined about 20 3D reliefs over the past 2 days and I wanted to share my findings, because they are significant. I was running v3.8.14 on it, if for no other reason than it's been a cold Winter & I just didn't get around to updating it. I was having some issues when starting a file (it would pause too long/hang once in a while) so it was time to load up v3.8.26. I installed it and by mistake did a UR (was going for UI when brain fart happened) - setting my machine settings back to stock. I continued machining my reliefs - except instead of taking 17 minutes, they took 20 min each.

So, I opened up the VR settings and tweaked the defaults a little & re-ran the file. This resulted in a time of 16 min. So I went back and tweaked some more & got the time down to 12 min(!) - Absolutely no changes in the toolpath or move speed. Everything was untouched in the SBP. (4.625 x 2.5" part, 3D raster @ 10% SO, 1/16" ball, MS,2,1; 18k, cherry)

The first round I changed the 3D Ramp Threshold from 100 to 150, my usual custom 'tweak'. This alone knocked off 4 minutes or 20% of the overall time. The 2nd adjustment, I changed my Min Dist to Check from .15 to .08 (my usual default tweak number) AND the 3D Ramp Threshold from 150 to 200...this brought my ET down to just over 12 minutes, or a savings of 40% over the original ET! Yowsa!

So that meant that I was able to machine 5 parts per hour compared to only 3 parts per hour with the original VR settings. After a while I get sick of seeing the same thing being machined over and over again...so this was a real blessing! If you have no clue what I am talking about when I mention VR, go read this article.

I usually recommend that people only tweak the Slow Corner Speed setting from the default 65 to something in the 35-50 range, as this will change the characteristics of the tool enough to understand what is going on. You have to be careful fooling with some of the settings, as they will cause the tool to move in unexpected or undesirable ways. For the most part, you aren't going to hurt your tool...you can always click back to default settings at the bottom of the VR fill-in sheet.

3D Ramp Threshold adjusts the tool's sensitivity to ramping conditions. Higher values result in more aggressive cutting moves, with less cushion in all directions. If you are running a cat whisker diameter bit, you might want to leave this down around 100-150. You won't find any love above 400.

When I run files, I always use FE to look at it before I run it. I almost always tweak the MS to be what I want it to be & maybe program the tool to goto a location off the material when done. I will often open up the VR settings and adjust the Slow Corner Speed if I find that the tool is taking corners too fast or not fast enough. SCS works in the XZ & YZ planes as well...so keep that in mind.

As I've said before, the machine will go as fast as it wants to go or as fast as the material and bit will allow you to go...so be prudent. I've listed speed recommendations for cutting 3D in the article.

Play around...be patient, listen to the tool and what she wants...coffee helps. The more you can learn about your tool, the better you will be as a machinist & the more free time you'll have to play.

Have fun!

-B

Is this something you could talk about at the McGrew camp please??

[Brady Watson]

Is this something you could talk about at the McGrew camp please??

Well...I'm supposed to talk about 3D digitizing, but we can certainly talk about this on the sidelines. Scanning is applicable to all users. This is applicable to SB owners only, since other controllers regulate ramping differently. With there being a mix of different CNC brands at the camp, I'd lose attention pretty quick for those that don't have a blue machine.

-B

[harryball]

Everything Brady is saying is true. Tuning makes a big difference when it comes to production. For one offs it's not a big deal, who cares if it takes 16 minutes instead of 14 minutes? But when running production, a few minutes here and there add up quickly. Altering your cut file to accommodated better tuning and keeping and loading different settings depending on the job you are about to run is a great way to find some time.

I took one job that required about 31 minutes to run a sheet. I redesigned the file to eliminate some of the smaller radiuses and tuned the ramp settings specific to the job and it now runs in just over 22 minutes. Huge difference when you run 10 sheets, almost 90 minutes saved! Well worth the effort. If I try to run other jobs with those settings the machine "bangs around" too much. If I run this job with standard tuning it takes about 25 minutes. But being able to alter my cut file combined with the allowed improved tuning paid off big.

[barrowj]

Thanks Brady,

I will give this a try, was cutting a Chip/Dip bowl this weekend and the corner cuts was so slow that the bit looks black at the tip, guess that is the issue (hope so anyway).