Pocketing with 5.48 Question

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Josh Rayburn
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Pocketing with 5.48 Question

Post by Josh Rayburn »

Good Morning,
I have just updated control nesting to 5.48 (finally) :)
I have run two samples with the new pocketing features as follows:
- Large pocket on center of a cabinet back
- Two pocketing tools set up in tooling: 2" flycutter, and 1/4" downcutter
The pocket cleanup is set to 0.0625" and to use the smallest pocket tool.
If I understand this correctly, we should be pocketing with the flycutter then doing a final outer pass cleaning up the entire perimeter of the pocket with the 1/4" tool (in addition to the very cool corner cleanup routine) :D
All I'm getting is the corner cleanup, no perimeter cleanup as expected. :wall:
Can someone help me out please? :cry:
Thanks!
:beer:
Josh Rayburn
Hall's Edge, Inc.
CNC Machining Service


Dell Precision T3400
Win7 Professional 64 Bit/Core2Duo E8400 3ghz/4 GB Ram/NVIDIA Quadro FX570
Daniel Vonderheide
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Re: Pocketing with 5.48 Question

Post by Daniel Vonderheide »

Please email me ( program@thermwood.com ) the export from your machine along with the hsf file of the cabinet or the esj file the cabinet is in. Most likely it is just a setting but I will not know until I look at the files. Thank you.
Josh Rayburn
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Re: Pocketing with 5.48 Question

Post by Josh Rayburn »

Hi Daniel,
Looks like I spoke too soon.
I had a sheet of profiled / modelled doors to run.
Pocketed the center (flat panels) then profiled with a cute little bead for the sticking.
Went to write code, hoping to blow the pocket away with a 2" flycutter then clean up with the 1/4" tool before modelling the profile.
Order of operations threw me off:
I ran the beginning of the pocketing in the air to see what it would do, then skipped to the next tool change, saw the 1/4" cleanup in the corners, skipped to the next tool change - when I saw the profiling toolset come up, I thought it was done with the pockets.....
But I ran the sheet, which took 1 hour and 45 minutes... :roll: ...and noticed at the very end, just prior to the outline cut, the 1/4" tool came back and cleaned up the perimeter. :shock:
Sorry for not being thorough enough in the first place.
Did I mention how cool it is to have more than one pocketing tool??? :!: :P :!:
Josh Rayburn
Hall's Edge, Inc.
CNC Machining Service


Dell Precision T3400
Win7 Professional 64 Bit/Core2Duo E8400 3ghz/4 GB Ram/NVIDIA Quadro FX570
Daniel Vonderheide
Thermwood Team
Posts: 361
Joined: Wed, May 17 2006, 11:25AM
Location: Thermwood

Re: Pocketing with 5.48 Question

Post by Daniel Vonderheide »

Thanks for the update. If you have any other issues let us know.
Josh Rayburn
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Re: Pocketing with 5.48 Question

Post by Josh Rayburn »

Hi Daniel,
Funny that you asked.... :o
I have a client with a large number of standing DXF files that are properly layered including pocketing at varying depths, shapes, and diameters.
I would normally take these DXF files into CN and let the magic happen. 8)
However, all the layer names have the pocketing tool specified via the diameter of the tool.
I am having difficulty getting the pocketing to happen with the tool diameter that was specified even if it is added to tooling and checked as a pocketing tool. :(
So, :idea: I removed the diameter specification from one of the DXF files and it appears to have pocketed with the tool I had checked as expected. :mrgreen:
The question is: is there an easier way to do this, or do I have to go through the hundreds of DXF parts :shock: that I have and remove the diameter specification from all of them? :?
Josh Rayburn
Hall's Edge, Inc.
CNC Machining Service


Dell Precision T3400
Win7 Professional 64 Bit/Core2Duo E8400 3ghz/4 GB Ram/NVIDIA Quadro FX570
Daniel Vonderheide
Thermwood Team
Posts: 361
Joined: Wed, May 17 2006, 11:25AM
Location: Thermwood

Re: Pocketing with 5.48 Question

Post by Daniel Vonderheide »

Right now the only thing you can do is open the dxf and change the layer name. I have spoken with the software engineer and he will look into the issue.
Brad McIntosh
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Re: Pocketing with 5.48 Question

Post by Brad McIntosh »

Hmmmm.....

Perhaps adding something in the settings to select whether Control Nesting should ignore any "D" parameter on a "POCKET" DXF layer name. (Best not to ignore the "D" on CHAIN and CENTERLINE layers... :wink: Hmmm are there others?)

Or perhaps just start ignoring the "D" parameter on a "POCKET" DXF layer name altogether...

Just a thought.
Brad McIntosh
CNC Automation

Home: http://www.cncautomation.com
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