Messages

251

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 14, 2008, 08:09:55 PM »

Overloaded:
We got way off track there. I was just trying to start over with the original.
Please stay in the loop. You were on to something I think.

Rich:

I see you couldn't pocket the right hand end object (yet) which was the point here.
Using a .01 cutter is pointless since - who has such a cutter? - not me. The point would be to do it with a 1/16 cutter.
It works ok on the left hand end block which is for all intents the same as the right end.




Sage

252

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 14, 2008, 06:56:57 PM »

Rich:

Do me a favour please and grab the DXF from my post in reply 25 - back quite a ways. That is pretty much the original file. Work your magic on it and see if you can figure out what works on the right hand mitred rectangle. The other rectangles seem to be ok. Including the opposite mitred block on the left. This file is all arcs and lines. (at least that's how I drew it)


Sage

253

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 14, 2008, 10:16:30 AM »

Well I won't be too hard on LCam becasue without it I wouldn't get anthing done. I'd rather be making chips too but I can't make the chips without the code.
If you going to rename LAZY Cam I can think of a better word that still begins with L and can still end with ZY. L##zy Cam.

254

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 13, 2008, 05:52:07 PM »

Don't know if you've used Help in Autocad. Pretty old school. If you type a word you get about a hundred things on the list and yes the one you're looking for is probably there but I think the list has every occurrence of the word in the help file. It does not help to add more words to narrow the search.
 I'm a pretty basic user of AutoCad so maybe I'm missing something. I usually get frustrated and start looking for it myself rather than look through 100 unrelated items.
 I'm sure convert arc to ?? is there somewhere

(P.S.) what did you convet them to again?

Sage

255

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 13, 2008, 11:30:44 AM »

The program is definitely screwed up (IMHO).
You asked if the right angled rectangle was a mirror of the left. The answer is no. They were both rectangles originally. I offset the 45deg corner angle across them and trimmed the rectangles.
 You might be on to something with the filleting of some of the corners. Maybe the ones that are not-so-sharp cause some sort of problem with the math behind lazycam when it comes to calculating a tool path. Some of those fillets are barely visible. In fact there is probably no need to fillets them at all because the cutter, being round is going to leave them round anyway - maybe even bigger radius than the fillets.
 I can't figure it out. It's going to take the programmer to figure it out. I just need a way to work around it so I can continue with the project. Unfortunately doing the G-code manually is beyond my current abilities.

I can't find the convert function you have in Sketch in my full version of AutoCad. I'm sure it's there but (if you know AutoCad) it's a bear to find things. I'll look deeper soon.


BTW. What disturbs me about this and every problem we here on this forum discover  (and others) is, what becomes of these reports. Are they all logged for investigation and hopefully correction or are we all wasting our time??? I presume the latter (unfortunately).


Thanks.

Sage

256

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 12, 2008, 10:44:04 AM »

Almost.

I went back to my original files and cleaned up the extra lines etc. Created a dxf and made sure the finish and overhang were set to 0.0.
I tried a pocket on the corner chain and - nothing, didn't do anything except report that the pocket was created - nothing added to the project at all - . The other rectangles were fine.

I remembered what was mentioned previously by budman68 about zooming in and moving the start point dot for the chain. I grabbed the start point and arbitrarily dragged it to a new place at the beginning of the diagonal line at the bottom left and 'voila' the chain pocketed fine.
 I didn' do any converion of arcs to whatever either. I did export it as V2000 DXF though but I don't thank that made any differencr.

So there is something to this start point issue. Which is just another one of those quirks I'll have to remember I guess.

Attached is the file so you can try it yourself as I have described. I'd be interested to know what you find.

Sage

257

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 12, 2008, 10:01:41 AM »

Thanks for all your help on this one Overloaded.
This helping each other is what makes this forum so good.

Now back to the project.

Thanks again.

Sage

258

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 12, 2008, 09:59:01 AM »

Ok !!!! (posted at the same time overloaded suggested it - we must have been typing at the same time)
Call off the hounds. I figured it out.
On the pocket screen there are two data entry boxes - one called "Overhang" and the other "finish". I noticed the "finish" box had 0.500 in it (no idea how it got there, I've never used pocket before). The light went on when I looked at the simple rectangle I created and noticed that the blank area around the spiral looked to be about 0.5" wide. I guess this "feature" is supposed to tell the routine how much to leave around the edge of the pocket. (What for I ask - but what do I know)
 I guess the reason it would not pocket the shapes in the other file is they were all not much more thn 1/2" in height (actually about (3/4") so the pocket was ended before it got started.
 I set the "finish" value to 0.0 and the pockets work now.
 Can't say I didn't read the manual on this one   ('cause there isn't even a basic one)
I surmised the "finish" value might have someting to do with the smoothness of the pocket (finish - get it) such that maybe it went over it a few times to make it smooth, so I ignored it. (don't touch the controls you know nothing about)

So the question is: what does the "overhang" value do?? now that I guess I've figured out the "finish" doesn't control the "finish".

Yet another one to add to the list.

This is too much !!

Sage

259

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 12, 2008, 09:39:20 AM »

Overloaded: I tried your file.
 No. Sill only get an offset ,Picture attached.

Is there supposd to be 184 entities in chain 8?
My connection tolerance was set to .001

Sage

260

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Pocketing not working

« on: December 12, 2008, 09:31:43 AM »

Ok, so I decided to step back a bit. I created a very simple rectangle with Acad 2002 rectangle feature. I saved it as a version R12 dxf. It's attached below. When I pocket it with a 1/16 cutter you can see that it does pocket but it seems to give up early on the pocket - at least from what I can perceive from the screen shot. It should continue the spiral right out to the edge.
 Yet another issue to fugure out I guess.

Sage