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Author Topic: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?  (Read 10926 times)

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Offline Greolt

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Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« on: September 09, 2009, 11:29:51 PM »
I have been doing rotary toolpaths in Mach for a while but have never figured out how to get the toolpath display to show them in correct scale.

Played around with all sorts of different numbers in the "Rotation Diameters" on the settings page.  Including negative numbers.

The same toolpaths show nicely to scale in NCplot.  See Pics of NCplot (white wireframe) and Mach3 (blue wireframe).  Exact same gcode.

This example has a diameter of about 80mm and a length (of the cylinder) of 120mm.  In NCplot that is represented about right.  In Mach it never gets close.

Any clues?

Greg

EDIT: The mach pic has the cylinder standing upright and the NCplot has it lying on it's side.
« Last Edit: September 09, 2009, 11:31:24 PM by Greolt »

Offline Chris.Botha

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2009, 06:15:26 AM »
i get exactly the opposite, my Mach display works great and ncplot gives me my entire rotary path squashed into one quadrant.. unfortunately turning on machs toolpath display with rotary tool paths is instant death for my job lol...

Offline Greolt

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2009, 06:18:48 AM »
I think that is because you are setting Z zero at the job circumference in CAM.

Set it to be the axis centre and NCplot will display it correctly.

Greg

Offline Chris.Botha

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2009, 06:38:47 AM »
nope

Z zero is at rotary centre ?

i got ver 1.2, the free one, maybe it cant do rotary?



« Last Edit: September 10, 2009, 06:42:14 AM by Chris.Botha »

Offline Chris.Botha

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2009, 06:44:53 AM »
just rechecked. not actually in one quadrants at all, was the angle threw me off.. all the code is on the same line .. kinda like no rotary code is being processed at all...

Offline Greolt

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2009, 06:49:31 AM »
Looks like you need to do the "setup machine configuration"

Specifically 4th axis setup.

Greg

Offline Greolt

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2009, 07:55:11 AM »
Ok looks like I was wrong.

The free version does not have 4th axis capability.

I have the full version and I had to install the free version to have a look.

Sorry to mislead.

Greg

Offline Chris.Botha

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Offline Greolt

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2009, 07:18:50 PM »
Here is another view of the toolpath window in Mach.  Same as above.

They are a bit hard to see what is what when you cant 3D pan.

It should look just like the NCplot one (white wire frame)

As you can see the Mach view has the diameter scaled wrong.

Greg
« Last Edit: September 10, 2009, 07:22:24 PM by Greolt »

Offline ger21

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Re: Getting a rotary toolpath to show correctly in Mach?
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2009, 10:07:05 PM »
Greg, the Diameter DRO is actually the Radius, I think. Try entering the radius.
Gerry

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