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Weird problem if I regen the toolpath
« on: March 14, 2010, 01:12:17 AM »
Newbie alert!!!!

I'm using Solidworks to make the model, Gibbscam to generate the gcode and Mach3 to run the mill.

When I generate gcode for a surface cut and export it to Mach3 as a Fanuk OKK mill through PostHASTE and load it into Mach3 I can see the entire toolpath but if I regen the toolpath I only see the small portion of the top layers and a toolpath going out into nowhere.  Since I'm kinda new at this I figured I try the code anyway, maybe I was missing something in the way Mach3 displays the toolpath I thought to myself, but alas after trundling along for a bit the mill stops.  I think it is stopping on a soft limit.  

Now here comes the weird part, if I have everything set up in advance, meaning I have the mill zeroed at the origin before I load the code, I can see the entire toolpath and cut it, at least it seems to be cutting I can't be sure it's going to cut the entire thing since it won't be done for a bit yet.  

One more thing, if I regen the toolpath and then close the code and reopen it I get the abridged version and I can only get it back if I exit the program and then start it again.  Like I said weird....

Any ideas what I should be looking for.


Bill

P.S.  Looks like I spoke too soon, it got a bit further and I  can still see the entire toolpath but it stopped and seems to finished.

One thing I noticed is that the toolpath is in red and blue, being a newbie I thought this might be normal but does that mean Mach3 thinks there is a problem with the toolpath and wont run it???


Sorry if this is a bit rambling, I'm trying to get this working and it's almost 1:30 in the morning, I really need some sleep  :)
« Last Edit: March 14, 2010, 01:22:39 AM by wpflum »

Offline Graham Waterworth

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Re: Weird problem if I regen the toolpath
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2010, 02:42:54 PM »
Are you running the DEMO version?

When Mach3 draws the tool path the feed lines are in blue and the rapid lines are in red.

If you double click the display the zoom is reset, left click rotates and right click pans the image.

Graham
Without engineers the world stops
Re: Weird problem if I regen the toolpath
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2010, 03:13:53 PM »
Not a demo, version 2.63.

The bit about the blue and red lines helps, at least I wont be worrying about that.

I tried and older version,  version 1.83.027, which appeared to load and display the toolpath porperly but I could get it configured properly, it kept indicating an error and would enable the motors, but toolpath regen seemed to work.  I figure it's either a bug in the newer old version or a config parameter I'm not setting properly.

Any ideas?

This is for a hobby mill I built which if I don't get running right in a few hours will have to be put aside so we can manually start cutting the derby cars, not a prospect I'm looking forward to.  :(

Bill
Re: Weird problem if I regen the toolpath
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2010, 11:17:51 PM »
Now it gets even stranger, I've determined that I can regen to my hearts content and I can still see the entire toolpath IF I do not hit the Reset button to turn on the motors to jog the table.  After I hit Reset to jog the table to the material zero point then regen I get only a partial toolpath.  I get that even if I don't jog the table but just hit the Reset button.  Even weirder still is if I start up Mach3 and press Reset before loading the code and regen after loading the code but before moving the table or hitting Reset again I get the abridged toolpath.   

WTF  ???

Other than turn off the motors does the Reset toggle anything else??  It sure looks like it is flipping a setting somewhere which never gets reset until I exit and restart Mach3.



Bill

Offline Graham Waterworth

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Re: Weird problem if I regen the toolpath
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2010, 12:54:25 PM »
Are you in table view?

Try toggling the table view button.

Graham
Without engineers the world stops