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Gibbscam workflow tips?

DevinJB

Plastic
Joined
Aug 1, 2021
I'm looking for any tips and tricks for Gibbscam workflow to speed up the programming process. I have a few years experience each in Mastercam and Fusion360(please don't hate).
I'm familiar with gibbs but I find the UI and workflow clunky, and I'm assuming I'm missing something.

If say you're programming a 2-op 3axis part, are you creating a 2nd VMC file for OP2?

the stock creation in the document manager feels really labor intensive, as does aligning the part to the WCS. Is there an easier way or a plugin to set up your stock? Do you have to align your part to the WCS or can you move your WCS easily to be relative to your part, without moving all the geometry that you've already created?

Anything features to be careful with?

Helpful tips?

Thanks in advance.
 
I program full time so someone else is running what I give to them. For this reason, I generally set up a VNC for each OP unless it's using the same tooling. It's easier for me to spit out set up sheets this way when everything is separate.

Making 3D solids in Gibbscam is cumbersome. I do what I can to get all of that taken care of before it gets to Gibbs. That being said, I think that the one your are looking for is "Move Part Origin" move part origin.jpg This will move everything to the given point or coordinate value. The starting WCS cannot be moved any other way. You can also right click a solid (with Face Selection turned on) for the option to "Align Face to CS". When making a new CS, there are all sorts of options to align it in the CS Palette. Points, geometry, and solids (using face and/or edge selection) can all be used to align these CSs.

If you right click in the menu/button blank space, there is a "Customize Tool Bars & Menus" where you can search and find nearly every option Gibbscam offers. After using the program for a while, you'll figure out what you'll need and you can use this to better your work flow.

As far as helpful tips, you can auto fill nearly every coordinate context box by clicking your solid or geometry. Alt+Shift fills in all coordinates (like moving your part origin!). Alt does only the current selected box. I use this for nearly everything that takes a numerical value. Also, the help menu is surprisingly decent. There is a lot of info to be found in there.
 
As far as helpful tips, you can auto fill nearly every coordinate context box by clicking your solid or geometry. Alt+Shift fills in all coordinates (like moving your part origin!). Alt does only the current selected box. I use this for nearly everything that takes a numerical value. Also, the help menu is surprisingly decent. There is a lot of info to be found in there.

After all this time, I didn't know about alt+shift. I've been clicking x, alt clicking a coordinate, then y, alt clicking. Was annoying. Thank you!

where do they have a short list of keyboard shortcuts? because I can't find a good list of them in the documentation or google (there are shortcut lists but they seem far from complete, they don't have this one for example)

(maybe i can't find it because I'm on gibbs 2012, and not a newer version. But I doubt many shortcuts have changed)
 
If there is a keyboard shortcut list for Gibbs 2012, I don't remember where to find it. Starting in v12 (like 2016 or so), there is a keyboard shortcut button in the Customize menu I mentioned earlier: customize view.jpg

Otherwise, I would see if there is a list in Help. I would suggest doing a search for "keyboard" and see if anything comes up.
 
Jesus. there's a list right in the help menu!

ggg.jpg

(Also it's apparently 2014, not 2012)

Now the problem I'm going to have is actually remembering to use some of the ones I didn't know about. I've been chugging along, self taught + help from my boss years ago, and am probably doing a few things "the hard way".

Thanks again.



To try to answer the OP, most jobs I do are 2.5 axis, only dealing with prints and not too often solids. I only draw a solid or import them on really complicated stuff.

for this stuff, I try to keep everything in a single gibbs file, even when i have a first op, then flip for a 2nd op.

I use different workgroups for different geometry.

you CAN get creative with coordinate systems, and simulate the whole part as if you actually flipped it, and you'll end up with a simulated solid of what you're going to be left with after machining.

HOWEVER, for me, for most of what I do, I don't bother with the extra steps of coordinate systems, selecting different CS planes for different ops, and end up with a simulated part that looks like complete junk.

But this is only because the parts are simple and i can pretty well visualize what's happening.
 
I start out with a template that includes all my normal cutter paths for a given family of parts.

The fixture, Op1, Op2 and 3D modeling will all be on the same file but in different work groups. They will also share the same origin. That way file management is super easy and there is only one file per part that includes everything.

For example:

If I need to cut a fixture I select the necessary cutter paths and post to G56

If I need to do Op1 I select the necessary cutter paths and post to G55

If I need to do Op2 I select the necessary cutter paths and post to G54P1-P49. Technically I could use G56 from the fixture but like to have adjustments for automatic pallet changers or I need a lower Z height from decking a fixture.

Everything is super easy and if you run similar parts you can basically just drop a new part in and redo everything really fast.

From your post you might also check out “shrink wrap visible” for automatic stock management. I think that’s under the modify tab.
 








 
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