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Solidworks CAM Standard 3 Axis Finishing Methods

kenton

Stainless
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Location
Illinois
We are a bit slow at work so I have been working on learning the CAM software that came with Solidworks 2020. I am making new fingers for a finger brake and trying to use 3 axis milling to machine the angle on the end of the fingers. My question is can I switch the finishing cycle to travel up and down the angle instead of across the face. I believe I could do that in Surfcam but It has been a while since I have done much CAM programing. I am using a bullnose endmill so I can avoid tool changes since I am working with a ProtoTrak mill. Finishing in that method would save me a lot of passes.

Capture.jpg
 
you should have a cut angle somewhere under one of your tabs. It maybe under contour mill or pattern.
 
Under the "Area Clearance" tool path I can rotate the pattern but that only rotates in the X,Y plane. I was also believe that "Area Clearance" is a roughing cycle. The only 3 axis finishing cycle I see is the "Z Level" cycle.

For clarity I used my super awesome MS Paint skills to indicate what I am trying to do. Imagine the red lines represent the tool path.
Capture horizontal.jpg
What I currently have programed.

Capture vertical.jpg
What I would like to do.
 
Can you elaborate on your last comment? I was playing around a bit with SW CAM to see if we should look at it as an alternative to MasterCAM for simple jobs for non-power users we hav,e but my initial foray into it was the base version is so limited it's hard to do much that's useful.
 
I believe the version I am using is the free version that comes with solidworks as well.

I was referring to being able to change the direction the mill cuts using Surfcam but not being able to in Solidworks CAM.
But mostly it was a post bump.

Almost everything we do are one-offs, so some added time isn't a huge deal but since I was learning and making a hand full of brake fingers I thought I would try to improve the process.
 
I had to do this once. I put a series of horizontal construction lines up the face and used them with the open profile tool path. First with a square endmill to rough it then with a chamfer mill to finish it.
 
Pretty Sure SW Cam Stadard is only 2.5 axis and can't do true 3-axis surfacing. Not sure if they would count the XZ interpolation with a seperate step over as 2.5 axis or not.
 








 
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