Problem cutting spherical radius with Surface Finish Flowline

SigurdACVW · Dec 9, 2020

This is a feature that I'm trying to program. It's .500" spherical radius.

I'm on a 2-axis seat of Mastercam 2021, and programming from the solid model. The face of the radius is the drive surface. I can get through the flowline parameters and see the toolpath. However, when I go to backplot or verify, neither function will work. The tool doesn't appear, the slider on backplot won't move, and verify doesn't display anything either. I've attempted to create a surface from the radius face, but to no avail. I've used surface finish flowline with this 2-axis seat before. What could be going on? Is it the hole that's causing problems?

Mike1974 · Dec 9, 2020

Try posting and see if it generates G code?

SigurdACVW · Dec 9, 2020

This is the only G-code I get:

N10 M5
N20 G91 G28 Z0.
N30 G28 X0. Y0.
(SURFACE FINISH FLOWLINE)
N40 M30
%

Mike1974 · Dec 9, 2020

Sounds like your seat is not supporting it for some reason. In the filter box (not sure it makes a difference) are you set to use rads/arcs in all axis, xz yz, etc? Maybe a test, tilt your part so you could in theory 3d it more with the side of tool, and try a different surface option, like parallel, so it does xy, step in z, xy, step in z and so on, so it is not trying to move all 3 axis at one time?

Mtndew · Dec 9, 2020

SigurdACVW said:
This is a feature that I'm trying to program. It's .500" spherical radius.
View attachment 307055

I'm on a 2-axis seat of Mastercam 2021, and programming from the solid model. The face of the radius is the drive surface. I can get through the flowline parameters and see the toolpath. However, when I go to backplot or verify, neither function will work. The tool doesn't appear, the slider on backplot won't move, and verify doesn't display anything either. I've attempted to create a surface from the radius face, but to no avail. I've used surface finish flowline with this 2-axis seat before. What could be going on? Is it the hole that's causing problems?

Is the toolpath size 1.5K? If so then you have a setting wrong somewhere and Mastercam doesn't know what to do with it.
Maybe a gap setting? Is it offset?

SigurdACVW · Dec 9, 2020

I'll give it a shot. When my seat doesn't support a toolpath, I immediately get an error saying do. "Your level of Mastercam does not support this. Contact your reseller." or similar.

Mtndew · Dec 9, 2020

SigurdACVW said:
I'll give it a shot. When my seat doesn't support a toolpath, I immediately get an error saying do. "Your level of Mastercam does not support this. Contact your reseller." or similar.

It's just something simple that you overlooked is all,happens to me all the time.

escapethewrmhole · Dec 9, 2020

Honestly, I'd just use a spiral path. They do those features effectively.

SigurdACVW · Dec 9, 2020

Mtndew said:
It's just something simple that you overlooked is all,happens to me all the time.

What do you think I'm forgetting?

escapethewrmhole said:
Honestly, I'd just use a spiral path. They do those features effectively.

Where do I find that feature?

SigurdACVW · Dec 9, 2020

I found the spiral path. Same problem; the operation generates, but there's no backplot.

kenton · Dec 9, 2020

How big is the tool you are trying to use?

SigurdACVW · Dec 9, 2020

5/32" ballnose

SigurdACVW · Dec 9, 2020

Fixed it. Had my planes set wrong. That's not the first time that error has gotten me.

Mtndew · Dec 10, 2020

SigurdACVW said:
Fixed it. Had my planes set wrong. That's not the first time that error has gotten me.

That's exactly what I was referring to, something simple that you overlooked.

SigurdACVW · Dec 10, 2020

It doesn't make sense though. In the past when I've had the planes wrong, the backplot will show, but the tool will be upside down or sideways. Huh. Well, remember for next time.

Mtndew · Dec 10, 2020

SigurdACVW said:
It doesn't make sense though. In the past when I've had the planes wrong, the backplot will show, but the tool will be upside down or sideways. Huh. Well, remember for next time.

Sure it does,if you have your planes wrong and the tool can still cut something it will show you something.
If it can't, then it will be a non-toolpath. And it will be 1.5K in size.
Anytime you have something in a path that Mastercam doesn't like, it will always be 1.5K in size if it regenerates. That's a quick way to tell if it's bad or not.

mmurray70 · Dec 11, 2020

Wouldnt it make more sense to just plunge with 1" ball?

SigurdACVW · Dec 11, 2020

mmurray70 said:
Wouldnt it make more sense to just plunge with 1" ball?

... and that's exactly what I ended up doing on the Bridgeport. I figured out the programming on my lunch after the fact, so I could program it in the future if I wanted to.

G00 Proto · Dec 13, 2020

I’ve been using Mastercam for over 20 years and I occasionally beat my head against the wall for a couple of hours because I messed up a plane. I think it takes me longer to diagnose now than when I started, mostly because I have myself convinced that I’ll never do it again

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SigurdACVW · Dec 15, 2020

I'm in a little bit of a jam here as far as learning the machine and software goes. I heard rumblings of getting sent to Mastercam training locally here, but nothing has happened yet. In the meantime, they still want parts, but I'm on my own. It hasn't been impossible, because Mastercam isn't foreign to me, but a little frustrating here and there with the Z-axis and some of the new-to-me-toolpaths. Grabbing the 1" ballnose and heading to the Bridgeport was sort of cutting my losses. I can't spend all afternoon trying to figure something out. It's a fine line between learning and still getting parts done.

Problem cutting spherical radius with Surface Finish Flowline

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