I need to mill some 1/4" slots in 1/2" MDF. I’ve got the vectors defined. What toolpath operation do I need to use? I’d presume it to be a pocket, but whether I specific a 1/4" end mill or a 1/8" endmill for the operation I get an “empty toolpath” message. What might I be doing wrong?
-M.
Hmm. Disregard. While the 1/4" endmill never produced a valid tool path, the 1/8" endmill eventually did. It took like 5 minutes before it produced the toolpath, though. That’s weird. I’m running a very fast computer.
-M.
Upload your file. We can’t do anything if we can’t see what the problem is.
The geometry for a region needs to be ~10% wider at its narrowest than the tool which will be used.
Note that it is best practice to use a smaller tool and cut as a pocket.
Got it!
I’m curious about this, though. Why? While I’ve learned from other posts/videos that you really only want the bit cutting on one side and not on both sides, A contour cut is cutting on both sides of the bit all the way through the material – why can’t I do a slot that’s exactly the width of the bit in a single pass (or in however many passes are required to get through the material)?
-M.
Physics.
Tooling engagement.
Climb vs. Conventional Cutting.
One can cut a slot if one wishes — and it’ll work once or twice, or a dozen times, but one day, it will fail — maybe if one adjusts the feeds and speeds and Depth per Pass one can make it somewhat reliable, but not cutting a slot is viewed as best practice on a machine which lacks any sensors to determine if a step has been lost.
It’s workable on a hand-controlled machine because the operator can listen to the cut and feel the machine through the control and adjust the feed rate and so forth.
It’s workable on a machine w/ closed-loop control because it will know the machine’s position and adjust the commands to the machine accordingly, though if it work-hardens a section of the stock and breaks a tool, that is a "bad thing"™
It’s not workable on a machine which doesn’t have sensors to know where it is, and which sends movement controls and has to have confidence that each step of the stepper motor which was requested has resulted in the expected machine motion.
Where possible avoid slotting and add geometry and cut as a pocket
and/or
and consider leaving a roughing clearance and taking a finishing pass.
While I have not experienced lost steps on my S5Pro I used the default feeds/speeds from C3D when I started. As I learned the machine and material I have adjusted my F/S’s for efficiency. What I have learned is it’s better for me to use a “roughing” bit first to remove as much material as possible. This is on pocket and cutout operations while leaving stock to remove with a specific finishing bit (Up/down cut depending on project for example). This allows me to reduce l cut time for the project due to increased F/S’s and DOC with the roughing bit.
The advantage of this on the cutout operations is that I’m never slotting with the finish bit to have to worry about potentially breaking bits and by reducing the surface area contact for the bit it will last longer. In theory….
If and when I have no option to use a roughing bit I restrict the DOC when slotting, it takes longer but that’s the trade off.
OK, got it. Thanks for the elaboration!
-M.
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