Program zero in CC and Meshcam

[gunter511 (Gunter)]

I’m cutting out several filleted discs out of brass stock for which I made a jig in the waste board of my Nomad 3.

In CC, I have the bottom left set as zero.

Now in Meshcam, how do I move the part zero to the exact position of my jig?

Thanks in advance!
Gunter

[Gerry]

Hey Gunter!

I don’t know the answer…

… but as an alternative, have you considered sticking with 2.5D in CC (or similar) and using a corner rounding endmill (like this) to quickly get your filet edge?

[gunter511 (Gunter)]

Hey Gerry, thank you for replying.

My understanding is that CC can’t handle these fillets… am I wrong?

Having said that, I’d like to learn meshcam for 3d cutting. So far, I’ve found a few tutorials
but none of them seem to cover this issue.

Many thanks,
Gunter

[Tod1d (Tod (with 1 'd'))]

@gunter511

My understanding is that CC can’t handle these fillets… am I wrong?

I don’t see why not. It’s a simple planer toolpath. Create a tool the tip diameter of the corner round bit, and set your depth to the radius size. (I usually fudge it a bit and make the tool just a hair bigger (0.005 / 0.1mm), and the cut depth just a hair smaller to avoid the corners of the bit from leaving a line.)
It won’t show the rounded corner in simulation, but the path will be right.

As for setting your zero… How will you pick up your zero point of the fixture on the machine. Set it to the same location in Meshcam. It really doesn’t matter what the zero was in CC to make the fixture. As long as Meshcam & the point you pickup on the fixture match.

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

Are you using roundover bits?

See:

Using unsupported tooling in Carbide Create: Roundover / Cove / Radius bits

These are usually used in routers for decorative effects in wood: but they are potentially useful for joinery: They are also useful for rounding off parts to allow rotary motion as for a hinged lid. Unfortunately, Carbide Create does not support this endmill geometry — but using the new support for previewing a V endmill when used in a No Offset Contour toolpath, it should be possible to preview them w/ confidence by stacking a series of V endmill cuts.

[Gerry]

As Todd-less-1-d implies, the tool support for the preview doesn’t really matter.

If you draw a circle in CC then the endmill moves in a circle.

If you put a ball endmill in you get a groove. A V-bit a V. A flat endmill a slot. An a corner rounding endmill, a fillet.

The Gcode is the same and the machine has no idea what you are cutting with.

[3DGG (Graham Gerhardt)]

Just click on the text adjacent to Program Zero - another box pops up and you modify the co-ordinates as required:

[gunter511 (Gunter)]

@3DGG Thanks for your suggestion… I tried that but it moves the xyz coordinates correctly, not the stock itself:

Can’t seem to get to move the stock to the xyz coordinate position.

Thanks,
Gunter

10 pc domed discs.mcf (1.7 MB)

[gunter511 (Gunter)]

Will, I’m using a 2mm ball end end mill.
Thanks,
Gunter

[3DGG (Graham Gerhardt)]

Is your workpiece (stock size) dimensions the same as your jig?

From your pics - it looks like the workpiece is bounded by the tangent edges of your disks:

But your jig hole (for lack of a better term) is bigger:

I would make them the same - and use a common point for your zero. Likely I’d just modify the dimensions of the workpiece so it is exactly the same as your jig hole - by adding XX mm around the periphery.

Or your could try to use the exact center as your zero - and make sure everything is zeroed like that. But I’m a lower left guy myself and if I were to change it up, my chances of screwing something up increase substantially.