Toolpath parameters > Select Tool > Edit tool

[Bunsella (Patricia Beckmann Wells)]

Hello,

Is there a page that gives the info expected in the edit took for the various tools? Toolpath parameters>Select Tool > Edit tool

I am trying to add a #111 ballnose, but default settings do not pop up. I am expected to assign

• overall length
• shaft diameter
• flute diameter
• flute length

Where do I find this information?

This page has different names, none of which are requested in the software:

• cutter
• shanks
• flute
• oal
• loc
• cd
  https://docs.carbide3d.com/tutorials/tutorial-tooling/

what is what???

thank you

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

From the shop page:

In Carbide Create you can find a #111 which is listed as:

for MDF

For the terminology:

• oal is an abbreviation, o.a.l. for overall length
• shaft diameter is given on the shop page — it’s the diameter of the shaft which will go into the collet, 0.125 for a #111 — shank is another word for this
• flute diameter is the diameter at the cutting flutes, 0.0625 for a #111
• flute length is how deeply the endmill will be able to cut, so also loc, length of cut
• not sure what cd is in this context — could you provide a reference or screen grab?

[Gerry]

Hey Will,

Is the truncation of 0.0625 -> 0.062 in the cutter information reflected in the value stored in CC when generating toolpaths? Or is it just the display mask?

That’s 0.0127mm which is small but important.

[fenrus (Arjan van de Ven)]

Once you care about that much, one also needs to measure the actual cutter… there’s likely a bunch of variance between each cutter at least this much

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

Different versions of Carbide Create round off differently. I believe new ones allow greater precision, and one can always edit the underlying file.

If you’re more comfortable with metric, entering in that system gets one either 1.587 or 1.588mm which are just 0.0005mm off which I hope is reasonable enough.

[Bunsella (Patricia Beckmann Wells)]

Thanks - I am using Meshcam 6 and this info is not in it. I appreciate you taking the time. I will cross reference.

[Bunsella (Patricia Beckmann Wells)]

Why is oal (over all length) missing from this information? I am new, and finding this information is difficult. It would be helpful to be able to load the tools from the select tool page, but only one is listed - and this tool changes each time I open Meshacam.

I edited the script per Eddie Garmons advice, but no effect on Meshcam 6.

How to add tools to Carbide Wizard in MeshCAM

Continuing the discussion from How to import Carbide3d numbered tools into Meshcam?: Continuing the discussion from Meshcam tool selection: Sorry for the delayed response in posting this. The tools are defined in the LUA script file carbide-wizard.lua which is located in the $MeshCAMInstall$/scripts/carbide/ folder. Edit the file, and you will see a section where you build a table of cutters with features. Mine now looks as follows: -------------------------- --Initialize Cutters---- ------…

Does anyone have a cheat sheet of the following with all the information required in the tool definer?

local cutters = {}
table.insert(cutters,{ number=101, mm = false, diameter=.1250, length=.75, shaft=.125, ball=true, numTeeth=2, desc=“.125 Inch Ball” })
table.insert(cutters,{ number=102, mm = false, diameter=.1250, length=.75, shaft=.125, ball=false, numTeeth=2, desc=“.125 Inch Flat” })
table.insert(cutters,{ number=111, mm = false, diameter=.0625, length=.25, shaft=.125, ball=true, numTeeth=2, desc=“.0625 Inch Ball” })
table.insert(cutters,{ number=112, mm = false, diameter=.0625, length=.25, shaft=.125, ball=false, numTeeth=2, desc=“.0625 Inch Flat” })
table.insert(cutters,{ number=121, mm = false, diameter=.032, length=.063, shaft=.125, ball=true, numTeeth=2, desc=“.032 Inch Ball” })
table.insert(cutters,{ number=122, mm = false, diameter=.032, length=.063, shaft=.125, ball=false, numTeeth=2, desc=“.032 Inch Flat” })
table.insert(cutters,{ number=201, mm = false, diameter=.25, length=.75, shaft=.25, ball=true, numTeeth=3, desc=“.25 Inch Ball” })
table.insert(cutters,{ number=202, mm = false, diameter=.25, length=.75, shaft=.25, ball=false, numTeeth=3, desc=“.25 Inch Flat” })

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

There are some .tps files listed at: https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/MeshCAM#TPS_files (and see the preceding section/link)

Carbide Create has reduced the characteristics shown/entered to the bare minimum since it now uses curated feeds and speeds which are entered rather than calculated, so no further numbers are needed (they can still be entered directly into the files, but that is not necessary for normal usage).

[Gerry]

I agree the cutters themselves vary by more than this lack of precision. That point is probably silly.

It was also that the tool database doesn’t ‘read’ like the tool specs. That is pesky.

[neilferreri (Neil Ferreri Ω)]

@WillAdams

not sure what cd is in this context

Cut diameter…