modeling a 3D milling custom cutter

[chrish]

Does anyone know how to model a custom cutter shape swept through a 3D trajectory to accurately reflect the final cut shape a milling cut would produce?


Essentially I want to revolve a 2D sketch and sweep this through a trajectory.

 

[TonyJager]

To setup a sketched tool it goes as follows.

In the toolmanager:

Select new, pick milling for the 'type', this will give you the option under edit->sketch.
you should be able to see sketcher on the right hand side with a window.
Click on sketcher this will drop you into sketcher mode.
There you would sketch your 'profile' you want to mill. This should be on the right hand side of the centerline. don't forget to put a csys in there as well. The csys would drive the tool along the trajectory you pick in the model.

In the customize toolpath pick none for 'offset'.

If you have any questions let me know

Tony

 

[tobbo]

Works fine for proNC, but i think Chrish wants to make the modell to appear as it would have been milled. Not how to do the mill and the mfg sequense.


I havent found a "smart" solution for sweeping a 3d "mill" along a curve. but it can be done using bmx to create a sweepvolume , and then subtract the volume from your part.... not a "good and easy way" to do it thoo...


//Tobias

 

[chrish]

Yes Tobbo, I'm trying to do this within regular WF3. We do not have the proNC module so I'm looking for a way to model a true NC cut.


Is BMX something included within wildfire or is this another add on?


sweepvolume sounds promissing


Chris

 

[dbrainsky]

Are you trying to make a model cut as if it were a spiral typeshape left by a milling cutterwhen the cutter had only rotated only 180 degrees?

 

[chrish]

No I would like to make the shape of a custom milling cutter, swept along a ramping cut. As the cutterramps up itcreates a concave bottom surface.I have figured out a way to do this if the milling cutter is a cylinder shape but my method does not work if the cross section has a taper on it.

 

[tobbo]

BMx is an addon. Basicly what you do is that you do an analys feature. For ex. in a car you can simulate the front wheel turning to the left / right and analyze how much space the wheel needs for clearence. Then take this voulme , make it a little bit bigger and there is your inner fender.....

.


The same thing can be done by specifying a "part" that travels along a curve or something...and if you analyze the space needed for the part, you get a volume. The volume can be treated as a new part, and can therefore be used to cut out material from another part.


As you can see , this is not something i recomend doing as regular modelling "but it can be done"

(btw, even if you got proNC , you cant transfer the result of a milling sequense back to the part. Although , Tony was absolutly correct by describing how todo a sketched tool and run it on a trajectory)


Anyway, as i said, i havent found a "single feature" to do your 3d cut in an easy way, you probably have to do it by creating a couple of separate features. Vss is pretty powerful in this case.


//Tobias