Hello from a cnc newbie and editing code in software?

[djberg]

So first thing's first, thank you Les I think you're the brains behind this software, and at least for me and my current search of a cam software to suite what I need, this is the best balance of intuitive and code exported in a streamlined manor(far better than fusion360 anyways).

So a bit about me, I'm a manual machinist by hobby(garage full of ww2 era machines) and trade( i grind roll tooling on an o.d. grinder, plus now am doing all machining scenarios in our shop, 99.5% manual work), but there's one old Bridgeport series 2 interact 2 controlled by a Hiedenhain tnc 155 that was once upon a time used for cutting out templates for the diaform I use to dress shapes into grinding wheels. We do not get brand new orders very often, almost ever maybe a new shape every 3-5 years, so the machine doesn't do much of anything other than cutting tensile strength test pieces for one company, that code i could write in hiedenhain conversational no biggie, but these foil(turbine fin) shapes are a whole other story lol.

So the current situation is this...

Ive been working at getting a drip feed scenario going, but i am at a wall, and am starting to think that at some point years back that how ever they were feeding code into the machine,but it stopped working, and I'm really wondering of it is not an issue in the controller it's self. Since anything in the last 10 years that has been done with the machine had been coded by the previous engineer(now retired, gone and will not help anyone anymore), and was input by the previous machinist, who had very few notes on what happened, and he has passed now as well. So here i am trying to wrap my head around everything.

As a background of myself, I'm fluent enough in fusion360 to make good sketches for sheet cam to work, but I'm looking for any pointers to consolidating the post code as much as possible especially with the need of accuracy for the templates, yet the complexity of the foil shapes I'm attempting to machine, oh and the cherry on top of the cake, the hiedenhain tnc155 gets really picky about the contour calls and on set of blocks that it does not like, and its almost easier to turn that little bit of the code into short line segments, heck if i could figure out the point where the controller no longer likes the contour radius call, i would edit the code before entering it , but i have no clue how to pre-screen like that and not enough experience to start to make an educated guess on how to start.

The end goal of this post, the best way to import info to sheet cam as a dxf and having it be as easily converted to the smallest amount of code possible since i am entering it manually and it really sucks when I've spent 2 hrs entering code, to have the controller get mad about a contour call, half way through a test run, before cutting the actual template.

My limited educated guess to getting to the solution needed would be as follows;

1. Having the sketch as a complete wrap around/ continuous profile.

2. Using as many polyline applications as possible? In fusion on the initial sketch as well as in sheet cam(if possible to emulate what fusion calls "smoothing")?

3. Using layers to confirm that i am 100% putting the cutter on the correct side of the profile, I think i had this issue on the first semi-successful template cut, since the shape did not fully match the profile we put on a compactor chart... 1" wide part, means 5" wide template shape, then put on a comparitor at its smallest magnification(10x) setting made for a 50" profile on the comparitor lol.

4. Figuring out how to eliminate extra code that is being generated like move to x-0.000 then an additional move to x- negative radius of cutter before moving in the next direction example of up to y-3.000.

5. how to edit code and have the line numbers update before I enter them, so when there is an issue i can easily refer back to the original code to see if I entered the wrong value, or if i need to think my way around the contour cal the controller does not like.

Sorry if this is alot, I'm trying to convey any needed details to assist in the easiest answer for whoever tries to help.

Thanks in advance,
DJ

[rideforlife247]

no responses to this, wow

i have a bridgeport dx32 that i am trying to figure out how i can use sheet cam to help in the part programming