Pocket operation: Stepover >50% does not mill everything

[MillingGuy]

Hi,

perhaps I missed something. Can someone tell me, why for pocket operations a stepover greater than 50% will not mill everything away?

Using e.g. a stepover of 90% you get enormous island not beeing milled. Two problems with it:

1. time factor: 50% to 90% means almost doubling resulting in higher costs
2. if you have to go down multiple steps to reach the bottom, you get in trouble if than running a stepover with e.g. 40%. the tool will now full run into previous not milled islands.

My expectation is, that even on a stepover=100% all pocket area must be milled (although it is then already clear that the cutter transitions are fibrous).

Or is there another way to accomplish this?

Regards, Harald

[MillingGuy]

Hi,

are there no thoughts from anyone out there? I know simpler CAM-Tools out there, that do a clean and full mill.

Regards, Harald

[gsridharan]

Hey, not looking at our example file, i am assuming you’re running to cases where the pocket operation is leaving some thin standups using >50% stepover, something like this?

Currently, you can use the Mill 3x feature Advanced Rough operation and use the smoothing options to remove corner pegs to get rid of those stand ups. This is found in the Option page Smoothing dialog like shown in this picture.

This will clear standups

You can send me the file you’re working on and i can take a look at it too!

Thanks,
Gokul

[MillingGuy]

Hi Gokul,

thx for your answer. Yes, it is these standups that remains with stepover >50%

Advanced Rough is sure a solution but is not possible to do when just 2D geometries are available.

Bye, Harald

[gsridharan]

that option is coming soon to Pocket operation

[MillingGuy]

Hi,

whatever will come… it is absolute not clear and incomprehensible, why big stepovers do not make a clean cut. And why does more effort have to be put in to make it work somehow?

Whipped cream with mixer on speed 5 becomes the same as on speed 1. So making a stepover with 100% should remove everything like a stepover with 40%.

Bye, Harald

[Svoboda]

That is good news that it will be possible to use >50% stepover for 2D pocketing and therefore simply use high feed tools. I realize that it is not easy to prepare these strategies and there must be modification of the paths in the corners, either as already used in 3D strategies or something similar.
In the next step, it would be very useful if the system could be able automatic create of linear toolpaths for maximum feedrates – it means that the largest possible pocket (rectangle or cyrcle) is fit into the area to be roughed and linear and contour-parallel toolpaths are optimally linked.

Thanks
Ludek

[MillingGuy]

Hello,
I again run in standups problems (with 6mm tool and step over 5mm) even with mentioned Smoothing from @gsridharan using values 1%:

Result:

I would like to know why milling is not complete, regardless of the stepover. BC, can you tell about it please?

Regards, Harald