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How2 create Part from 3D Toolpath?

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chamnut

Mechanical
Joined
Oct 15, 2008
Messages
4
Location
US
I'm trying to model complex part made by 3 axis EDM. Tried modeling electrode and using Solid Sweep w/XYZ Curve of path in SW2009. Curve fit to data points is terrible, and function can't handle non-smooth transitions and path intersections. SW tech support has no solution. Need ability to read in data file of 1000's of steps to define path.

If SW can't do this, any recommendations of other programs out there? Seems there should be.





 
The CNC machine control probably interpolates it to millions of steps... and that leads to this question:
Could the CNC control generate a STEP file, or something similar, that you could import?



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
 
Unfortunately no. I only have the path data to work with.
 
Can you fit a spline to the points to appropriately smooth the path?

- - -Updraft
 
Try MasterCAM, I dont think that SolidWorks is all that good for dealing with toolpaths.

Nick
I love materials science!
 
There are no smoothing options with an XYZ curve in Solidworks (this was confirmed by tech support). I know of know way to read in a data file of path information and smooth or curve fit the path.

MasterCAM, nor any CAM program I have come across, has the ability to create a Solid. Every program I have come across requires a Solid Model as input.

 
Here is the download site for the point import macro with points tab delim ASCII format and bring them in with this macro, , or put your points into an excel file bring them in via design table. fit spline to points as Updraft said. use this curve to drive your electrode through the solid sweep.

rfus
 
chamnut,

MasterCAM can create solids. You just need to buy the modules that will allow you to do that. Most companies don't want to spend the money. Many other CAM programs that I have seen have this capability.


Cheers,



Anna Wood
SW2008 SP4.0, Windows Vista SP1
IBM ThinkPad T61p, T7800, FX570M, 4 gigs of RAM
 
rfus -- I tried the macro, thanks. It won't help me create a spline because I have hundreds of thousands of points (motor commands) and can't do it manually. In addition, Solid Sweep won't support a 3D path with both curves and straight lines. But I may be able to visualize my part by generating point cloud data of the surface which this will do.

Anna -- yes not worth the expense. But also I'm not sure if MasterCAM will give me the end result which is a solid produced only by actual machining tool cuts and not CAD commands.
 
Ten years ago I knew guys who could do far more in MasterCAM than could comparably be done with SolidWorks--of course, a lot has changed in that time, but if they were that advanced back then, I'd imagine they could sweep a solid profile (tool) to give decent surface data these days. (Maybe find an old copy with the solids module?)

If you have XYZ points, perhaps you could get Updraft's suggestion to work. Create segments between the points (lines, arcs) and use the Fit Spline feature to create a smooth path of the segments.



Jeff Mowry
A people who value security over freedom will soon find they have neither.
 
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