Mike, I realize that Smartcam allows you to change toolpath with the cutter diameter and finish allowance; but it would be a great advantage for us to be able to change dimensions "on the fly" at the machine. We generally only use endmills .100 diameter and smaller, and runout, radius variations, etc., cause us to have to do a lot of trial cuts to get our electrodes to size. Our tolerances also require that we do this every time a tool is replaced. Much easier to do at the machine, I think. Also, the 3D comp. does use the ball center for toolpath, and the BostoMatic control has canned cycles to adjust the tool length offset before turning comp. on. This way you can set your tool length from the end as usual. The I,J,K coordinates needed are the direction of the surface normal, or a vector through the tangent point on the ball, and the ball center. I would think that Smartcam would calculate these to allow finish allowance or tool diameter to work. Does 5 axis do something like this for axis rotation? Just to add to the confusion, in reading the notes from BostoMatic, I also see that the control does a real-time check of the I,J,K coordinates to see if the square root of the sum of the squares of I,J,K equals one.
Thanks, Kevin -----Original Message----- From: Mike Gailey [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 9:37 AM To: Glawe, Chuck; SMARTCAM Subject: Re: [mfg-smartcam] RE: 3D Comp. (corrections) Chuck, Several thoughts on 3D cutter comp situations in Freeform: 1. In 3D milling think tangency point of the ball cutter "at all contact points" and the part surface, not center of the tool. 2. Smartcam tool diameters can be changed (like for reground tools) and the program re-coded to do what cutter comp does. 3. "Finish Stock" amounts can also accomplish the same thing, the amount of Finish Stock can either be Positive or Negative entries. Hope this helps, Michael
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