Imagine you have a family of parts to create models for. The parts are all of a similar shape but the sizes vary in sizes.
Rotating Washers
This Edgecam Part Modeler Tutorial Video explains how to link your model to an XL Spread Sheet.
For simplicity I am using a washer but it could be something far more complex.
In this Edgecam Part Modeler Tutorial the thickness, bore diameter, outside diameter and chamfer size are listed for eight washers in a spread sheet. This spread sheet links to Part Modeler and you can add as many washers as you choose and vary the sizes.
One of my big projects over the last few years has been creating Macro Programmes for the machining of wedding rings. People who know me are saying “did they really trust him with all that precious metal“.
Gold Bars
A wedding ring is quite a simple thing to produce on a CNC Lathe or so I thought. The customer then happened to mention that there were 250 styles. He needed to produce them in six different materials and in every size.
A quick bit of maths there are 143 sizes, 250 styles. Oh dear that’s like millions of programmes.
The clever ones amongst you already feel a Macro Programme coming on. I have love hate relationship with Macros.
Use them correctly and you have a very powerful tool. Used wrongly as they often are, they are a recipe for collisions and bullshit.
One of my Golden Rules is never over complicate CNC Code for your customer ie the CNC Setter Operator. Anyway no more ranting. This wedding ring Macro is a masterpiece and has been developed over nearly three years.
Hear is something you might not know. Edgecam Part Modeler can calculate weights if given the density of the material.
In Edgecam there are two ways that you can simulate your programmes:
Full simulation, this includes machine and fixture as well as tool collision detection.
Instruction Simulation, individual or all your instructions can be simulated as you produce them.
This article is about Edgecam Instruction simulation.
You can simulate the whole sequence using the simulator in Edgecam. This is really good for collision checking and being sure that your final programme will run ok.
Before the full simulation you can run a simulation from the instruction window. You can see the tool path and accurately see the shape you are machining.
It is really useful for checking your tool path as you produce it. But it does not check for collisions.
The attached video shows you how to tune in to a specific part of your toolpath and analyze it by using the zoom function.
Top Slider
The top slider shows the progress of the simulation throughout the instruction list. Slide it with your mouse to fast forward or back through the simulation.
The current cycle or command is displayed (‘Finish Turning’ in this example).
Speed Control
You can control the speed of the simulation by moving the bottom slider, left to slow down and right to speed up.
Factor
The number to the right of the bottom slider acts as a multiplier to the speed set by the slider. Use the buttons to the left of the number to change it.
Constant
Click the Constant button to activate it and set the simulation to run at a fixed rate. Click the button again to deactivate it, the tool will then move at a rate proportional to the feeds in the cycle.
Using the Stop button halts the simulation for the current tool only.
