.......If you go to the tools\options and look at the bottom of the page, there is a property box where you can allocate the number of threads for CB to use. Ideally the PC should be offline, and not running anything else. Then run as many threads as possible.
I've been using the term
instances of CB. I gather that's incorrect. What I really mean is just the number of windows I have open working active/different CB projects. Are those CB
threads? I presume you mean the setting with the red arrow. It is and has been set to 2. I don't think I'm understanding what this actually does and what about the green arrow
worker thread setting? The help explanation isn't clearing it up for me.
......If your chasing down run time and have picked all the low hanging fruit,then you can try (effectively)horizontally slicing the model and use multiple mops, essentially copies of each other and adjust the depth increments etc, accordingly.
It's not so much run (cut) time as it is the duration of
processing time so I can experiment with applying different MOPs to different portions of the surface. Rather than run/cut time, what's more important to me is the quaility of the cut surface to reduce hand finishing and high first pass yield to avoid scrap.
When it takes hours to get to the point of merely viewing a simulation, that's a bit defeating. Keep in mind, I'm cutting polystyrene lost foam patterns for casting, and making them one at a time. It doesn't make much sense for me to invest hours into improving the program to reduce minutes of run time. However, I do expect to make more of this part, slight variations on the part, and similar parts, so as I do, I can incorporate improvements.....thus this post.
I have added many features to the CAD model to facilitate ease of CAM such as the machining frame, holding tabs, parting surface, offsetting the parting surface so I get full depth of cut beyond the ball nose radius, etc, so additional mods to the surface model to facilitate ease of future CAM programimg are no problem. I shoot for a surface such that when I import into CB, I can just use the shape outine as the bounding surface and the task for the intial cut at the CB program is just to position the surface and calling the 3D MOP. Then maybe I add a bounding shape to cut down the total surface area to be cut and reduce run time.
The first MOP is usually just a finish cut so I can see what I have. If that looks good then I add a MOP for roughing and stock removal before the finish MOPs. I usually give myself .030-.060" of roughing clearance. It really doesn't matter much with foam nor does direction of cut so I use mixed, and I use the same ball nose bit for roughing (though specify end mill in CB for roughing) just to avoid tool change so I can let it run and go do something productive. I use 2D and 2.5D MOPs where possible.
As opposed to WL F with a bounding box as David previoulsy suggested, for speed, I think I'd just produce a toolpath to geometry polyline 1/2 the tool diameter larger than the eared/oval perimeter, project that tool path to the surface, and then use an Engrave MOP to clean up the entire perimeter of the vertical faces of the oval with 8 ears in a single full depth pass (after roughing)....make sense? But why go to the effort if calling a single WL F MOP would do the entire surface? The answer as to why for me is because it's taking 2-3hrs to get the tool paths and another 2-3 hours for the GCode, and I have to do this four times because there is two sided machining required on two halves of the the part.
-That's my thought process. Seem reasonable?
Best,
Kelly
Show Posts
... nice job.