GravoStyle Tutorial Chapter 10 031106.pub

Bobr

Description

LESSON 10: MACHINING MODULE In this lesson we’ll have an introduction to Gra-voStyle’s Machining Module. The Machining Module enables us to see exactly how our job will be ma-chined and to view and edit the actual toolpaths. These are only one aspect of the module’s powers, but they’re the one’s we’ll concentrate on in this job. The finished job is shown in Figure 10-1. The concepts we’ll learn are: How to highlight any areas of our job that will not fill correctly How to interactively change our selected Figure 10-1 Finished Job tool and see the exact effects on problem areas of our job Our job’s design specifications are: Finished Job Filename: Machine Module Colt Logo.gnh Logo Filename: 2D Filled Colt Logo.gnh Plate: 8 inches by 8 inches with a ¼ inch margin We’ll use the same Colt logo that we completed in lesson 9. We won’t make any design changes to the logo, but we will change the way in which we send the job to our engraving table. Instead of sending it from GravoStyle’s graphics design screen, we’ll send it from the Machining Module. Our job plan is to: Open the logo file Switch from GravoStyle’s Graphics screen to its Machining Module screen Select our cutting tool See, onscreen, any areas of the logo that will not properly fill with the selected tool. Change the cutting tool to improve the fill View the actual toolpaths of the cutting tool Send the job to the table from the Machining Module New ...

Informations

• Publié par: Kucez
• Nombre de lectures: 33
• Langue: English

Extrait

LESSON 10: MACHINING MODULE

In this lesson we’ll have an introduction to Gra voStyle’s Machining Module. The Machining Module enables us to seeexactlyhow our job will be ma chined and to view and edit the actual toolpaths. These are only one aspect of the module’s powers, but they’re the one’s we’ll concentrate on in this job.

The finished job is shown in Figure 101.

The concepts we’ll learn are:

• How to highlight any areas of our job that will not fill correctly

• How to interactively change our selected tool and see the exact effects on problem areas of our job

Our job’s design specifications are:

Figure 101 Finished Job

• Finished Job Filename: Machine Module Colt Logo.gnh

• Logo Filename: 2D Filled Colt Logo.gnh

• Plate: 8 inches by 8 inches with a ¼ inch margin

We’ll use the same Colt logo that we completed in lesson 9. We won’t make any design changes to the logo, but we will change the way in which we send the job to our engraving table. Instead of sending it from GravoStyle’s graphics design screen, we’ll send it from the Machining Module.

Our job plan is to:

• Open the logo file

• Switch from GravoStyle’s Graphics screen to its Machining Module screen

• Select our cutting tool

• See, onscreen, any areas of the logo that will not properly fill with the selected tool.

• Change the cutting tool to improve the fill

• View the actual toolpaths of the cutting tool

• Send the job to the table from the Machining Module

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial101

STEP 1: OPEN THE JOB

We’ll open the file for the finished job of lesson 9, 2D Filled Colt Logo, and our screen will look as shown in Figure 102. (Let’s make sure that we’re in “Wire contours” viewing mode.

We have no further editing to do on the logo, so we’ll save the file now with an appropriate name for this lesson. We’ll save it as “Machine Module Colt Logo.gnh” before we enter the Machining Module.

Why should we save the job now? We’re going to generate toolpaths and there is a funda mental difference in the way that the Machining Module handles these paths compared to the way that it’s done in the graphics part of GravoStyle. When we send a job to the table from the graphics screen (what we’ve been doing in the previous lessons) the toolpaths are gener ated on the fly  that is, at the time that they’re being sent. When we work in the Machining Module, we generate the toolpaths within the module, and they’re automatically saved in a new file that’s linked to the job file itself. The job file must already exist. For this reason, Our job file must be saved before we work in the Machining Module.

It’s true that in this lesson we’re already starting with a file that’s already been saved, but that won’t generally be so. We should follow good practice and always save our job before enter ing the Machining Module!

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial102

Figure 102 2D Filled Colt Logo File Opened

STEP 2: ENTER THE MACHINING MODULE

Notice that in figure 102, the mouse cursor is pointing to a tab at the bottom of the left toolbar. The tab is labeled “CAM”, and we’ll click on it to go into the Machining Mod ule, Figure 103. (The tab is now labeled “GravoStyle”, and we would click on it if we wanted to reenter the graph ics module.)

When we enter the Machining Module, we’ll see that its left toolbar is different than that of the graphics module (Figure 104).

Let’s take a closer look at this toolbar:

• Tools 1, 2 and 3 are the same as those in the graphics module. They are the group, ungroup and measuring tools re spectively.

• Tool 4 (Create toolpath) is where we specify the type of engraving we want  plotting, 2D, etc.

• Tool 5 (Toolpath list) lists all of the tool paths we’ve created for the job and lets us look at them individually.

• Tool 6 (Tool database) is a catalog of tool that we can select from

• Tool 7 (Add special tool) is for very ad vanced use and lets us customize the profile of the cutting tool.

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial103

• It let’s us see if the tool weTool 8 (Tool choice optimization) is one we’ll use a lot. chose can actually reach into fine details and corners of our job.

• Tool 9 (Overlap markers) lets us identify error points in problem vector contours that don’t fill properly.

Look Further A vector contour must satisfy two conditions to fill properly. It must be closed with no gaps of any size whatsoever between points, and it must not loop across itself. It is not all that rare that miniscule loops show up when vectorizing complex detailed artwork. If they’re small enough, and they usually are, they can be extremely hard to find. The “Overlap mark ers” tool finds them. It will examine selected contours (we would only select ones that don’t prop erly fill) and mark intersection points of any loops with a plus sign.

STEP 3: SELECT OUR TOOL

In lesson 9 we guessed at a .090 inch diameter cutting tool and looked in the WYSIWYRE screen for the results. The Machining Module provides us with a more powerful method.

Here’s how it works:

• First, we’ll make sure that our logo is entirely selected and we’ll click on the “Tool choice optimization tool” (Figure 106).

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial104

Figure 106

• A large new window will open. It’s labeled “preview of remaining material” (Figure 107) and it has three main areas of interest:

• The main area of this window shows the entire logo

• The left side of the window has a scrollable area which lists our cataloged cutting tools. (Cataloged within GravoStyle, that is.)

• The bottom left portion of the window has a small window in which we enter our cutting depthWe’ll make sure our cutting depth is entered (0.003 inches)

• We’ll scroll down the list of tools to find the .090 inch diameter Gravoply cutter. We’ll select it for our first try and click on the “Apply” button (or, we can just double click on the tool in the scrollable window).

Figure 107 Preview of Remaining Material Window

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial105

• The picture of our logo will change. It will show, in clearly displayed red, the areas of the logo which will not fill with the selected tool (Figure 108). We’ll judge this to be too much detail lost, particularly on the lower tip of the “C”.

Figure 108 Areas Not Filled With .090 Tool

Figure 109 Areas Not Filled With .060 Tool

• We’ll go back to the tool list and this time select a .060 inch diameter Gravoply cut ting tool and doubleclick on it. The red areas in the logo will change to reflect the new tool selection. We’ll judge the results to be acceptable for this job and we’ll en grave with a .060 inch diameter tool.

• We’ll now close the “Preview of remaining material” window.

STEP 4: CREATING THE TOOLPATHS

We’re now ready to create the toolpath for the logo, and, appropriately enough, we’ll click on the “Create toolpath” tool (Figure 1010). The Ma chining Module’s “Create toolpath” window will open (Figure 1011).

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial106

Figure 1010

We’ll click on the plus sign at the left of “Available” and a list of our possible choices, of the kinds of engraving that we can do, will open (Figure 1012).

Figure 1011 Create Toolpath Window

The one we want is “Milling 2D”, and we’ll doubleclick on it. An other window will open (Figure 10 13) and it’s labeled “Milling 2D”. This window opens on its “General” page, and it’s the only one we need for this job. The other page is for jobs that we would engrave in more than one pass.

We’ll make sure that our cutting depth is entered correctly (0.003 inches) and we’ll select both “2D on surface” and “Island fill”. We’ll leave all of the other options on this page and we’ll then click on the “Tool choice” icon at the upper right of the window. The same list of tools that we saw in the “Preview of remaining material” will open and we’ll select our Gravoply .060 inch diameter cutter (Figure 1014). We’ll then click “OK” to confirm our

Figure 1012 TypeofEngraving Options

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial107

tool selection and then click “OK” again to close the Milling 2D window.

After the Milling 2D window closes, the Machining Module will generate the actual toolpaths of the cutter (Figure 1015).

Note: If your toolpaths do not show clearly at this point, instruct the Machining Module to redraw the screen. Merely click on the paintbrush icon on the top toolbar.

We can use the zoom tools at our disposal  the zoom icons on the top toolbar or the right mouse button  to get a more detailed look at the toolpaths.

We can now close the “Create Toolpath” window.

Figure 1015 Generated Toolpaths

STEP 5: SIMULATING THE MACHINING OF THE LOGO

We can now simulate the machining of the logo:

• First, we’ll click on the “Toolpath list” tool (Figure 10 16) and the “Toolpath list” win dow will open (Figure 1017).

Figure 1016

• Ours is a single layer job and we have only one tool path generated for it (Milling 2D (000) in Figure 1017. Toolpath List WindowFigure 1017 We’ll click on our listed toolpath “Milling 2D (000) with therightmouse button and a menu will pop up (Figure 1018).

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial108

Figure 1018 Toolpath List Menu

We’ll click on “Simulation” in this menu and a new window will open (Figure 1019). It will generate the toolpaths in this window, complete in the detail of the actual swirl marks of the cutting tool! We can use our zoom tools to enlarge any area of interest. Figure 1020 shows such an enlargement of the bottom of the “L” and “T” and the bottom right tip of the “C”.

Figure 1019 Simulation Window

Figure 1020 Detail of Lower Parts of “L”, “T” and “C”

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial109

STEP 6: EDITING THE TOOLPATH

We can now, if we want, actually edit any part of the toolpath. To do this, we’ll:

• ReselecteverythingWe’llto make sure that the toolpaths are part of the selection. do this by dragging the mouse around the entire logo.

• Next, we’ll again rightclick our toolpath name in the tool list window to bring up its menu. There, we’ll click on “Edit toolpath geometry” (Figure 1021).

Figure 1021 Edit Toolpath Geometry

• We’ll then click on the “GravoStyle” tab at the bottom of the Machining Module’s left toolbar (Figure 1022) and we’ll return to GravoStyle’s graphics window (Figure 10 23). We’ll see our logo there with its toolpath, but the toolpath is now editable with the point edit tools just as any graphic!

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial1010

Figure 1022

Figure 1023 Toolpath in Graphics Window

If we view the Windows folder where we saved our job file as “Machine Module Colt Logo.gnh” (you did save it, didn’t you?), you’ll see an additional file there named “Machine Module Colt Logo.000”, This fileisGravoStyle links it to the .gnh file and sendsthe toolpath. it to the engraving table when we transmit the job there.

We won’t edit the toolpath for this job.

We’ll now reenter the Machining Module and send the job from there, but first, lets follow good practice and save the job again anyway!

New Hermes GravoStyle 5 Tutorial1011