I would like to hear ideas on how to trick path pilot into doing things that aren’t supported in conversational.
For example I would love to be able to face using a spiral path instead of the squared path. Also I would like to be able to undercut a lip or use a slitting saw to cut a grove without cutting off. I have used the profile conversational with a slitting saw to cutoff parts but it involves removing the parts where path pilots conversational rounds off the corners and the end when the tool retracts and is a bit unnerving.
Any reason not to use CAD/CAM or write the G-code by hand? Conversational is great for what it does but sooner or later it turns into trying to hammer nails with a wrench when I want to do complicated stuff with it.
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I make a lot of 1 off parts or work holding for single parts. Trimming down work holding to make sure it’s square before putting it in a precision vice. Just a lot of stuff that has to be true before going into the vice or arbors and such that don’t need to be built in cad.
It takes longer but I model every clamp, bolt and nut. Stock, vise and parallels. Saved my butt more than once.
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You must be using a version of fusion from the future because my version takes a piss every time I try to use more than 1 design with joints (work holding) and forget any mesh, that Santa almost killed me. Waiting 3 minutes for a save and to switch from design to manufacturing space was taking 20 minutes.
I’ve been working on spiral matte brushed finish for the Santa bases. Its some kind of magic, takes a brass brush, rubbing alcohol compressed air and lots of luck.
Yeah, don’t know about Fusion. Might be time for a computer upgrade. Tool paths are intense computing
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That’s what they try to tell me but it’s a 1 year old apple studio monster.
You might consider taking the time to build a few template programs that do what you want based on variables rather than hard numbers. Define the variables at the start of each program to make it easier to adjust on a per piece basis.
Once you have them all built, running them is a relatively simple matter of plugging in your material size at a minimum, and hitting cycle start. Depending on how fancy you want to get with it, you could add in things like RPM, feed, DOC, WOC, etc. if those things ever change for you.