Hey:
Hopefully there is a simple answer to a problem that has been bugging me recently. I have a part that i want to design that is going to need 4 axis machining to make.
I basically want to be able to engrave the surface of the cylinder all the way around the cylinder.
It's basically a part that needs to be milled into the face of a cyclinder, but as the tool cuts it needs to always be concentric with the axis of the cylinder. Assuming I'm using a vertical CNC mill with a horizontal 4th axis (or a 4 aixs horizontal milling center) the 4th axis is going to rotate the part while maching: the mill is only going to travers in the X and Z axii (not Y).
However, when I'm trying to model up this part, I need a way to get a sketch to "wrap" onto the face of a cylinder. I've used the wrap and project fucntions, but they don't seem to work properly. And when I extrude a sketch that's on the cylinder face, it only extrudes it outwards in one direction - I need it to extrude perpendicular to the curved surface (a cylindrical sketch). I also end up with lots of discontinuities and weird edges (sorry not a great description).
Did this make sense?
Any help would be appreciated - thanks!
Noel
Edited by: Knolly
Hopefully there is a simple answer to a problem that has been bugging me recently. I have a part that i want to design that is going to need 4 axis machining to make.
I basically want to be able to engrave the surface of the cylinder all the way around the cylinder.
It's basically a part that needs to be milled into the face of a cyclinder, but as the tool cuts it needs to always be concentric with the axis of the cylinder. Assuming I'm using a vertical CNC mill with a horizontal 4th axis (or a 4 aixs horizontal milling center) the 4th axis is going to rotate the part while maching: the mill is only going to travers in the X and Z axii (not Y).
However, when I'm trying to model up this part, I need a way to get a sketch to "wrap" onto the face of a cylinder. I've used the wrap and project fucntions, but they don't seem to work properly. And when I extrude a sketch that's on the cylinder face, it only extrudes it outwards in one direction - I need it to extrude perpendicular to the curved surface (a cylindrical sketch). I also end up with lots of discontinuities and weird edges (sorry not a great description).
Did this make sense?
Any help would be appreciated - thanks!
Noel
Edited by: Knolly