Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: can you scale a part using Dolphin CAD/CAM

----- Original Message ----- > I personally would use the second option
because a CAD drawing should
> never be scaled!

Hi All:
I have a different prejudice than Dave's:
I ALWAYS scale the drawing, and I have what I think is a good reason to do
so.
I want to draw exactly what I am planning to cut.
2 reasons:
First, I can pick inspection dimensions directly from the CAD drawing which
makes my life easier when I determine if my part is to spec or not. (I'm too
lazy to calculate this sort of thing)
Second, milling operations don't scale very well. By this I mean that an
operation that can be easily done at a large scale becomes progressively
more difficult to do at a small scale because of the forces and mechanics
involved.
An example: try single point boring a 1/2" dia hole that is 2 1/2" deep. Not
too difficult.
Now try boring a hole 1/32" dia that is 5/32 deep. Quite a bit harder to
do!
The problems multiply when you are milling features because of the multiple
directions of applied forces and the limitations of cutter materials.
I like to be able to tailor my machining strategy to the actual picture that
is the correct size.
So I scale without reservation but I do it in CAD, not in the toolpath.
Cheers

Marcus

PS: If you want to preserve the pristininity (is that a real word??) of the
original, just dump a copy of the original onto a new layer or into a new
file and scale that!
CAD is marvellous for that kind of versatility.