Re:Superimposed 3d toolpaths
Posted by
Andrew Werby
on 1999-11-14 03:45:47 UTC
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 09:50:38 -0500
From: "Patrick Huss" <patrick@...>
Subject: Re: Digest Number 247
Andrew Werby wrote:
difference was that I would use 4 paths indexed at 90 degrees.
[The 3 paths/120 degree strategy was just to test things out. In practice
I imagine that the strategy used would depend on the individual sculpture-
if it required six or seven passes spaced irregularly to get into the
details, then that should be possible. I'd love to see some pictures of the
sculptures you've done this way- do you have a website or anything? What
kind of a setup are you using for this, and what software?]
I cant begin
to tell you how many times I heard "we are artists - we don't need to work
to those tolerances" well the fact is that we aren't just artists any more -
we're machinists too.
[Believe me, I'm realizing this (kicking and screaming all the way). I
suppose it was vain of me to expect to eyeball the center of a cutter, but
I also didn't figure on my error being subject to a multiplier effect-
although I should have.]
If your finished piece is going to be covered in clay
or whatever, then the tolerances may not be so important, otherwise ...
[No clay- I like the surfaces I get from the milling cutters- at least when
things are going well...]
Andrew, have you ever visited Bill Kreysler up in Petaluma? If not, I would
recomend it!
[I have, and I was in awe of his ingenuity. (I have his site on my links
page). For those who haven't made the pilgrimage, Bill Kreysler built his
own CNC machines from scratch, and they are quite large. He uses a
different strategy, though- cutting one linear pass (that varies in Z) down
the x direction, then indexing the A axis over a cutter radius or so, then
making another linear pass, etc. Mostly he cuts foam and covers it with a
thin layer of clay for the final surface (which is molded and cast in
fiberglass). While this is a simpler method for carving fully-round parts,
it isn't as versatile as the superimposed-contours method I've been working
on and you've been using- no undercuts are possible. Thanks for confirming
that this can work- I was afraid there was some fundamental problem I
hadn't thought of.]
Andrew Werby
http://www.computersculpture.com
Andrew Werby - United Artworks
Sculpture, Jewelry, and Other Art Stuff
http://unitedartworks.com
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 09:50:38 -0500
From: "Patrick Huss" <patrick@...>
Subject: Re: Digest Number 247
Andrew Werby wrote:
>[Does anybody else machine parts this way (superimposing severalI have used this method many times while machining sculpture. The only
>contoured toolpaths), or do people using more sophisticated programs
>approach the problem of milling fully-round irregular parts some other way?]
difference was that I would use 4 paths indexed at 90 degrees.
[The 3 paths/120 degree strategy was just to test things out. In practice
I imagine that the strategy used would depend on the individual sculpture-
if it required six or seven passes spaced irregularly to get into the
details, then that should be possible. I'd love to see some pictures of the
sculptures you've done this way- do you have a website or anything? What
kind of a setup are you using for this, and what software?]
I cant begin
to tell you how many times I heard "we are artists - we don't need to work
to those tolerances" well the fact is that we aren't just artists any more -
we're machinists too.
[Believe me, I'm realizing this (kicking and screaming all the way). I
suppose it was vain of me to expect to eyeball the center of a cutter, but
I also didn't figure on my error being subject to a multiplier effect-
although I should have.]
If your finished piece is going to be covered in clay
or whatever, then the tolerances may not be so important, otherwise ...
[No clay- I like the surfaces I get from the milling cutters- at least when
things are going well...]
Andrew, have you ever visited Bill Kreysler up in Petaluma? If not, I would
recomend it!
[I have, and I was in awe of his ingenuity. (I have his site on my links
page). For those who haven't made the pilgrimage, Bill Kreysler built his
own CNC machines from scratch, and they are quite large. He uses a
different strategy, though- cutting one linear pass (that varies in Z) down
the x direction, then indexing the A axis over a cutter radius or so, then
making another linear pass, etc. Mostly he cuts foam and covers it with a
thin layer of clay for the final surface (which is molded and cast in
fiberglass). While this is a simpler method for carving fully-round parts,
it isn't as versatile as the superimposed-contours method I've been working
on and you've been using- no undercuts are possible. Thanks for confirming
that this can work- I was afraid there was some fundamental problem I
hadn't thought of.]
Andrew Werby
http://www.computersculpture.com
Andrew Werby - United Artworks
Sculpture, Jewelry, and Other Art Stuff
http://unitedartworks.com