Version 24 V Carve - BobCAD

1 Version 24 | V‐Carve| BobCAD‐CAM, Inc.

Version 24 – V‐Carve

BobCAD‐CAM Version 24 Training Lesson


The Version 24 offers a powerful and easy to use 3 Axis Machining Wizard to step you through the process of creating 3 Axis programs for CNC machining. This exercise has been created to teach you how to create a 3D Model with BobART and machine it with the PRO Version toolpaths. Start off with a new drawing screen and follow along doing each step. Step 1 Click the BobART Tab to access the BobART Tree. Right click your mouse on Image and click Load Image.

This allows you to access the Open box. You should have several sample images available. You may need to navigate to the BobART sample Images folder. The path is: C:/BobCAD‐CAM Data/BobCAD‐CAM V24/Examples/BobART/Images


Click Celtic Heart.jpg and then click the Open button. This loads the jpeg image into the workspace.

Now click the View All icon from the main toolbar to obtain a clear view of the entire picture.

Now place your cursor on Image‐Celtic Heart in the Tree, right click your mouse and click Vectorize.

This opens the Vectorize dialog.


We are going to vectorize the image using the 2‐Level strategy. Enter 130 for the threshold value and click the OK button to execute the operation.

Place your cursor on Image‐ Celtic heart in the Tree, right click on it and click Blank/Un‐blank.

Now you will just see the vectorized geometry on the screen.

The V‐Carve machining operation can be used on this geometry just as it is.


Step 2 Let’s change the view to a 3D View now. To do this click the View pull‐down menu and click IS02.

Now click the View All icon from the main toolbar to obtain a clear view of the entire part.

Go and place your cursor on Stock Geometry in the CAM Tree, right click your mouse and click Re/Select.


This places you in selection mode automatically. Hold down your Shift Key on the keyboard and click on one (1) of the 4 lines that make up the outlining square.

This will select the entire chain. Now hit the Spacebar on your keyboard to indicate OK. This will generate a translucent stock.

To blank the stock, place your cursor on Milling Stock in the Tree, right click your mouse and click Blank.


The blue stock will go away so you can have a clean view of the part geometry. Step 3 Let’s go ahead and create the V‐Carve toolpath now. To do this place your cursor on Milling Stock in the CAM Tree, right click your mouse and click Mill 3 Axis.

This will launch the 3 Axis Wizard allowing you to access all of the 3 Axis machining features.


Click the V‐Carve option and then click the Next button to advance the wizard to the Select Geometry page.

Click the Select Geometry button. The wizard will go away and you will automatically be placed in Selection Mode.


You need to select everything. A fast way to do this is to window‐pick all of the geometry. Place your cursor in the upper LEFT area of the screen (1), click your left mouse button and hold it down while dragging your cursor to the lower RIGHT (2) position of the drawing screen. When there, release your left mouse button to select everything.

Now hit the Spacebar on your keyboard to indicate OK. This will re‐open the wizard. Click the Next button to advance the wizard.


The Clearance Plane will be set. The Rapid Plane should be .1 The Top of Part is 0 Click the Next button to advance the wizard to the posting page. As we are not creating a 4th axis program go ahead and click the Next button again. This brings you to the V‐Tool page.

Enter .25 for the Diameter. The Included Angle is 90 degrees. Click the Next button to advance to the Parameters page.


Click the Use End Mill option. The V‐Tool Depth of Cut should be .125 The V‐Tool Roughing Stepover should be .1 We are going to be using a combination end mill and v‐cutting tool to machine the flat areas with the Endmill and use the v‐cutting tool to machine everything else. Go ahead and click the Finish button to save the data and exit the wizard.

Now we are going to go back into the V‐Carve feature through the Tree and edit the pocket parameters for the end mill cutting tool. To do this place your cursor on V‐Carve in the Tree, right click your mouse and click Edit.

The wizard will appear on your screen.


Click the Parameters item in the wizard tree.

End Mill should be selected. Enter .5 as the Pocket depth. Enter .25 as the Depth of Cut The End Mill Cutter Width is 50% The V‐Tool Cleanup Step Over should be .05 The V‐Tool Depth of Cut should be .125 with a step over of .1. Now click the Finish button to save the settings and exit the wizard. Step 4 To generate the toolpath for this part place your cursor on V‐Carve in the CAM Tree, right click your mouse and click Compute Toolpath.


This generates the toolpath.

Step 5 If you already have a post selected for this that you would like to use for the exercise then you may skip this step and move on to Step 6. Let’s choose a post processor and then create the NC Program for this. Right click your mouse on the existing post name and click Edit.

By clicking Edit, you will open the Select Post dialog.


Click the Select button to access the Open dialog giving you access to your existing post processors. Your Mill post processors will be located in the Mill Folder.

Double click on a post file and the Open box will revert back to the Set Post Processor dialog. Click OK and the new post processor will be listed in the CAM Tree.


Step 6 Click the plus (+) symbol next to CAM Part at the top of the CAM Tree to expand the Tree. Then right click your mouse on Milling Tools and click Post.

This will generate the NC program. Here is the program after backplotting it in the Advanced Predator Editor:

You have completed this training exercise.

Documents

Version 24 V Carve - BobCAD