Tormach PCNC 770 - Pocket Tab

Chapter 6
73
UM10350_PCNC770_Manual_0916A
PathPilot Interface
The outer bound of the area is the stock material's outer edges. The inner bound is the island
perimeter. For the cung roune, the area is divided into four secons (north, east, south, and
west). As with Face, the starng posion for cung each secon is o the workpiece with an X or Y
feed into the workpiece, thus avoiding a Z plunge cut. Cung paths are restricted to climb cung,
so the tool is retracted to Z Clear at the end of each sweep of a secon, with a rapid move to the
beginning of the secon for the next sweep. Aer each secon is cut, the corner radii, if any, are cut
with a tool path that travels around the perimeter of the island. This process is repeated for each
Z Depth of Cut pass. If a nish pass is needed, leave enough material, then append your nishing
G-code (usually a single pass around the perimeter) to this le later. Feed rate on the radius cuts are
adjusted to compensate for the dierence between the tool control point rate (at the tool center)
and the actual rate at the radius surface.
X and Y Start and End DROs
Start and End – These DROs should be set to the locaon of the workpiece edges. Tool paths outside
of the workpiece area are set in reference to these values so no adjusng beyond the actual locaon
of these edges should be needed.
Prole Start and End – The tool radius is used to create the tool path, so these DROs should be set
to the locaon of the prole outer edges.
Radius – Enter 0 if no corner radius is desired. Valid radii values are from 0 to one half of the island’s
narrow width (or limited to full radii on the long ends of the island).
Stepover – This is the tool path oset between secon sweeps. A stepover of 0 creates a single pass
(or rectangular slot) around the perimeter (outside) of the boss.
Z Start and End – The rst Z pass cuts at Z Start – Depth of Cut adjusted. The last Z pass will cut at the
Z End locaon. For a single Z pass at Z End, enter 0 or a full Z range value into the Depth of Cut DRO.
Depth of Cut – The Depth of Cut entered into the DRO is later adjusted to t evenly within the Z
range (Z End – Z Start), so each Z pass has the same depth instead of having a short depth on the last
pass. For a single Z pass at Z End, enter 0 or a full Z range value into the Depth of Cut DRO.
Z Clear – Z locaon the tool moves or retracts to when starng or ending a Z pass, a secon sweep,
or a secon change. This should be set to clear any obstrucons between path changes.
6.7.3 Pocket Tab
Pocket cuts a rectangular or circular pocket (cavity). The rectangular pocket can have a corner radius
specied, or otherwise the tool paths have sharp corners (see Figure 6.23).
6.7.3.1 Rectangular
The general tool path paern for Pocket-Rectangular depends on the size of the width (width being
considered the smaller of X or Y widths) and length of the pocket relave to tool diameter. The paern
within each Z Depth of Cut pass is repeated within the Z range (Z End – Z Start), but the entry and clearing
paerns may be dierent. There are three sub-paerns: entry, clear (out material), and perimeter.