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KeyCreator CAD & CKD Viewer Technical discussion of CAD/CAM and integrated partner products
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kspangler@midwestfab.com - (9/10/2019 3:57:59 PM)
Sweep profile along centerline
I run into this ALL the time and I'm certain there is an easy way to accomplish what I need to do, or at least if there isn't then there SHOULD be:
We build gages for our parts using the model data and often need to make compound bends that must be cut from one setup in the milling center.
I can create a round that follows the centerline of the part and boolean from the block but in cases where the pass is over half the diameter of the round I need to prevent the sweep from twisting and cannot seem to get the model to complete.
For description purposes, using a CNC package as an example I can use the centerline as the toolpath and it will create the animation precisely as it follows the path but I cannot seem to determine how to create this geometry in KeyCreator. Invariably it will twist the sweep at some point so that an undercut is created in the model.
Is there a way to "lock" the alignment of the profile sweep to the top view for example so that it creates a true toolpath that follows the centerline?
In the below screenshots there is an example block and three iterations of the "end mill" showing it in various stages of the cut. As you can see there are two different faces on the block and the pass for the part that will be checked has an additional index along the bottom. This is precisely where I have the issue with this particular part. KeyCreator either gives me an error for the sweep that the profile is self intersecting or it twists the sweep to follow the centerline in a way that the end mill could not follow, as indicated by the red transparent end mill.
So is there a way to duplicate an pass cut by a vertical machining center by locking the twist of a swept profile to a top down view and if so, how?

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