>> First paragraph on article stating "CAM applications are designed to fail safely"...
1000% !!!
That jumped pout in the article. I've gto 15 years doing CAD/CAM/CNC as part of what my shop does for a living have no idea what software he's thinking of.
You MUST be extremely careful with EVERY new toolpath, even after checking the simulation. I verify the zero point, pause and single-step every initial part of each sub-toolpath to ensure it is engaging where I want. After over a decade, I got to pretty much hand-specifying every path and entry, and having an idea of where to check in every new program, and it has been a long time since I've broken a tool or gouged a part.
But the idea that new toolpaths are somehow inherently safe is, well, dangerous.
Wear your safety glasses always and keep your distance. Seeing a half-inch razor-sharp diamond-coated carbide tool break off at 22000 RPM and fly across the shop is not cool (and the $200 lost is not even close to the uncool part).
That said, once fully debugged and I trust a toolpath, I can leave the machine running in the quieter next room for a half hour+ and just listen if any potential issues start happening and intervene then.
This is absolutely NOT 'move fast and break things'. The things you'll break are your expensive machine, expensive tools, expensive materials, and your irreplaceable body parts. It is measure thrice, check twice, cut carefully, and you'll make some very cool and amazing stuff.
1000% !!!
That jumped pout in the article. I've gto 15 years doing CAD/CAM/CNC as part of what my shop does for a living have no idea what software he's thinking of.
You MUST be extremely careful with EVERY new toolpath, even after checking the simulation. I verify the zero point, pause and single-step every initial part of each sub-toolpath to ensure it is engaging where I want. After over a decade, I got to pretty much hand-specifying every path and entry, and having an idea of where to check in every new program, and it has been a long time since I've broken a tool or gouged a part.
But the idea that new toolpaths are somehow inherently safe is, well, dangerous.
Wear your safety glasses always and keep your distance. Seeing a half-inch razor-sharp diamond-coated carbide tool break off at 22000 RPM and fly across the shop is not cool (and the $200 lost is not even close to the uncool part).
That said, once fully debugged and I trust a toolpath, I can leave the machine running in the quieter next room for a half hour+ and just listen if any potential issues start happening and intervene then.
This is absolutely NOT 'move fast and break things'. The things you'll break are your expensive machine, expensive tools, expensive materials, and your irreplaceable body parts. It is measure thrice, check twice, cut carefully, and you'll make some very cool and amazing stuff.