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Tapered Parts Cutting wizard: Cutting Path creation

Tapered Parts Cutting wizard: Cutting Path creation       Pro  version only   

This wizard includes 5 pages:

• Tapered Parts selection and placement - you can select and place here the Tapered Parts in the foam block
• Cutting Path creation - the actual page
• Optional: Create a Grid cut of multiple instances of selected parts - Here you can create a grid using for each cell the Part(s) you already selected
• Foam block placement and setting - you can place the foam block on the table of the 4 axis CNC foam cutting machine
• Cutting file creation - the last panel, where you can create the cutting file

The following dialog will appear:

Let's take a view at each panel of this page:

Kerf setting 

The kerf is the thickness of the foam melted by the hot wire.
You can select between 2 strategies to apply the kerf:

• Apply a Kerf value calculated for the different right/left speed . In this case you will define a mean kerf and a hotwire diameter. Using these values the kerf will computed applying a correction depending on the different speed between the left and right carriages 
• Apply Kerf values for longer/shorter paths. Use this if you want take care by yourself of the kerf value applied to the longer and shorter cutting path of the block

Cutting orientation 

You can select the cutting orientation both of external and internal contours.

Path type 

You can select here the Cutting Path type:

• Internal connecting Path - using this option the cutting path between the Tapered parts will run Inside the Foam block, using the shortest path
• External connecting Path - with this option the hot wire will exit from the foam block when connecting the cut of Tapered part. It will run above or at the left side of the Foam block, depending on the alignment type selected in the previous page

Other settings:

• Safe height from material: value - if you select the External connecting Path you can also set the distance from the Foam block used by the hot wire to the outer part of connecting paths
• Max length of a Path step: value - as the cutting path will be rendered as short connected lines, you can set the max value. The shortest the value -> the greater the precision but the bigger the number of steps
• Select reference side for Path creation - you can select here the reference side used to create the cutting path. The cutting path will be optimized to minimize connecting cutting, and setting the side may make a difference
• Edit Mode - enabling the edit mode will let you to customize the cutting path. See below for more info about.
• Undo - undo the last edit in cutting path
• Redo - redo the last undone action

Viewing settings 

You can selected here which sides you want to display in the graphic view


Other buttons

• Create cut Path - this is the most important button, you must click this before going to next page.
• 3D Preview - start the application dev3DView to show you the real 3D shape and placement of the selected Tapered Parts, cutting path included, rendered in Red 

More info about Edit Mode 

You can move the entry/exit points enabling the Edit mode checkbox.
See the picture showing what happens enabling it:

Now you can see some Blue control points. You can drag and drop them to move the entry/exit points and the Home position. Click the Blue point to start dragging.
When you drag a Blue control point on the Cutting path also some little green squares are added: they shows the Vertices of the Cutting Path, so you can move the point to an existing vertex. The green square also works as snap points, so if you stay near them with the mouse, they will capture the mouse pointer. If you want cancel the current moving press the 'Esc' button.
If you drop the control point to an invalid part of the cutting path you are alerted by a message and the operation is aborted.
You can use Undo/Redo buttons to Undo/Redo this operations.
See below what happen when you drag a control point: you can see in the red circle (added only here to better explain) the point you are moving and a line connecting the other point of the original connecting line. Click the mouse near the new point where you want to move the connection point.

When you finished to set the right values press the Next button to go to Optional: Create a Grid cut of multiple instances of selected parts  page

More info about the picture in this dialog:

• You can Zoom In/Out using the mouse wheel
• Clicking a point inside the dialog you go in 'Distance' mode. When you move the mouse the distance and angle from the clicked point are displayed in the upper/left side. Clicking again a point the Distance mode will exit
• Clicking the right mouse button a contextual menu will be displayed, showing some more features.