# A "Sprutcam 4th Axis" On Elm Street



## CNC Dude (Dec 9, 2014)

I am amazed on how Sprutcam 7 is intelligent enough as to design new ways on how to induce hair pulling moments.

My new frustration arises from the fact that I have been watching 4th axis videos which make this look so easy! But then I try it, and nothing works as instructed. Here is my latest pickle.

Why is this SW doing this:




On the left side, we can see the machining tab output. When I run the 2D contour, I get a fault exclamation sign. Why? Well, because the SW is assuming the work piece is something which it is not. You can see on the right (Simulation tab) what the SW things the work piece is.

I have tried creating the work piece with a cylinder and a tube primitive along the X Axis but they both do the same thing. I also tried importing a solid as a work piece, but the results are even worse!

When I do the simulation, only the first contour is visible. I am doing a multiply tool path by axis transformation and the machine seems to be trying to do the six cuts, but only one is visible.

What dinky little detail could I be missing? Have you seen this weirdness before? Could it be this part is too complex for Sprutcam to handle?

BTW, this is Sprutcam 7 Version 1.5 Rev 45786. And unfortunately I do not have the funds to upgrade to Sprutcam 9, so hopefully that is not the only solution. Thanks for your input!

10 minutes later... WHAT THE HECK SOLUTION:

I decided to keep on trying a few things and thought of checking whether the IGS model was messed up. Tried STL CAD model output but this turned useless as all I got was a mesh and could not select on features.

Then tried a different configuration settings on the IGS and that worked! WHAT THE HECK??? The exact same settings I have been using for the last 3 years didn't work for this part. But I changed the "Output Solids As" from solids to surfaces and that did the trick.

It may seem like this posting is useless because the problem is solved. But actually, something tells me anybody with the same issue could benefit from this "madness" information. Oh well... At least I am glad it is working!


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