Re: Tap File Contents and Hand Editing
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:17 pm
Part 2 - continuing from Part 1 –
If you look at the example tap file, you’ll see some important aspects of the contents and resulting behavior. These are important to recognize if you want to hand edit a tap file into chunks – or hand edit to ‘ignore’ certain pieces in a multi-part tap file.
By the time the job reaches the end of the header – the last 2 lines are:
• M3
• G0 Z(Home Position height value)
- the router is powered on and the tool has been moved to the safe height.
Note – if you wanted the router to power on after rising to the safe height, you could reverse these 2 lines in the Shark post processor file.
The next command moves the tool to the X,Y location of the first cut and the clearance height (in this example, 0.2”).
The next command does not change the X,Y location, and plunges the tool in Z to the depth of cut.
In this example, the next few commands are moving the router along the edges of the shape while carving the profile. There is no need for the tool to raise up to the clearance height and travel to a new start location before continuing the job while carving the individual shape’s profile in this case.
You’ll note that just before the header starts, when the tool has finished the cut the last command does not change the X,Y location, but raises the cutter in Z to the clearance height.
The footer line sets the tool to the safe height in Z, moves the tool back to X0, Y0, then ends the job (and shuts the router off).
Another way to think about this flow in execution and tap file construct for the movement section for this very simple shape is:
• Move to the first point in X, Y, and at a Z of the clearance height
• Plunge to the starting depth of cut in Z – no change in X, Y
• Continue the specified movements
• At the end of the last cutting movement, raise the cutter to the clearance height – no change in X, Y
Key Points To Remember When Hand Splitting
If you think of the file in these three sections – Header, Movement, Footer – and ensure that your resulting file has each of these, I’ve found that I have a file that I can use reliably.
For the header you can use the ‘original’ header of the tap file you started with. Use the ‘whole thing’ – so the last line of this section is:
• G0 Z(Home Position height)
You must ensure that the resulting ‘Movement’ section of the tap file contains the four steps listed above. Just to be clear, these are:
• Move to the first point in X, Y, and at a Z of the clearance height
• Plunge to the starting depth of cut in Z – no change in X, Y
• Continue the specified movements
• At the end of the last cutting movement, raise the cutter to the clearance height – no change in X, Y
For the footer, you can use the ‘original’ footer of the tap file you started with.
When I do this, I make a couple copies of the tap file I’m about to split/edit. I use plain English in the file name – so the original file has ‘original’ in the name, and I will not edit that one. I’ll make copies of the ‘original’ – 1 copy for each split. If I inadvertently use the ‘original’, I wills start over. Having the original is important to me for comparison and ‘knowing with authority’ that ‘this’ is what I ‘started with’.
I also keep track of the number of lines of text. Again, any error in this process can result in a range of damage from material to machine, shop and operator. I use a program designed for text editing called ‘TextPad’. It is shareware. WorkPad and Notepad will work just fine, but it will not enable you to count the lines of text – other than by hand. There are other text editing programs out there I’m sure. The other nice thing about TextPad is that it will load extremely large text files – notepad and even wordpad sometimes struggle when editing a 15 hour job.
Example 1
So a simple example to highlight what I’ve found important and that enables this to ‘work’. I’ve made a tap file using the new arcs inches post processor for the shape in the lower left hand corner of my project. I’m going to split it at line 34 as shown in the figure below.
The original tap file, and the resulting part 1 tap file are attached to this post. Part 2 of the tap file is attached to the next post.
I’ve reached the 3 attachment limit, on to part 3…
If you look at the example tap file, you’ll see some important aspects of the contents and resulting behavior. These are important to recognize if you want to hand edit a tap file into chunks – or hand edit to ‘ignore’ certain pieces in a multi-part tap file.
By the time the job reaches the end of the header – the last 2 lines are:
• M3
• G0 Z(Home Position height value)
- the router is powered on and the tool has been moved to the safe height.
Note – if you wanted the router to power on after rising to the safe height, you could reverse these 2 lines in the Shark post processor file.
The next command moves the tool to the X,Y location of the first cut and the clearance height (in this example, 0.2”).
The next command does not change the X,Y location, and plunges the tool in Z to the depth of cut.
In this example, the next few commands are moving the router along the edges of the shape while carving the profile. There is no need for the tool to raise up to the clearance height and travel to a new start location before continuing the job while carving the individual shape’s profile in this case.
You’ll note that just before the header starts, when the tool has finished the cut the last command does not change the X,Y location, but raises the cutter in Z to the clearance height.
The footer line sets the tool to the safe height in Z, moves the tool back to X0, Y0, then ends the job (and shuts the router off).
Another way to think about this flow in execution and tap file construct for the movement section for this very simple shape is:
• Move to the first point in X, Y, and at a Z of the clearance height
• Plunge to the starting depth of cut in Z – no change in X, Y
• Continue the specified movements
• At the end of the last cutting movement, raise the cutter to the clearance height – no change in X, Y
Key Points To Remember When Hand Splitting
If you think of the file in these three sections – Header, Movement, Footer – and ensure that your resulting file has each of these, I’ve found that I have a file that I can use reliably.
For the header you can use the ‘original’ header of the tap file you started with. Use the ‘whole thing’ – so the last line of this section is:
• G0 Z(Home Position height)
You must ensure that the resulting ‘Movement’ section of the tap file contains the four steps listed above. Just to be clear, these are:
• Move to the first point in X, Y, and at a Z of the clearance height
• Plunge to the starting depth of cut in Z – no change in X, Y
• Continue the specified movements
• At the end of the last cutting movement, raise the cutter to the clearance height – no change in X, Y
For the footer, you can use the ‘original’ footer of the tap file you started with.
When I do this, I make a couple copies of the tap file I’m about to split/edit. I use plain English in the file name – so the original file has ‘original’ in the name, and I will not edit that one. I’ll make copies of the ‘original’ – 1 copy for each split. If I inadvertently use the ‘original’, I wills start over. Having the original is important to me for comparison and ‘knowing with authority’ that ‘this’ is what I ‘started with’.
I also keep track of the number of lines of text. Again, any error in this process can result in a range of damage from material to machine, shop and operator. I use a program designed for text editing called ‘TextPad’. It is shareware. WorkPad and Notepad will work just fine, but it will not enable you to count the lines of text – other than by hand. There are other text editing programs out there I’m sure. The other nice thing about TextPad is that it will load extremely large text files – notepad and even wordpad sometimes struggle when editing a 15 hour job.
Example 1
So a simple example to highlight what I’ve found important and that enables this to ‘work’. I’ve made a tap file using the new arcs inches post processor for the shape in the lower left hand corner of my project. I’m going to split it at line 34 as shown in the figure below.
The original tap file, and the resulting part 1 tap file are attached to this post. Part 2 of the tap file is attached to the next post.
I’ve reached the 3 attachment limit, on to part 3…