3D milling

I am using HeeksCNC to calculate toolpath for milling a fin for a robot submarine.
My first tests are in wood, using a 6mm slot drill and a 6mm ball-nosed tool.

I need to use a bigger piece of wood and machine a flat face and some dowel holes for turning the part over and locating it.

Dad's Machine

Dad has fallen over and cracked a rib or two, so I am working his machine to get his work done for him.

It is a Bridgeport Series I with a Heeksatrol control. ( Heeksatrol is a PC with some software I wrote in 2001, inputting and outputting via the parallel port ).

Drag knife compensation

Someone asked about calculating a path for drag knife compensation, so I had a go at writing an  OffsetForward method for my Curve class. See the code here.

Part 0018

Part 0015

Part 0014

 One of these flutes was still very sharp, so it should cut ok.

 I did all the CNC work from one side, cutting small, 2mm deep, pilot holes, with a 3mm diameter slot drill, where the 5.5mm holes need to be. Clearing all the metal with the 6mm slot drill took 2 hours.

 I cut the holes to 5.5mm afterwards on Dad's pillar drill.

 For the counterbores, I countersunk them, on the pillar drill, oversize, then did the counterbore with a 10mm endmill.

There was only just enough room to cut the 2mm slot, but there was enough room, see video.

HeeksPython adding python interface

HeeksPython now calls autoexec.py on start up, which can add menus and windows to HeeksCAD.