In my VCarve projects I have added some tools/bits to the tools database. When I get into the shop and run Carbide Motion to mill the project, when I get to a tool path with an alternate bit defined, some other random bit shows up in carbide motion. I’ve tried to add bits to the carbide motion software but that function seems to be locked.
I’m sure I’m just doing something wrong here. Should I care that a different tool shows up in Carbide Motion? If so is there a way to add tools to it?
Jerald
Help us to better understand what you’re saying …
When you say Carbide Motion has different bits than what you specified in your Vcarve toolpath, I’m not sure what you mean. Our setup at the shop currently requires one end mill per toolpath. If you’ve created a toolpath for a 0.25” flat end mill then that’s the bit you’d use. Carbide Motion doesn’t do anything with specifying bit selection, it just prompts you to load a bit and feeds your gcode to the CNC.
If it’s Carbide Motion prompts that confuse you then just know that what you specified in Vcarve and what you likely named the file (with project, series number, bit, etc) is what should guide you. Again, Carbide Motion is simply a CAM program for controlling the mill with the gcode you load into it.
For instance, while carving a guitar fret board I was using a 1/32" EM for the fret slots. This EM is not in the Carbide Motion tool database. When starting the tool path, carbide motion prompts to set up/install the configured bit, but it askes for a bit that was not configured. I’m assuming that is because it doesn’t recognize the tool that was configured. I ran the tool path anyways and it worked for me.