GearHeads Corner

sounds bad, that title, doesnt it?

:)

i have to say that for the price of a set of (cheap) cutters, i can cut any pitch? any size ? awesome :)

so. i never tried version two before getting my license, and oh boy, how things have changed!

havent even really gotten to use it anyway as theres a procedure to fire up the old clunker of a PC on my mill at the moment that i havent quite figured out.

well, i reckon i have some... well, thoughts, ideas, experiences. rather than start a thread on each suggestion, im saving space by waffling on :)

i shall try and stay fairly to-the-point.

hmmm.

first things that strike me.

a big one i would like to see is , erm, backlash elimination?

i notice it cuts one tooth at a time, making for lots of Z moves or x moves or whatever... and any backlash in my 4th, i have to compensate for...ouch.

id rather see the z stay at one height, rotary table do a full rotation, and either rotate back past zero then return  or just keep rotating as the z lifts slightly for the next pass, or x or whatever...

tool table. not really a table as such, but more definition on the tools used.

say i use a 2mm endmill, with 5mm of flute...but i need 6mm of depth? or, because ill be running a slit saw mostly... i can set its diameter, thats fine. but they have a thickness too! i want the code written as determined by my slitting saw, not find a saw as determined by the g-code. the saw also runs an arbor of such a size, so max DOC is limited also...

i assume "involute saw" is a form cutter? (preferably a formed form cutter!)

my apologies if these areas are already addressed. im only new and still havent clicked every button!

erm... little things. i can see "roots blower" in version 1 but so far havent found a similar equivalent in 2? the centroids are doing my head in.  prefferred the simple eccentric gears, with the possibility of centroids as an extra option.

in some ways 2 is better, in some ways i like 1. ill keep em both running :) 2 is slightly overwhelming, with so much on one page(centroids above being fine example... v.1 starts with eccentrics that were easy to fiddle with, whereas getting started with the centroids take some figuring out)... clicking here, clicking there, it just doesnt have the same easy to use, intuitive interface as V.1... tabs? huh? anyways. ill get used to it! far more versatile.

it 3d prints (once i figure it out!) it stl's, it prints, it spits...i like it :)


oh! one thought i had on my way home today! does it have a rack facility?

other things...

involute generator to generate single point-tool profiles, mainly more for "shaping" internal gears? and also the racks, i guess... ?

though i have a feeling that i saw segmental gears in there anyway and basically that would do the same thing anyway with some fiddling...


theres more i cant currently think of, and ones i can but if i say them ill just sound like im whinging which i am NOT. i been waiting to get this software for a long time now, and im more than pleased to have it at last!


if it wasnt for the computer letting me down id be onto steel by now rather than looking at the box of candles longingly(really cheap machining wax!)

Hi Heads.. 

  Glad to see your jumping in.. lets see... :)

>> a big one i would like to see is , erm, backlash elimination?

  You have a point, a 4th axis can get loose and it'd be nice if it went only one way.. I'll add this to my list for consideration
  when toolpathing code is being revamped.

>>tool table. not really a table as such, but more definitio n on the tools used.

  G2 doesnt worry much about length, it figures youll use a tool of appropriate length, and displays onthe screen the depth you will go,
  but it is remiss on slit saws. I will be adding a post processor output for slit saws, and when I do there will also have to be a tool grouping for saws. Cant say when yet.. but it is already in planning.


>>I assume "involute saw" is a form cutter? (preferabl y a formed form cutter!)

  Yes, at the moment a form cutter is any cutter youd have to make to get a single pass at various depths to make a tooth. G2 puts out the shapes for the form cutters, but doesnt help in their creation other than shape and dimension.

>>> my apologies if these areas are already addressed . im only new and still havent clicked every button!

  Never a problem to ask, we are usually quite happy to answer as best we can, and ideas for developoment come from such conversations.

>>>erm... little things. i can see "roots blower" in version 1 but so far havent found a similar equivalen t in 2? the centroids are doing my head in.  prefferre d the simple eccentric gears, with the possibili ty of centroids as an extra option.

  Roots blowers are in there, they are noncircular gears, so they appear in the non-circ dialogs.


>>in some ways 2 is better, in some ways i like 1. ill keep em both running Smiley 2 is slightly overwhelm ing, with so much on one page(centroids above being fine example.. . v.1 starts with eccentric s that were easy to fiddle with, whereas getting started with the centroids take some figuring out)... clicking here, clicking there, it just doesnt have the same easy to use, intuitive interface as V.1... tabs? huh? anyways. ill get used to it! far more versatile .

  Yes, its actually a trade=off type of thing. Gearotic was never meant to get as large or complex as it has. As the description says, it was meant as a simple template utility. BUT, Im retired and enjoy what I do so I keep adding things. At soem point 1.0 had to go to allow for the complexity fo 2.0. I consider it much like Windows. I love XP.. but Ill have to move to Win10 soon. I really have no choice as soem programs are gtting impossible to use, so while I wont like 10 as well as XP.. I do realize the world keeps bumping past my comfort zone. This is the reason 1.0 still exists and is downloadable for people who like some of the older code base.


>>> it 3d prints (once i figure it out!) it stl's, it prints, it spits...i like it Smiley

  I bought a 3d printer over a year back..so yes, it does stl's, as well as slicing in case you wish to build your own 3d printer. :)
 
>>oh! one thought i had on my way home today! does it have a rack facility?


  Yes, a rack is just another noncircular gear. More non-circulars are in the works for an upcoming version. Ones where you can set the functional
  equations for the shape you wish.



>>>involute generator to generate single point-tool profiles, mainly more for "shaping" internal gears? and also the racks, i guess... ?

  All gears, except for non-circulars gets tooth involute profiles put out in their DXF outputs. This is where you can use the shape for grinding a tool if you wish.


though i have a feeling that i saw segmental gears in there anyway and basically that would do the same thing anyway with some fiddling. ..

>>if it wasnt for the computer letting me down id be onto steel by now rather than looking at the box of candles longingly(really cheap machining wax!)

  Add some garbage bags over low heat and those candles become machining wax from what I read. :)..
 
  Welcome to the group, have fun
 
  Art