Introduction: Week 6: CAM Program

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Describe instructions for digital fabrication machines to manufacture a desired 2D or 3D model.

Step 1: Flat-pack Furniture Design

I followed the tutorial of making a flat-pack stool model shown in the YouTube video below. Then I laid out flat sheet components to prepare for CAM.

Since the design was defined using human size scale, I had to rescale them to create a mini version. I would like to thank Sam Bourgault for teaching me this and helping me finish this assignment :)

Step 2: CAM Workflow - Setup

I followed Professor Jacobs's tutorial on CAM workflow.
First, I defined the work coordinate system (WCS) for my toolpaths, and the size of the stock as shown in the image.

Step 3: CAM Workflow - Toolpath

The next step is setting up tool paths:

1. A facing toolpath is defined.
2. An adaptive clearing toolpath is defined for roughing.
3. A '2D Pocket' toolpath is defined for light finishing passes.
4. A finishing contour toolpath using '2D Contour' operation is defined.
5. A '2D Pocket' toolpath is again defined for assembly slots.
6. Final '2D Contour' and '2D Adaptive' toolpaths are defined to remove the rest of the material.

After finishing tool paths in the first WCS, the model is flipped and a new WCS is defined.
A '2D Adpative' and 'Face' toolpaths are defined for finishing up.

Step 4: Simulation

The video shows a simulation of the entire setup. It is fun to watch the machine working. ><