Fix your $#!+

Let's call this the first episode of Fix your $#!+! - In this collaboration video with John Saunders from Saunders Machine Works/NYC CNC, I run through the changes I would make to improve overall part quality on his part using Fusion 360 CAM. We'll likely switch to a live-stream format moving forward, as I think the live discussion could be very valuable!
Have a part you'd like to see featured? Contact me! Follow me on Instagram: @lockedtool

[@advil000]

Thank you for the collaboration video. Would love to see more if you guys want to do them. This type of format showing two ideas and comparing results is better than many hours of other types of instruction.

[@Steve_Just_Steve]

Agree!

[@stuarthardy4626]

Steve just Steve +1

[@gusbisbal9803]

Rob, this is a master class in what feels like a 10X improvement in technique. I have learnt more in this one video than I have in my own practice in a year. This was a moment when I realised I was doing 90% of my toolpathing wrong. Thank you.

[@AtManUnlimitedMachining]

Rob, great video. I really like how you give the definition of what the parameters do. The biggest thing I think people struggle with is the name of the parameter says one thing, but actually effects something totally different. Like the "Up/Down" selections. Also the parameters where you "use this instead of that" type of stuff. CAM does not allow for "self discovery" per say, you can't just look at the shape of the door handle and tell if you should push or pull. I would love to see a video where you go through the different tool paths and show an example of there best use case. Thanks for your efforts, Tim

[@jurskas7965]

I agree, I would love to see that video as well

[@BGraves]

This is a perfect example where the programmer needs to step aside and let a layman put UI labels and help files together.

[@pakman422]

Sweet! Learned a few great things here. I would definitely like to see more critiques like this. It's awesome that a Lvl. 70 pro like you puts videos up like this so others can learn a few tricks. Thanks a ton, - Jacob S.

[@braxtonec]

Four Stars. Chock full of useful knowledge. Watched it with notepad in hand. Thanks.

[@strmrdr]

More videos like this please!!!!

[@Wrenchmonkey1]

Excellent stuff. Came from John's video. Subscribed! I have SO MUCH to learn about CAM in general, but specifically with Fusion360.

[@HughesEarthworks]

Great explanation of why you made the changes to John's CAM.

[@qcnck2776]

Great work Rob, as always. Thanks for doing this comparison.

[@mactmil4342]

Incredible talent! Thank you for sharing.

[@yeehaanow]

Wow! Excellent video and I like the pace. More more please.

[@polaraligned1]

Great Video!!!

[@mickeymouse-lu2yk]

superb CAM teaching, been searching for something like this to help with HSM as I am all youtube-U thought after hours. Thanks a million!

[@jimnnobody]

More, please. It's good to see different approaches to the same problem.

[@jackroman8821]

Good stuff here, the description of the parameters and how they affect the toolpath is great. Being able to actually see it make the change and hear the explanation is fantastic. Please do more!

[@tacitus101010]

Awesome video Rob. Lots of info but easy to understand. Your explanations make this a really useful lesson. Would love to see more like this! Thanks for taking the time and effort.

[@flr169]

Awesome job explaining and how to make a more efficient tool path. Biggest issue I have is understanding how to get rid of all the unnecessary stuff and get what is just needed to get part cut . Please keep showing us comparisons like this . Thank you

[@rwford73]

Definately would like more videos using fusion in the cam. Thank you for explaining what the tool paths encompass and the simple steps taken to get there. From a home machinist I have to learn and experiment from my own hands on approach and to decipher good information from bad information on KZbin. Have spent a lot of time watching autodesk learning videos and others that seem to know what they are doing. Most talk too much, or try to have a conversation approach that become lengthy. I like how you deliver information, accurate and direct. Along with an understandable explanation of what is going to happen. Not much out there that explain information like you have. So,, continue to share you knowledge, as I will not be looking to take anyone's job but to become more proficient on my own tasks. Definately helpful and appreciate you approach, look forward to more if you decide to share!!

[@andrewaustin6941]

I'm a nycnc sub, and now your sub rob! excellent video!

[@fytanman]

This was great! Thanks and please do more!

[@OriginalJetForMe]

Rob, this is great. Very educational, and I hope you do many more! You mentioned a couple things you might do but wouldn't bother to do for this part. In particular, I'd love to see how you would have cleaned up that side wall to avoid possible tool deflection during the scallop op. Thanks!

[@Steve_Just_Steve]

Another fantastic demonstration Rob, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the pace of your vids. I know you are slowing it down from your normal pace, but not to the point of making people reach for the 2X button, though I can't say I've never reached for 1/2 speed button before on your vids....., but most creators act as if you can only speed vids up. Seems much more logical to me to have people slow it down during something they need a few more moments to grasp rather than watch chipmunk videos all the time. What an amazing idea to do a live stream revising someone's part in need refinement. I think you'd really have something special there and what a treat for the recipients. (Hope I understood you correctly about that, sorry I if I did not)

[@rtwolfrt]

Great content, would love to see more like this.

[@David_Best]

This was great - do more like this please.

[@kevinkillsit]

extremely useful info. I very much appreciate your detailed approach to instructing and walking through all the nitty gritty good stuff. master class work sir.

[@aly-tek7190]

Wizardry I tells ya!! Great vid Rob :D

[@antshark]

Great video! This answered a lot of questions for me. Thank you!

[@bluehandsvideo]

Awesome vid Rob!! I've been fighting/learning with a part using similar tool paths. I think that slope trick will help! I couldn't use avoid and touch on the same tool path......so the slope tweak should do what I need. Hmm....dangit.....I thought I was done with that CAM. lol Guess I'll go look at it again. Thanks!! Mike

[@eddrm4685]

Great video...your training really shows thru !!!

[@steinwerks9255]

Couldn't tell if anyone had addressed this Rob, but RE: pet peeve: hold down the left click and you'll get a popup menu of objects and features under the cursor. Very helpful for that accidental body selection.

[@rlockwood2]

Nice tip! I knew that exists from the CAD side, but hadn't thought of it's use here.. Still, not sure it should be trying to grab bodies at all, if someone wants a body, they can do a few additional clicks and grab it from the project tree and still be lots of clicks ahead, versus the far more common work flow of selecting faces here and accidentally grabbing a body.

[@steinwerks9255]

I suspect it's a carryover in the selection code that really doesn't have anything to do with CAM in particular, but perhaps we can persuade the developers to institute an automatic filter that is field dependent.

[@weblogmovie]

Thank you Rob, great video !

[@RideworksMTB]

great video thanks for sharing, would love to see more.

[@douglasRbrown]

WOW! You Sir are a 360 Master! Please post more videos on the use of Expressions.

[@ack1tube757]

this was great, thank you.

[@automan1223]

super helpful, trying to decode fusion cam ops for the best tool path's can be super frustrating. Please keep sharing !!

[@edrees3874]

1: I LOVE this software. 2: You are an effing wizard.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Great idea for you and John to colab. You covered an awful lot of items there very quickly, It would be nice if you could slow down just a bit. Great video and I learned a lot. I have just started getting into Fusion more and more. Thanks Rob for sharing.

[@3dmakerzone75]

I'm late to the game and just started machining as a hobby. I 'm learning Fusion 360 CAM now and this video was very helpful. Too many videos just tell you to set parameters without any discussion about why or how to decide.

[@BlueSwallowAircraft]

Thanks! I REALLY learned a lot.

[@fegan1]

Great vid Rob!

[@sgv6618]

Great job!!!

[@EZ_shop]

Wow! That was a lot to take in.

[@victormavika9168]

Is there any chance you will be making more videos soon? Learning so much from your content

[@okflyer777]

Rob, you're a GOLD MINE !! One question: is there any way to compare the final CAM product to the original model where differences could be highlighted? I'm doing some very complex organic shapes where I know there's no way to get a perfect end product with 3 axis capability (it would take 5 axis for a perfect end result) so I'm always looking to get "close enough" - meaning there's always places where my final CAM result differs from the original model in some areas. Would be great to see just how much they differ in 3D space... Great great job!!!

[@b3nsb3nz]

Great video, the fidelity of youtube and the ability to go back and forth helps greatly when your explaining the 3d toolpath options vs the hsm webinars. On the 2d contour with roughing passes, I often use 2d pocket instead in a similar way but without the need for setting up roughing passes. Same result less mouse clicks.

[@rlockwood2]

yeah, that one's a holdover from HSMWorks, where you can't force a closed 2D pocket to 'machine outside' - I realized I blew this one after recording, but just never found time to re-record. It also just generally makes a more awesome toolpath, so definitely the right call- But hey, cut me some slack, this probably represented the first chips I cut using Fusion for milling :)

[@b3nsb3nz]

rob lockwood haha of course, many ways to skin a cat but if I can point it out in one of your videos that's a win for me 👍😀

[@GavinBath]

This is a great way to learn. Good on you John, for offering up your work like that to be critiqued. We all benefit from seeing a different approach. Just thought I'd mention that in the scenario where you use the 2D contour to clean up that top face... the 2D Slot command works nicely in that scenario too. I discovered by accident recently, that the slot tool doesn't care if the slot is actually a loop, like it is in an axial o-ring groove for example.

[@GavinBath]

Um... scratch that. I just tried it again and it didn't generate. So to be clear... the slot technique I mentioned above does work for the o-ring groove in a flat face scenario, but not in the scenario where 2D contour is used in the above video.

[@GavinBath]

D'uh. Because the tool is wider than the "slot." I guess you could offset the boundaries until the distance between was the same as the diameter of the tool, but then that's so much of a hack that I prefer the 2D contour. Pretend I never said anything...

[@douglaslodge8580]

Great Video.

[@mickeymouse-lu2yk]

just noticed that there is only one video and it was done almost a year ago, bummer I thought you guys would be working on many videos, I like what both of you do very much. and really need to get more cam training.

[@RBravo82]

Hi Rob, great video. Ive been using Edgecam for years and decided to have a look at what else is out there. This is a great video its helped ALOT, so thanks. A quick question, is the middle part of the 3 scallop faces vertical?.... Im guessing its not due to the way you went about the scallop. But if it was would you have done that first and then the lower and upper curves afterwards?

[@bertr5650]

Great Rob. Thanks for your time. Question: If your part has a 3d slope that goes up, around and down, is there any way to control the climb milling and up machining other than to draw in a termination line at the change over point? It would be great if the cam had and option like entry points that you could place a point to specifically drive or control the tool path. Cheers

[@rlockwood2]

nope, not that i'm aware of, I think you'll always wind up with one of the reversed sections (probably where previous was down milling, and forcing up milling only reverses the direction) swapping to a conventional. In such a case though, i'd probably shoot to use a different toolpath, or at least split it up as you mention.

[@r0cd0x]

you should do more fusion videos!

[@wetmelon]

Interesting video! But everybody leaves out the last thing.. how the hell do you get the part off that bottom plate? How are you going to mount it when you flip it over? I've started doing some light machining and I'm struggling to figure that stuff out lol. Also, the audio's way too quiet.

[@zedex1226]

pocket jaws are good. run an end mill around the outside and that big center hole, leaving 0.005. then face the whole thing. cham the perimeter and holes. done. or hand it off to the sub spindle, part off and face ;)

[@ntc490]

Awesome vid. Thanks for sharing your talent. Liked and subed. Maybe it's just my setup, but your audio is really low compared to other videos on KZbin.

[@rlockwood2]

Thanks for the feedback, this was my first time using an external audio recorder, i'll boost the levels a bit in the future.

[@CNCfacile]

Hello Rob, are there any best practices to prevent cutting air in adaptive clearing?

[@rlockwood2]

adaptive is generally most well suited to machines with high rapid speeds that help to negate the aircutting.. but with that said, it contains nearly a dozen different levers you can pull to reduce aircutting in various situations, and/or tailor its behavior to your specific machine characteristics. I may in the future knock out a video on this specific subject, but in the mean time I suggest fiddling with Order by Area, Keep down %, as well as various linking parameters, as a good jumping off point.

[@CNCfacile]

@@rlockwood2 ok thank you very much. I can't wait to see your video about it

[@dcraig4]

Where do you find the names for parameters when they don't pop up a tool tip? For example, if you go into the tool library and hover over the flute length of a tool (on Mac, PC may differ) nothing comes up, whether you hold shift or not.

[@rlockwood2]

I actually don't use Fusion that often, so i'm not immediately certain. In HSMWorks, they definitely do pop up in the tool library, but the tool library is entirely different from HSMWorks to Fusion. I'll look into it.

[@steinwerks9255]

Late reply, but hold Shift with the mouse cursor over a field and all applicable parameters should show up. IIRC there are a couple that don't but almost all work fine.

[@anthonyjones657]

What do you normally use mastercam?

[@rlockwood2]

HSMWorks, which is quite similar to Fusion, but implemented in Solidworks, and Hypermill, are the two CAM packages I use primarily.

[@anthonyjones657]

Cool I use mastercam at school and edgecam and solidedge at work