Fusion 360 - Pocket, Open Pocket geometry selection

This video will show you the different results you can get by selecting edges or faces and why selecting one may be beneficial over the other.
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[@automan1223]

Kevin, I am revisiting this content because CAM is a whole new animal and once you want to mill the parts, getting the desired toolpath is next to impossible half of the time. I did not realize there was a difference when choosing edges vs faces, and the resulting tool path it would generate. Videos like this are KEY to understanding the nuances of CAM in Fusion !!! Thank you again.!

[@mattreibin6054]

This is a quick video that helped me out when I couldn't figure out how to get a helical ramp instead of a plunge. I just got a cnc router and this video along with fusion 360's "simulate" feature probably saved me a endmill. Thank you for the video.

[@clinton8432]

This is exactly what I needed as I was having a hard plunge issue. Thank you

[@robertgaut9396]

That makes so much more sense to me now. The CAM side of Fusion 360 doesn't get much attention online and I've had to learn from a lot of mistakes. Thank you for covering this. I'd love to see a lot more CAM-related material if you find more to share.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Thanks for the comment Robert. I'm glad it helped. I think I will probably stay a bit more CAM oriented but I don't want to leave the CAD people out either.

[@chirots]

I have done this way and I understand from trial and error for a while. Your video is very good for beginner and someone doesn't understand this well

[@lovethepirk]

Solid video guy, I'm learning CAM from several years of CAD work. I was struggling with wtf the stock contours button was and still at 4:00 into your video I was even more confused until I realized what that button does and how it can and cannot be used effectively with proper geometry selection. Fantastic video.

[@julianandyvonne]

I was in the same situation. It was doing my head in! The video really helps :)

[@dadapasha]

Thank you man! Clear and comprehensive.

[@tomgriffiths1409]

Thank you, very helpful and concise

[@CR3DT]

Very helpful insight ! thank you

[@MrRctintin]

Great content, thanks for that.

[@bluehandsvideo]

Great vid Kevin!! Thanks!

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Thanks Mike. I know this may seem like a simple one, but once a user understands the difference it will make their life a lot better.

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

It's hard to believe that I taught Kevin everything he knows ha ha ha ha, or was it Scott Moyse? No, that's right it was Gavin. Did you know he was rated an Autodesk #1 speaker at AU?

[@bluehandsvideo]

LOL

[@bluehandsvideo]

I had noticed that it would do either selection, but didn't realize/understand how it affected the tool path. I've had some issues with this before, so I think it's going to help nicely! :) Thanks!

[@michelrigaud9552]

waow! thanks it helps a lot!

[@automan1223]

Kevin, Y.t just dropped your channel in my feed. Love your content so far. Long time following John @ NYCCNC & Titan, etc. I am thinking you should team up with John, and expand on his excellent videos he already has and there I read your intro above......

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

automan1223 Hey. Thanks for having a look. Yep, I go to John’s shop in Ohio monthly to teach training classes there. I leave for the next round of classes on Friday in fact. John has taken a couple of the videos I have done for his site and posted them as a Fusion Friday. Thanks for the comment!

[@danmillier4204]

thanks

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

Another excellent video Kevin. These tips are great to Noobs like me lol 👍

[@bluehandsvideo]

you keep misspelling Noobs......it starts with a B in your case. ;) lol

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

Yes and Man in front of the Noobs spelt with a B ha ha ha ha

[@bluehandsvideo]

:)

[@airgunningyup]

how are you selecting the ring ? what buttons are you pressing that lets it know you want the entire ring ? thx

[@markrichardson239]

Hi there I am trying to do a 3 tool pocket, Rough, Semi-finish and ball nose to leave the radius at pocket bottom, and just having a devil of a time. In my old software, I could call three tools for the pocket and plug in parameters. I can't figure out if I need to do three pockets, or if one, how to introduce 3 tools into it. Thanks! Mark

[@ShawnA560]

could you demo how you cut the larger holes with smaller tool?

[@qcnck2776]

Thanks, Kevin. Question: do you know why Fusion treats the two selections differently? Fusion seems to know where the stock had not been machined away. My thought is that selecting the face results in a glitchy behaviour.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

I don't think it is glitchy really, I think it is by design and pretty clever. Dealing with open pockets in other software I've used in the past has been more difficult. I'm planning on doing video on stock contours which I think will also help to explain some things.

[@bluehandsvideo]

Isn't there something about 3D being model aware.....2D not so much? Maybe a vid like this comparing 2D/3D adaptive....when and why to choose one over the other?

[@qcnck2776]

Thanks Kevin, and Bluehandsvideo. I believe you are right about the differences between 2D and 3D being model aware.

[@samboles8796]

Superb

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Well, that might be overselling it a bit haha, but thank you.

[@EasyFold007]

If you have a long piece of stock and a small open pocket..is there a way to stop the adaptive clearing to wanting to go all the way to the end of the stock? Thx (Stock Contours doesn't stop it from going all the way)

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

I might need to see the example, but there is no control over pass direction with adaptives. The software has to monitor tool engagement angle so it is sort of out of our hands. Feel free to email me an example to [e-mail]

[@MrBrettStar]

At 4:58, let's pretend stock is bigger than what's being cut, is there a way to limit how far out from the part it travels?

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Fusion should never travel past where the stock is, so stock size is the driving factor for that.

[@MrBrettStar]

@@MechanicalAdvantage ok, maybe I didn’t explain it properly, I have an open pocket which is for a counterbore at the edge of the bit I’m cutting but next to it is a also a lot higher, if I try to select it then it will remove all material above it to the edge of stock, if I close the pocket I’m then it only does inside.

[@rodneybame]

Is there an HSMWorks equivalent? These techniques don't seem to work.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

It is slightly different in HSMWorks I am 95% sure. I don’t have SolidWorks so I can’t test. For open contours you select the face and then check the box for stock contours in that software.

[@tomsmead9338]

I have a simple open pocket with .008 depth and it keeps telling me invalid toolpath. Can I send you the part, it's driving me nuts

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Sure you can. But let me ask you this first. Is the size of the pocket close to the diameter of the cutter?

[@tomsmead9338]

Yes but I also tried using va smaller diameter endmill. Where should I send file?

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

[e-mail] You can also go to the linking tab, find the helical ramp diameter and change it to .005 just to see if the toolpath generates when you change that.

[@tomsmead9338]

Your the man. I already sent over the file but changing that fixed it. Thanks so much. I'm a old man G coder and the cam stuff is very new to me

[@cncguru52]

Hi sir

[@VSongu]

so clumsy program

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Thank you for the incredibly thoughtful comment. I’m sure none of us would haha been able to get by without your amazing perspective.

[@maxlyth]

Gave up at 0:44 on mentioning 'inch' without a metric equivalent. Less than 5% of the world population care about this unit.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Lol For what the video is demonstrating, it wouldn’t matter if I would have used rods or furlongs! I hope you don’t give up on all things in your life so easily.