New Rotary Litho finished.

[bergerud]

The part off diameter is how deep the the machine will carve at the ends. It is how much dowel will be left like big tabs. There are "forbidden" zones at the ends of the virtual dowel in Designer. I think that if the part off (or any part of the pattern) is in these zones, it does not carve it. If your dowel had been longer in Designer, the part offs would have been out of these zones and the machine would have plunged down deep at each end to carve them.

Look closely at the dowel in Designer and see the difference changing the part off diameter makes. I think you got lucky here and avoided disaster.

[mtylerfl]

I think you got very lucky, too! Could have had a really bad day. For the rotary lithos, you normally want to keep the part-off diameter the same as the pipe itself so it doesn't carve through the pipe during your project run.

[bergerud]

This raises the question again: Why did the part offs not get carved? Others have noticed this before and we did not resolve it. Why would the part offs show up in Designer (supposed to be WYSIWYG) yet not carve?

[aokweld101]

If you remember I was having problems with it going through the pipe and I came up with the magical number of .113 on my carves so that might be why the .180 didn't work. It wasn't Constant on the carves

[bergerud]

I do not think that would make this difference. This is an operation which is or is not performed. Some condition like the pattern being too close to the part offs causes the part offs to be aborted. It may just be a bug, who knows?

[aokweld101]

Micheal, I was useing a 3" pipe and had the part off at 3" are you saying that is the way I was to do it ?

[sunmiztres]

I think you got very lucky, too! Could have had a really bad day. For the rotary lithos, you normally want to keep the part-off diameter the same as the pipe itself so it doesn't carve through the pipe during your project run.

For the part offs I have used .5, .75, and 1.5 and it does not make a difference at all when it comes to the carving except the centering of the pattern. With .75 the pattern is centered and it leaves me the same amount on top and bottom. When I used 1.5 the bottom had quite a bit more then the top. I was expecting the dowel part as the videos show but never got them.

Bergerud,
I do see the difference in designer by changing the part off but like I said I never got the part off carved no matter what I used. As far as my pattern running to close to the part off therefor the machine aborting isn't true with my machine because I have made small patterns that are over and inch from the part off and the part off still does not carve. I am thinking it has to be a bug because changing the part off does effect how the pattern is centered.

[sunmiztres]

If you remember I was having problems with it going through the pipe and I came up with the magical number of .113 on my carves so that might be why the .180 didn't work. It wasn't Constant on the carves

When I carve on PVC with a 1/4 thickness I always take the pattern into the pattern editor because I too have had patterns carve through the PVC. I learned to take the pattern into pattern editor and make sure the depth is correct. Every time I carved through the pvc and then look at the pattern through pattern editor it showed that it would carve through exactly where it did. I then use the raise/lower filter to raise the pattern so that it would not carve through. Since doing this I have not had a carve through using .180 depth.

[aokweld101]

sunmiztres, the sounds like a good idea, in pattern editor you do use a 1/4 thick material then see what it does in your pattern in the lothopane settings ?

[sunmiztres]

sunmiztres, the sounds like a good idea, in pattern editor you do use a 1/4 thick material then see what it does in your pattern in the lothopane settings ?

I take the pattern into pattern editor and set the depth to .180 and see if it will carve through. I then use the raise/lower filter and raise the pattern till the carve through disappears and then add .05 extra to be on the safe side and then save to designer.