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Holding down material for cutting
Choosing the right hold-down method for your project can be challenging, but it is an important part of project
planning. Not only does the work piece need to be held securely, but you need to be aware of what will happen to
parts as they are cut from the surrounding material. Small parts can be caught by the cutter and thrown across the
room, causing serious injury or damage.
The following information is a brief overview of different methods to help you get started.
Screws
If you have a spoilboard set up, you can screw the workpiece directly to the table. This is a quick and easy method
that works well for most materials. However, this requires careful planning to make sure that all the screws are
clear of the cut path.
With larger jobs you may want to create a hold down toolpath based on the location of other toolpaths in the file.
This will create clearance holes for the screws in locations that you know are safe. When using an end mill for
drilling, there is very little lateral force on the piece so less holding power is needed. One clamp on each end of the
material is enough.
Shown here:
In our CAD/CAM software, we used the circle vector tool to place several hole locations around the
parts. The drilling toolpath is saved as a separate part file so it can be run first. Then the material is screwed down
through these holes, and the main cut file can be run safely.
Содержание HandiBot
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