Reverse Engineering/Unknown Contour Curve

[[Me...]]

Happy Friday ladies and gents!

I have a part here that we're trying to reverse engineer through scanning and I haven't done an Unknown Contour scan for almost 12-13 years and was wondering if anyone can guide me...

We're also trying to get the location if at all possible of the Contour as shown on this make-shift drawing shown below...

Capture2.jpgCapture1.jpg

[[Cl...]]

Do you have curve? Do you have a CAD model? I f you do you
can slice a nominal plane through the model and create a 2d curve.

[[Cl...]]

Open up a slot feature - strategy - unknown contour, open the unknown contour - set space axis to Z (assuming the work piece in laying flat on the CMM as it is in the photo? Using the mouse (if you have a model) click a start and end point very close to one another, or w/out a model probe the two points. You can also switch the direction of the scan with the button that looks like a arrow circling a stripper pole.Then right click on the unknown contour and hit execute now.

[[Me...]]

No model...Trying to manually scan a curve for this contour.

[[Ow...]]

Almost literally going down a rabbit hole here, haha, that’s what it looks like.
Ok, quick and dirty and probably full of typo's, here is how you should do it.

Bring in a 2D curve feature, set the clearance group 1st (looks like you’ll use Z+) and then select the drop-down menu under nominal data and then scroll down to additional and then select digitizing on.

Then on the feature window, IMPORTANT, select the stylus correction box (below best fit) so the nominals are automatically offset correctly from the probe radius size.
Then click strategy and bring in an unknown contour.

Open the unknown contour and leave the speed and step width to what it is by default for now.
Then manually take two points where you want the probe to start and then stop.
Set the “point reduction at start” to like 2 points, should be good enough.

Select the space axis (should be Z if checking with a down probe) and then rotate the cad screen view to be from Z to show where the points are being taken at and there should be 3 arrows with one showing the direction the scan is going to go, make sure it’s going opposite direction of stop point , select reverse button if it’s not, and then select execute button.
You should start to see the curve generate on the screen, probe will stop at end point and back off the retract distance but, won’t go to Z clearance. When it’s complete, select OK. As you click OK or after closing the feature (don’t remember which) you should see the curve spline move the offset direction of the probe radius (if you remembered to click stylus compensation) and then you’re done.

Just looking at the picture, I wouldn’t use anything larger than a 3mm probe on it.
If the curve doesn’t look right, you should probably go back and do it with single points and set a smaller step width (maybe .5 or .02 if in inch).
In my experience, single points are more accurate but do take a long time.
If you want to export the points to be used in cad software, let me know and I’ll check back and explain.

[[Me...]]

Awesome Owen!

I fudged around figured out how to at least start the Unknown Cut...But I'll redo it the way you explained.

And yes I would love to know how to export for CAD creation purposes!

Thanks!

[[Ow...]]

To export the points, right click on the feature and choose export points, choose text file under format, choose nominals under contents but, don’t check normal vectors as you don’t need them with a 2d curve to create a spline in cad software.
Click export points and select the file path you want the points saved.
To load the points in cad software, I’ve only used solidworks but, in it you go to the “insert curve thru XYZ points” option.

[[Ri...]]

You can also export them through Resources - Results to File - Curve Points - Type 2 - Choose which format you want (ASCII-Text, VDA, DXF, AccTeePro/TIMS)

It will save them in the results folder.

This option is better if you have multiple curves, and/or you are going to do this multiple times as it is automatic.

[[Cl...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

I just tried this in a screw ID hex (head) it worked great.

[[Me...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Can you walk me through how to import the TXT file i've created into SolidWorks itself?

[[Ma...]]

To import points

CAD/ CAD File/ Reading Point Files...




Mark

[[Ow...]]

Shawn, here is a quick pic to get you going.
I actually created a power-point for this topic some years ago but, there's been some changes in solidworks/calypso and I've learned a thing or two since then so, I won't share it until I've had the time to re-do it.
Not knowing exactly what you know about solidworks, it would take some time to explain it all in one post.
However, if you're determined to learn how to use it yourself to create stuff and don't mind it taking a while between communication and time available, I'd be happy to work you thru it, via here on the forum or email.
you can e-mail me at ollmarshfield@gmail.com

[[Me...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Thank you so much Owen!

This was actually a pretty annoying thing to deal with because an Engineer I work with wanted this and was actually trying to tell me how it SHOULD work on Calypso and he soon found out the latter. After finally getting a chance to try to open the TXT file in SolidWorks, I figured out how to import what we needed. It's been a rough Monday.

[[Ry...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Re-hashing and old thread, but I'm looking for the same info as Robert.
I don't have the curve function, so I ran all the features individually, and recalled them all into a points cloud, and exported that.
Now, I'm in Solidworks and lost. We don't use SW a lot, so having troubles trying to import.
Or if anyone knows, we also have experienced MasterCam user and some Gibbs if those are options.

Thanks,
Ryan

[[Ma...]]

With some effort ( i mean some changes to file with exported points ) you can import as polyline into Autodesk AutoCAD

[[Me...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Honestly even with curve I couldn't get it to work right with the text file points because it wouldn't extrude properly so I basically just modelled it off the scan by sort of hovering over the scan points/lines and dimensioning them and then sketching that separate.