GearHeads Forum

I have a question related to the output options. I use Alibre as my CAD program and have no desire to learn another. Is there a way to set Alibre as the default when I click on CAD? If this has already been a topic on the forum please direct me to the appropriate post.
Thanks
Art K

Dan,
Thanks, I do have notepad on my laptop. I'll try it next time. I also installed Mach 3 as well and now that I know to look for change gcode that also makes it easier.
Art

Art,
I went out in the shop and fired up the machine and sure enough the A axis was reversed. After spending quite a while on the phone with the tech guys at Tormach I think I have that sorted out. I had to go and reverse the wires on a few drivers cause they were backwards. I have an early Tormach ...

Art.
Earlier in the week I attempted to cut the gear. Roughed out the first tooth & promptly snapped the cutter on the first pass on the tangental pass of the cutter. Is there some way to keep the cut 20 percent of cutter diameter, that's why I set the step over at .003 of an inch.
Art K

Art,
I tried (after the Packer game of course) what you suggested first, it still won't move if the feed rate box says F.4 and the gcode says F0. Then I discovered you don't edit the gcode you "change gcode". Then it was a simple matter of changing F0 to F.4 528 times, 11 times for each tooth on the ...

Art,
I can't edit the gcode file once it is loaded into Mach 3. If I recall the feed rate was at F4.0 at the time. Is there some reason that the F.4 feed rate that is set in the tool table isn't accepted in the gcode? Or do I have something set wrong?
Art K

Art,
I have finally set up the gear in the mill, but get an error message that the mill can't move with a zero feed rate. In the toolbox I have the tool set as #6, .016 end mill, .4inch/minute feed rate. I don't know if its related but when I try to post gcode to my flash drive I can't save it as a ...

Art,
That did the trick. I hadn't noticed that setting, when should I use something in that setting? When I have a larger gear and want a finish pass? Thanks for your help! when I get home I'll try to cut it.
Artk

Art,
I've taken some screen shots in hopes of clearing up ?'s. Yes there does appear to be two issues as you have stated. I went into the tool box and changed the stepover to .003" left the depth of cut at .005, I am using a carbide .016" two flute end mill I don't recall of the top of my head what ...

Art,
I'm not sure I know what you mean by revert. When I one of the gears as a driver it did remain as the driver. Yesterday when I followed your instructions about setting the driver on my gears root wall was as it should be but tangental was in the tooth. Today its back the way it was to begin ...