Is it possible to display the cutting path in 3D in QTPlasmac?

Hello.
I have a portal machine. I added a pipe cutting module to it. The tube cutting module is configured as A-axis. Physically, the pipe cutting attachment works. There are no questions about the cutting process yet. Unfortunately, in the graphic display window everything merges into a line and looks something like this.  
The job in SheetCAM looks like this.  
Are there ways to adjust the display in the graphics window so that the A axis does not rotate around a point, but moves in the volume?
I will be glad to any hints. All my attempts were unsuccessful.

Regards, Dmitry.

What is the diameter of the pipe you are cutting?
Looks like A revolves around X.
Does Y set the diameter?

Hello.
Yes You are right. The A axis rotates around the X axis. The Y axis is not used when cutting a round pipe; it is used only on a square one. Axis A is configured as ANGULAR. In fact, the pipe diameter is not specified in Linux. To prepare G code I use the Rotary Plasma plugin of SheetCAM. The pipe diameter is specified only there. The cutting is transmitted 2D to SheetCAM.
In principle, I am ready to try changing the configuration of the machine if this solves the visualization issue. 

Regards, Dmitry.

You are cutting the OD of the pipe?
What diameter are you cutting?

Now I may fundamentally not understand what you are doing but...
I think the diameter becomes important for the visualization.

looks like Y is .029 (mm?) so .058 diameter - that is going to be hard to see any detail.
Hopefully Phill will chime in soon - he probably will pick up the solution quicker then me.

cmorley wrote:

Hopefully Phill will chime in soon - he probably will pick up the solution quicker then me.

I noticed the same behaviour when I was doing some rotary plasma testing. From memory it was also behaving the same in AXIS. I "think" that I tried A in different positions in [DISPLAY]GEOMETRY but that had no effect. I really have no idea.

Can you take a picture of your actual machine to help with my visualization?

I cut pipe in the range from 50 to 300mm. It seems to me that the image should stretch along the Z axis, since the cutter moves along this axis. There is no movement along the Y axis for a round pipe. Only the square one has it.
I also tried different geometries in the [DISPLAY]GEOMETRY settings. It didn't give me any results.
It would be a pity, of course, if nothing comes of the visualization yet.

Regards, Dmitry.

 

I "think" it is probably caused by all the Z motion being done by external offsets rather than G-code moves.
 

[DISPLAY]GEOMETRY just sets what axis the rotation is applied to.
Looks to me the rotation is applied properly (around x).

I think the visualization is actually correct. Drawing around a diameter of zero (or close to zero) will only show X movement.

ie. draw a face on a piece of 1mm tube will be hard to see - 50mm much easier.
What do you do to touch of to the diameter of the pipe?



if you jog Y to something like 20mm then jog A around 360 degrees, do you see a circle?

Yes, of course I can give you a photo.