I'm attempting to create a tool path to machine the mounting points on a CNC table. There are 22 "cylindrical pegs" that need to be machined to the same height. I've created a model to represent these surfaces. They are dotted throughout a rectangular area.
The requirements for my tool path are:
- There can be no Z-travel during the operation, that is, the pegs are all above the underlying surface and to improve flatness I want to leave the Z-height static throughout the whole operation.
- It doesn't spend 99% of the time cutting air.
- It needs to climb cut for all material removal.
- I've modelled a single circular cylinder and I can create a spiral path across that. If I attempt to do that across all 22 surfaces, it takes over an hour to generate and the Z-axis on the tool path lifts and descends between each cylinder.
- I can create a cylinder that encloses the entire area and generate a spiral, but it exceeds the working area of my machine.
- I've modelled the enclosing box, but I cannot generate a surfacing or pocketing operation using a spiral across a square surface, it only draws the two outside paths. I came across another user reporting that behaviour in 2019, but there were no responses to their post.
- If I use any other surfacing method, the Z-travel changes between steps, the CNC spends most of its time cutting air or the cut isn't a climb cut for all material removal.
I'm currently using AppImage of FreeCAD v20, Revision 26651 (git).
Is there any documentation that I might read to understand this; should I be using a different version; or is this currently unsupported?