How do I set up Material Setup for a rotary/spindle job in VCarve Pro & Aspire?

Material Setup for Rotary/Spindle Jobs

Applies to: Both (VCarve Pro and Aspire)

Rotary jobs have their own Job Setup and Material Setup settings, which differ from flat double-sided work. Getting them right before creating any toolpaths is critical.

Key Settings

Z Zero: choose Cylinder Axis (Center of Cylinder)

In Job Setup the choice is whether the tool tip is zeroed off the rotation axis (Cylinder Axis) or off the surface of the material. In Material Setup the label is "relative to the surface of the material cylinder or its center". The official documentation recommends the center of the cylinder (Cylinder Axis) for the best accuracy. The center stays constant regardless of:

• Irregularities in the blank diameter
• Errors in centering the blank in the chuck

When you are rounding a blank, you cannot set Z on the surface of the cylinder, because the surface it refers to is the surface of the finished blank. Another reason for the center option: some machine controls can work out the correct rotation speed for the rotary axis from the distance to the center of rotation.

The tooling on the machine must be set up the same way, so the toolpaths cut to the correct depth.

Tip: Measure the distance from the center of your chuck to a convenient point (top of the chuck, a mounting bracket). Write this Z-offset down, zero future tools at that point, and enter the offset to get the position of the rotary axis center.

Orientation: Rotation Axis vs. Wrapped Axis

• Along X Axis: X coordinates represent movement along the cylinder and Y coordinates represent the angle around it
• Along Y Axis: Y coordinates represent movement along the cylinder and X coordinates represent the angle around it
• The top and bottom boundaries of the 2D workspace coincide (they are the same seam line on the cylinder) when the wrapped axis is Y

Diameter

Enter the diameter of the material being machined, as the job and Material Setup forms ask.

Placing the Thick End Toward the Motor

When machining spindles or shapes with varying thickness, a common practice is to place the thicker end closest to the driving motor, since torsional twisting affects the stronger end less and reduces the risk of bending or breaking the part.

Common Mistakes

• Using the surface of the cylinder for Z Zero on oversize stock, which causes depth errors
• Not writing down your Z-offset, which wastes time re-zeroing every session
• Forgetting that the top and bottom workspace boundaries are the same seam on the cylinder