Wrapped Spiral Layout

This gadget is used to simplify the task of creating toolpaths to machine spirals (rope or barley twist) on a rotary work piece. The gadget is designed to be used in a rotary job.

This gadget does NOT create toolpaths directly. It lays out vectors in the 2D view which can then have toolpaths created using Profile toolpath within the main program. The top part of the form allows the user to specify how many strands to create and how far from the start and end of the work piece the strands should start and end. Strand ends are laid out evenly spaced based on the circumference of the cylinder. The spacing between strands during spiralling can be controlled using either Spiral Pitch or Spacing between strands option. It is also possible to choose between right and left hand twists.

If the user chooses to create coves at either or both ends, extra vectors will be created which can be machined with the Profile toolpath to create the coves.

For machining both spirals and coves, Machine Vectors On option should be used.

The bottom section of the form contains details about the cylinder dimensions and is presented for reference only.

After the gadget has run it will display message saying how many revolutions will each strand made and the vectors required for machining will be visible in the 2D view. Please note that the vectors will be extending beyond the 2D boundaries of the job. That is expected and thanks to wrapping feature will end up producing spirals. Please refer to Spiral toolpaths section of the User Guide for more information and examples of spiral toolpaths.