G-Wizard Goodies for the CNC Router Gang in GWC 1.635

There’s gotten to be quite a few of CNC Router folks using our G-Wizard Calculator so I wanted to do a release that addresses some of their special needs.  I have just uploaded G-Wizard Calculator version 1.635, and it includes several nifty things.

First, it has direct support for downcut, compression, and straight flute router cutters.  They can be selected from the geometry drop down menu:

Feeds and Speeds for Router Cutters…

Second, we’ve now added a Minimum RPM setting to the machine profiles so you can tell it the minimum speed your spindle will go.  Many routers have a pretty darned high minimum rpm for their spindles, so this is an important feature.  Here’s how it looks on a machine profile:

Setting up minimum spindle rpm…

So what happens if we need to go slower than the minimum spindle rpm?  Well, a 1/2″ HSS endmill shouldn’t be run at 10K rpm in 6061 aluminum, and if you try it with a minimum rpm of 10,000, you’ll see this screen:

Minimum RPM error message and warnings…

As you can see, both the RPM and the Min RPM boxes are lit in orange to indicate a limit is being exceeded.  Also note the little error message down where the tips usually show, “Min RPM too high for cut.  Use a smaller cutter or one that can go faster.”

These are the two easiest ways you can get the rpms back on track:

-  The smaller the cutter diameter, the faster you can run it and stay within a surface speed limit.

-  You can also switch from HSS to Carbide to go faster, or better still, to a fancy coated carbide like TiAlN.

G-Wizard not only identifies the problem, it tries to give some clues about how you can go about working around it.  For the rest of the detail on what went into GWC version 1.635, check out our release notes page.

If you’re not already a G-Wizard Calculator user, go ahead and try it out.  You can get a free 30-day trial.