Making enormous progress on these Delrin parts, got into a "flow state" where everything is moving really smoothly and effectively with so far no mistakes. It's not as fast as I could probably push it, but I can't really afford to make mistakes on these pieces.
The geometry of each piece is fairly similar, so creating the CAM template library has been extraordinarily helpful in the parts' programming.
I'm also putting together a new system of operations for setting up the models for programming. The basic premise is to import the model into a new workspace, then create a manufacturers model and set up the stock as a solid model directly tied to the design's geometry. I'm finding that the stock's actual location isn't as critical as I once thought; it can be moved almost anywhere to encapsulate the piece; it just can't be moved after the first operation has begun.
From there, I set up a "sub stock model," which is typically a plate that matches the width and length of the stock, but the height matches that of the part. In this, I can create reference geometry and/or location features for the CAM program. For an example of these Delrin parts, I made a 3D model plate with a few holes that I can use to locate when flipping the part over, and I'm able to use this sub-stock as a hard refrence. I find that adding this sub-stock model directly into your CAM setup files works really well and even acts as blocking off of milling certain features I don't want to touch until it gets flipped over.
Another neat trick I picked up from my boss is securing the material down on the fixture plate. I'm using double-sided tape to hold it down, but to ensure that it's had a proper adhesion, I take a bar of metal and clamp both ends down across the plate, thus creating an even and applied pressure. It's a bit of a pain to move around, but I haven't had any Delrin issues coming up yet, so it's worth it in my books to prevent mistakes.
For some of the larger plates where I don't have long enough 0.25" pins, I'm using old endmills to slide the Delrin plate over, then remove them after it's properly secured on the fixture plate.
I'm actually quite enjoying using the fixture plate, I haven't used one up until this point, and it's proven to be an excellent way of quickly locating multiple operation jobs! I'm currently trying to figure out a way to combine some of the tricks I've used for these fixture plate workholding setups over to a vice style. I really enjoy the versatility of the fixture plate. Still, I can definitely see how it's not ideal for some harder materials, especially those with many features.
Currently working on the final few sets of parts using 5" round stock for square-ish pieces, which I'm really excited to share in my next post!