How to Generate 4th Axis CNC G-Code | Rotary Machining Tutorial in FreeCAD 1.0

Take your CNC projects to the next level with 4th axis rotary machining. I’ll show you how to set up a rotary axis workflow in FreeCAD 1.0, generate accurate G-Code, and prepare toolpaths for controllers like GRBL.

The tricks can help you make the operation compute fast and accurately.

This guide is ideal for makers, hobbyists, and engineers who want to explore multi-axis CNC machining using open-source CAM tools.

What you’ll learn in this video:
Setting up a 4th axis CNC project
Creating rotary toolpaths in FreeCAD Path Workbench
Workflow tips for correctly generating the G Code
Exporting clean G-Code for your CNC machine

If you’ve already learned how to generate 4th axis CNC G-code in FreeCAD 1.0, now it’s time to put those skills into practice with a real rotary engraving project. In this new tutorial, we’ll V-carve text around a cylinder using FreeCAD 1.1, showing how to model the part, create rotary toolpaths, and engrave perfectly wrapped text with a 4-axis CNC. It’s the next step to mastering rotary machining in FreeCAD CAM!
V-Carve Text on a Cylinder | 4-Axis CNC Tutorial in FreeCAD 1.1:    • V-Carve Text on a Cylinder | 4-Axis CNC Tu...  

00:00 Introduction to generating 4th axis CNC G-Code + presenting a 3D pipe model along a Bézier curve for demo
01:23 Creating a new CNC job and configuring the machine settings
03:18 Optimizing FreeCAD Path Workbench for faster 3D surface computation
04:18 Adding a new 3D surface operation for rotary toolpaths
04:28 Improving toolpath calculation speed with advanced parameter tweaks
04:44 Converting a 3-axis setup into a 4th axis rotational setup for CNC machining
05:29 Analyzing toolpaths and identifying issues with toolbit return movements
05:56 Testing different FreeCAD CAM settings to fix toolpath errors
06:51 Solving toolbit return problems by adjusting critical parameters
07:29 Adjusting safe height and clearance height to understand toolpath behavior
08:17 Setting proper safe and clearance heights for accurate 4th axis operations
08:33 What happens when safe/clearance heights are set to zero in FreeCAD toolpaths
09:37 Exporting 4th axis CNC G-Code for your machine controller
09:52 Why G-Code modifications are needed to protect the cutting tool
10:19 Editing G-Code feed rates to prevent toolbit damage during machining
12:13 Fixing extra parentheses errors in Universal G-Code Sender (UGS)
13:00 Solving the same G-Code error directly inside FreeCAD Path Workbench
13:39 Running the final CNC milling with 4th axis rotary toolpaths

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#CNC #GCode #4thAxis #RotaryMachining #OpenSourceCNC #CAM #CNCProgramming #MakerProjects