G43.4 - TCPC Posting

[Guess_who]

So I asked this question over in the Industrial Forum, and I figured it really should have been asked here. In short I want to get my post to output the correct code using the TCPC G43.4 code. Basically once activated, the machine coordinance do not rotate with the part.

 

Right now we are using three different (purchased) posts to post out our 5th axis code. All of them work great for DFO (dynamic fixture offset), but none will post the correct code needed for TCPC (Tool center point control). Our Makino D500 was purchased with TCPC instead of DFO. To date, we have been using a seat of NX to generate the proper code when needed. We also have a seat of Esprit for our NTX, and it will also handle TCPC without any issues.

 

I'm no expert, but I can go into more detail if needed. I am attaching an explanation of the differenced between TCPC and DFO if anyone needs a better explanation.

 

Does anyone out there know if this has been done before, and how I may go about adding it to our post(s)

 

Thanks

 

Ray

[Colin Gilchrist]

Hi Ray,

 

Please send me an email at work and I can can give you some help with this.

 

Thanks,

 

Colin

[Guess_who]

I wanted to send out some props to Colin for getting our post working with TCPC.

 

Brilliant job. You're the man.

 

Ray

[Mick]

I second, third and fourth that. Colin is a true asset to Mastercam users.

[Guest MTB Technical Services]

I second, third and fourth that. Colin is a true asset to Mastercam users.

 

Mega-Dittos!

[Watcher]

I'll share my experience with CAx support in a global company supporting a bunch of people.

 

Good CAD/CAM support is even more important than the capabilities of your application. It's similar to the concept that a good post-processor is 60% of the deal, the the CAM system itself, 40%.

 

If you have super system and a bad post-processor, you're NOT gonna leverage the CAM's and Machine Tool's potential. The same happens with technical support. Without a good one, your are by yourself.

 

You guys are fanbois of Mastercam. I'm a fanboi of other tools, but a fanboi anyway. One of the tools I really appreciate is VERICUT.

 

Is it bug free? Not at all. I'm beta testing V7.3 and I alone found around 15 bugs in 30 days.

 

Is it cheap? Not at all. It hurts to sign that check every year. But is a well worth money. Here's why:

• Most of our enhancement requests are implemented.
  
• The bugs we catch are fixed in a reasonable timeframe. If it's a critical one, they fix it, compile a "custom" build and send us the Jar/DLL files. (VERICUT is mostly a Java application)
  
• The technical support is responsive and have people like Colin who love to help people to walk the extra mile.
  
• The product is reasonably well documented.
  

Many shop owners and managers think that paying maintenance/support is a bad thing/obligation. People invest their bucks in million dollar machines but don't happily invest in other people who work their butt off everyday to be up to their own expectations, to their customers expectations (Even if you are in a shop you have internal customers right?) and to their employer's expectations. Seems an obvious math, but a bunch of people really don't care about anything but their paychecks. I relate to many people here that needs the money like me because we have a family to raise, but in our hearts, we serve to the love to our trade. We're really blessed to make a living on this business, if you ask me.

 

It's a VERY hard task to correctly assess a CAx tool before the purchase, and it's true that Colin is a big asset to Mastercam's user base, as I'm sure others at CNC are. There's no perfect tool and you always find some nasty truth about your supplier once the deal is closed and you start to deal with them/their product. But in the end the world is made of people and not "stuff", and thus we benefit/suffer from the convictions/approaches of other people, and not their products, in our day-to-day reality.

 

Want examples:

 

#1 - If the product manager has his own conviction that a certain enhancement you are asking for is NOT good enough for him and others, he will pass it. We see this all the time. Something that is a big timesaver for you, but he/she does not give a damn. When that's the case, your best hope is to attempt again when they replace the guy (After 35 years) or if you are big enough like us to make some demands, sometimes directly to the owner/president.

 

#2 - If a developer wrote that bad code that is hurting you does NOT want/know to re-write it, your bug ticket won't be resolved - Simple like that. There's a conflict of interest, and sometimes, you have to make the use of lethal force to get it done.

 

Last but not least, and I hope she is reading this and I hope she copies/paste this somewhere, it's good to see CNC folks are working harder to communicate and to be closer to their customers, as we are starting to see here.

 

To see Dave Boucher, and especially Colin and Aaron putting their face here so often in the industrial forum, is indeed a good way to show they acknowledge the importance of being close to you.

 

I'm a man of opinions, and they are also prone to change when things change around me. I truly hope CNC releases better and more stable releases, and this will be the confirmation I need to know the train is back on the rails.

 

Wow, I felt like I was Ron with those short posts...

 

Kudos to you Colin and Aaron.

 

Daniel

[Newbeeee™]

^^^ well put Daniel.

and plus a couple of dozen more for Colin and Aaron.

 

[Colin Gilchrist]

Thank you everyone for the compliments, but I'm not the only one who deserves them. I'm just glad that is working for you Ray. I think you sent me another email, so I'll check that out on Monday.

[Mick]

Hi Colin,

 

Any joy with my enquiry?

[Colin Gilchrist]

Hi Mick,

 

No, I haven't had a chance to look into your issue yet. Hopefully I'll have some time this week...

 

Thanks,

 

Colin