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Standalone Tool Manager


JB7280
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15 hours ago, JParis said:

mostly it's all about cleaning it up to just the tool profile, lines & arcs only, not overlapping entities and no geo hidden on any levels..

I recently downloaded a stp file of a mitsu drill, just to try it, and it was a bit of a mess.  The drill was an F drill, with an 8mm shank, and because of how it was drawn, MC wanted to force the cutting dia. to .315, rather than just the shank because of some lingering lines.  I ended up just going back to the old way.  I usually end up not even buying mitsu tools just because their website is atrocious.

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I use it. I wish they would put some more time into it  and make it as powerful as some of the tools in mastercam. I believe it would also be nice to back save tools to the library that were built in an instance of mc... the stand alone has its issues but its not useless.

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32 minutes ago, Bbeyer562 said:

I use it. I wish they would put some more time into it  and make it as powerful as some of the tools in mastercam. I believe it would also be nice to back save tools to the library that were built in an instance of mc... the stand alone has its issues but its not useless.

i always thought it was easier to start another instance of mastercam, do a Drill Toolpath and select the origin, and then setup all my tools for a job and holders using that drill toolpath. Basically just going back and forth between the Tool and Holder page in a drill path normally not even ever checking out of it until every tool is defined. I just personally find it easier because i can use things like the Right Click Edit Tool Projection, i can import custom tool profiles or holder profiles from more geometry sources (external one only supports DXF files, internal tool manager supports Step and .mcam files also) and not only that but i am so much more experienced with mastercams internal tool manager compared to the external tool manager so i am much faster and confident in the internal one. so after i setup lets say 15 tools in that Drill toolpath, i just go to the tool manager in mastercam, all the tools are already there since i had set them up in a toolpath, then i save them from the internal tool manager to whatever library i want. I am not saying this method is the best for all but for me its my favorite way to define tools is right in a toolpath, you dont have to setup any either just launch a drill path, pick anywhere and start defining tools and holders in that toolpath then they will all be there when you go to the Mill tab and visit the tool manager.  Its those reasons why i never use the external manager, i have not found one thing that it does better than the internal one. There might be something it does better, but i have not seen it yet. 

 

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20 minutes ago, JoshC said:

i always thought it was easier to start another instance of mastercam, do a Drill Toolpath and select the origin, and then setup all my tools for a job and holders using that drill toolpath. Basically just going back and forth between the Tool and Holder page in a drill path normally not even ever checking out of it until every tool is defined. I just personally find it easier because i can use things like the Right Click Edit Tool Projection, i can import custom tool profiles or holder profiles from more geometry sources (external one only supports DXF files, internal tool manager supports Step and .mcam files also) and not only that but i am so much more experienced with mastercams internal tool manager compared to the external tool manager so i am much faster and confident in the internal one. so after i setup lets say 15 tools in that Drill toolpath, i just go to the tool manager in mastercam, all the tools are already there since i had set them up in a toolpath, then i save them from the internal tool manager to whatever library i want. I am not saying this method is the best for all but for me its my favorite way to define tools is right in a toolpath, you dont have to setup any either just launch a drill path, pick anywhere and start defining tools and holders in that toolpath then they will all be there when you go to the Mill tab and visit the tool manager.  Its those reasons why i never use the external manager, i have not found one thing that it does better than the internal one. There might be something it does better, but i have not seen it yet. 

 

I agree. I just feel like the whole process could be better. Tool management is a pain in the butt.

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33 minutes ago, Bbeyer562 said:

I agree. I just feel like the whole process could be better. Tool management is a pain in the butt.

Yes and like I said big strides in the Lathe 3D tools and when that is ported over to the milling side then we will benefit from it. Now when that is going to happen I have no idea.

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I've gone back and forth, in Mastercam and in Tool Manager. Doing the tool in  Mastercam just seems to work better for my own work flow.

So, I usually have 2 sessions open. I do all my CAD for the tools and holders in one file. Cutting tools are levels 10,001 to 19,999. Holders 20,000 to 29,0000. Tool 1 would use 10,001 and 20,001. So on and so forth. Not every tool gets a new holder. 

 

JM2CFWIW YMMV 

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46 minutes ago, AMCNitro said:

Whats the file called?  Id like to investigate

It's a program not a file. Similar to Code Expert, and Active Reports Designer.  However you can open your present tool databases in it. It's easily found in the start menu or search for it. 

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