Regarding Custom Mill tool

[Shiva.aero]

Hello all! I have few questions regarding Custom Mill tool.

1. What is the use of 'Mastercam Outline' which is shown in the tool preview window? Is it used for collision checking instead 'Imported tool profile'?

2. There is a seperate "Custom tool" option in the tool type  selection window and also there is an option to import "custom tool profile" after choosing standard tool type. Is there any difference between these two options?

3. When we create a custom tool from level, there are constraints like the profile should be in XY plane, the axis of rotation should be the +Y and the tip of the tool should be at origin. But I noticed that when importing Custom tool or Custom Holder using STEP format, irrespective of the model origin & orientation, the custom tool gets created successfully & the orientation comes correctly in the backplot & verify simulation. So can we maintain any origin & orientation when we using STEP format or am I missing something?

I made few sample programs to understand these points, but am I am not clear. So any explanation will be much helpful. 

Thank you.

[crazy^millman]

Open up any tool and If you click on help in the lower left section it will take you the Tool Wizard Help Page. Click on the Creating a Tool from the Classic Tool Manager and see how terrible the help files are anymore when using these functions.

There is answers for #1 in Help

#2 I always teach people use Custom for Custom tools and then standard definition for tools that are maybe modifications of start tools. Step Drills I tell people to define as Drill, but then use a custom tool geometry on a level to define them. Port tools and custom form tools I will use the Custom.

#3 Zero can be where you want for tools. For holders I normally use the Gauge Line for Zero. I will normally build my milling tools that are assemblies in an external Mastercam file.  For the lathe tools the 3D tool manager takes care of everything. Hopefully Milling Holders will get some love and the whole process ports over to what we are doing with 3D lathe tools using that methodology. Once that happens and Gauge Lengths are respected in Machine and MT Simulation then I will finally be able to quit having to spend so much time dumbing down all the solids holders I use for projects. I estimate I have dumbed down well over 1500 holders in the last 10 years and sometimes that process can take up to ten minutes per tool or holder. That is 250 hours of my time that could be reduced greatly once that process gets refined.

 

[Colin Gilchrist]

Tool Management has always been an issue. We've come a long way in that department, however there is a great deal which still needs to be done.

I typically do what Ron does, and I create a whole separate Mastercam File, to build my Tool Assembly in. This allows me to save that Tool, Holder, and Tool Assembly to my Tool Library, and have access to the original Mastercam File where I built that Tool Assembly to begin with. I also don't have to remember > "what Mastercam File was I working on 3 months ago, when I defined that custom tool I was using"?

Now, sometimes the work I'm doing doesn't happen as cleanly as I'd like, and I find myself creating a Custom Tool inside the current Mastercam File, by building new flat "custom tool geometry" on a Level. I typically name the levels with 123001, 123002, 123003, Etc. This helps me from interfering with any custom "level numbering scheme" which a company might use. I've seen lots of companies where "10,000" or "20,000" is used, so using '123xxx' works for anyone who isn't using '8-digit' Tool Numbers, or Tool Number over 999. You can always add an extra zero on the levels, and go with level 1,23x,xxx, which would allow you to use any 4-digit tool number as the last 4 digits of the Level Number.

I've also just used "random level numbers", where I start at say "5,000", and then use "5001", "5002", "5003", and so on.

I typically start my Custom Tools, with the Custom Tool Option, rather than an Endmill, or Drill, where I then choose custom profile. However, it does work either way you choose to define it.

[Shiva.aero]

22 hours ago, Shiva.aero said:

Hello all! I have few questions regarding Custom Mill tool.

1. What is the use of 'Mastercam Outline' which is shown in the tool preview window? Is it used for collision checking instead 'Imported tool profile'?

2. There is a seperate "Custom tool" option in the tool type  selection window and also there is an option to import "custom tool profile" after choosing standard tool type. Is there any difference between these two options?

3. When we create a custom tool from level, there are constraints like the profile should be in XY plane, the axis of rotation should be the +Y and the tip of the tool should be at origin. But I noticed that when importing Custom tool or Custom Holder using STEP format, irrespective of the model origin & orientation, the custom tool gets created successfully & the orientation comes correctly in the backplot & verify simulation. So can we maintain any origin & orientation when we using STEP format or am I missing something?

I made few sample programs to understand these points, but am I am not clear. So any explanation will be much helpful. 

Thank you.

After going through the replies & help file, here I try to answer my questions for the benefit of others:

#1 As per the help file, 'Mastercam Outline' tool is used to aid toolpath calculation and the 'Imported Custom tool profile' is used to collision checking and stock simulation. However the diameter value which is used for 'Mastercam Outline' is considered for tool diameter compensation, which is critical not only to 2D toolpath, but also to the 3D toolpath for boundary chain compensation. 

#2 When we use Custom tool profile after selecting standard tool, we can create Mastercam outline tool closer to the Custom tool profile, since we get more options like shank types & other options as per the standard tool selection.

#3 When create custom tool/holder from STEP file, origin of the tool/holder can be anywhere, but the axis of rotation/tool center line should be along the Z axis in the World coordinate system.

Thank you.

[[email protected]]

I have a Custom Tool creation question as well. A while ago while we were slow I took the time to download the individual inserts, screws, and cutter from Mitsubishi and "mate" it to the command arbor holder model from their website as well. I think I saved it as a .step and was able to bring it into the custom tool creation window using the "import custom geometry from a file" I recall it being .005" too big...Anyway that was many months ago. I was revisiting this Mastercam file where I assembled this tool model today and when using the "import custom geometry from a file" icon it was creating some really funky flat disc tools I don't know if my orientation of the solids were bad or what. So I ended up using the lathe profile wireframe tool with the model to help get an accurate tool profile. Which worked okay but it put a generic puck holder floating in the gray holder area...anyway I think the picture and Zip2go(4.8 MB too big for here) will help explain more. I would like to rem ember how I was able to use solely the 3d model to create a custom tool. 

[cncappsjames]

Tool Import orientation plays a part in what you'll end up with. That being said, tnserts (as in the image on the left), screws, etc...  are completely useless to mill. A tool is best defined as a 2D profile. No splines. It's just useless eye candy that takes up unnecessary system headroom.