Horizontal Programming Tips and Tricks

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

Hello all,

We have a Matsuura Horizontal Machine with B axis. I have never used mastercam to program horizontal machines using t/plane ,c/plane. The guy that been doing has not been using mastercam to if full capabilities. He does alot of manual edit of the programs. Make a long story short, I want to do the right way and use mastercam to is fullest capabilites.

Have a part that requiring rotations @ 0,45,90,135 degrees.

Looking for ideas how everyone programs there parts. Tips and Tricks. Ways of going about programming and setup of the machines.

 

Thanks

Bill

[mcpgmr]

So many to list. If you have specific questions just fire away. Glad to help if I can.

[Lars Christensen]

1st. question:

Are you going to do toolroom work, or are you programming for production?

 

Lars

[Mgrenier]

First of all,

 

The front Tplane is the table at B0. Side is B90. and so on.

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

Programming for production.

[mcpgmr]

---------------------------

Programming for production.

---------------------------

 

1.Standardize your tooling

2.Model you knee's, tombstone's, vices and fixtures at a functional level of detail.

3.Program from center of rotation when indexing or multi axis contoring.

4. Only use G55, G56 etc. for fine adjustment on difacult to control sizes and features.

5.Incorperate tooling ball's and or bushings into you fixture design to make for a quick setup and ref check point.

 

HTH !

[cadcam]

Are you useing a tombstone for the parts?

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

Can someone post one of there mc9 files they have programmed on the horizontal using B axis.

Get a better idea seeing a example.

 

Thanks

Bill

[Mcam Nut]

the only manual edits to the program should be maybe to change the pallet over and there probally is a way to add that to misc. values or somthing, the way I program for the horizontal is draw a solid with the B0. at front view, and just work on difernt planes click planes in operation manager keep wcs to top and change tool and construction plane to view you are working on, to use g54.1 p1 - p48 use work offset 6-54, and for running multi locations for 1 part I use toolpaths translate, this will let you rotate parts to a difernt face or translate part to same face, if this dosnt seem to work, you may need to take a look at your post.

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

We are use a Chick ML4b08 Tombstone. From what I been reading It is better to program from the center line of the tombstone.

[Mcam Nut]

I was using the center of the tombstone when I first started out but I find for basic production parts it is alot easier to just program the part and have multi offsets, especally if you are probing your parts i find it easier to update each offset. but when you program a part with alot of b-axis moves I will use the center of the tombstone, I have a basic part in v9 but I cant get on the ftp, if you want it e-mail me

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

That would be great...

[Mcam Nut]

You got mail.

[robk]

quote:

---

I find for basic production parts it is alot easier to just program the part and have multi offsets, especally if you are probing your parts i find it easier to update each offset.

---

+1000

 

Even if your post does not support sub programs you could just write a program that calls out subs... What the following sub means though is that you will finish one side of the tombstone before moving on to the next.

 

%

O1000(MAIN-PROG.SUB.100 )

G0G17G40G80G90

G0G91G28Z0.

G0G91G28X0.Y0.

G90G53X0.Y0.Z0.

G91G30XYZ0.

M1

N1G0G90G54

M11

B0.

M10

M98P100

M1

N2G0G90G55

M11

B0.

M10

M98P100

M1

N3G0G90G56

...etc....

[Tim Simmermon]

I bought Mike Mattera's CD for Rotary work. It goes over alot of that stuff. It helped me understand T/Planes & C/Planes. It had seperate examples for Horizontal & Vertical Machines. I believe it also came with a generic Horizontal post.

 

www.tipsformanufacturing.com

[crazy^millman]

MPMASTER is the post I would use for that machine. JMHOIA

 

 

Cplanes is the olny way in my mind to program a 4th axis. The pallet change is an easy Misc thing to add to a post incase you were wondering and if you want ot add it just ask and smaple post mods can be shown. I personally only use C&T-planes for 4th and 5th axis work even X is do it that way. I also have made my toolbars V9 custom to have all the view and cplanes show up. I was left I hit left I want back I hit back(though need to watch back it gets wierd sometimes) and so forth. That way if I want the left C-plane but be in front view click done. I have my right click set-up the same way in X as well. Still working no a Toolbar to do the same just not taken the time yet.

 

Also remember anything you do in 5 axis toolpaths can be done in 4th axis just change the output to 4th axis on the geometry page and go from there.

 

 

HTH

[TheePres]

Maybe i could borrow this post for some help also. Have rotab lying on its face, need to drill b/circles by rotating table. any tips on how to accomplish this?.

[Brendan P]

For simple index drilling/milling,I just program my toolpath at B0 then use translate/rotate for my index moves.I use the mpmaster with the Baxis switch on.

 

Works great for me.

[cadcam]

theepress are your points around the part if so you can use the Rotary axis option on the first Paramtar page of drilling.

[TheePres]

Holes are on face of part, not on edge...giving me XY moves to each position. I need to substitute XY positions into incremental rotations. That would be rotation about the Z axis.

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

I tried using the mpmaster post but it wont post out the b axis moves. What do I need to turn on.

 

 

Thanks

[Brendan P]

quote:

---

I tried using the mpmaster post but it wont post out the b axis moves. What do I need to turn on.

---

Well,is it at least posting out the A moves instead???

 

If so,you need to turn it on in the 'rotary axis settings' in the post.

The mp master by default is set to 1 for A,you will need to turn it off and turn on for horizontal.

 

 

example:

 

# Rotary Axis Settings

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Typical Vertical

srotary "A" #Rotary axis prefix

vmc : 1 #0 = Horizontal Machine, 1 = Vertical Mill

rot_on_x : 1 #Default Rotary Axis Orientation, See ques. 164.

#0 = Off, 1 = About X, 2 = About Y, 3 = About Z

# Typical Horizontal

#srotary "B" #Rotary axis prefix

#vmc : 0 #0 = Horizontal Machine, 1 = Vertical Mill

#rot_on_x : 2 #Default Rotary Axis Orientation, See ques. 164.

# #0 = Off, 1 = About X, 2 = About Y, 3 = About Z

 

 

BTW,get mikes cd,you will learn a lot of good stuff.

Not that you wont here!!

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

Figured it out but it outputs A axis instead of B. What do I need to make output B instead.

[DavidB]

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Rotary Axis Settings

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Typcial Vertical

srotary "B" #Rotary axis prefix

vmc : 0 #0 = Horizontal Machine, 1 = Vertical Mill

rot_on_x : 2 #Default Rotary Axis Orientation, See ques. 164.

#0 = Off, 1 = About X, 2 = About Y, 3 = About Z

 

Set the srotary to "B"

[Lars Christensen]

Since it is for production and every second there for counts, I would take the time to draw the tools as customized tools in mastercam and attach spindle head also, this have helped me a lot figuring clearance issues down to .025 my spindle head came close to fixturing. We have build fixture that are always mounted to the rotary, but then have different spacers for different parts, and I have 1 work offset (G54) and it is center of rotation. I have everything drawn ed as I look into the machine. Side 0 is "Side view" Side 90 is "#3 view" Side 180 is "#6 view" and Side 270 is "Front view".

If I need to do any angular view I will create a circle (different color) and rotate it to correct angular and location, then I create a cross hair in side and use C-Plane => Entities and pick positive X direction on my cross hair and positive Z on the cross hair, this will give you a number that ref ere to that construction plane.

 

HTH

 

Lars