Horizontal Programming Tips and Tricks

[Bill Sutton@Accurate Machine]

I have found this to be a little easier than what I thought. I shot out my fisrt horizontal program this morning and the guy just gave me the 1st pc. Thanks for everyones help. I been getting the post to output to our likings. I got it to post B for rotations. The only thing the machine does not take a -B index. I have to index to 270 and when it post it makes it -B90.

Is there a way to change this.

 

 

Thanks again for everyones input.

I would like to start a topic on

General Tips & Tricks for programming in Mastercam *******V9 ONLY*******

I while back I started a 3d one and that had great results.

 

Thanks

Bill

[crazy^millman]

There are adjustments in Mpmaster ot only get postive B moves.

 

 

HTH

[DrewG]

How do you handle programming parts on a tombstone set up the following way:

 

4 sided tombstone with one Kurt/Chick/TECO, etc.. double lock vise on each side. The vise holds two parts and the parts are located from the stationary center jaw, NOT the outer jaw on one part, and center jaw on the other. In other words, the upper part locates bottom lefthand corner, and the lower part locates upper lefthand corner. This way the part is always located against a "hard stop". Use individual offsets for each part, (1 vise a face X 4 faces = 8 parts total), in order to allow some "tweaking" of sizes, as opposed to "center out programming". Obviously I want the fastest machine time, and the least amount of toolchanges. I want to be able to use tool #1 on the upper part, than the lower part, rotate 90, upper part, than lower part, rotate, etc...Grab tool #2 and repeat above procedure. I don't want to have to complete each part using all tools needed, and THAN move to the next part, or have to complete all the upper parts, and than start the lower parts. Now remember, the work offset's between the upper parts and lower parts are DIFFERENT--bottom lefthand corner for upper parts, upper lefthand corner for lower parts. I had so many people try to get this to work in Mastercam, to no avail, including my reseller. This doesn't seem out of the ordinary. In fact, I bet most people use the "center jaw" to locate parts when using a KURT/CHICK/TECO, etc... type double lock style vise. It doesn't make sense to either have to "rotate" additional times, or change the "same tool" just to be able to do this. Anyone else working in a similar set up??

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Here's an example in X and V9 that I use to show tool planes and the resulting code.

 

I'm an old school guy, Top is B0, B90 is a created plane, B180 is Bottom, and B270 is created.

 

The file is located here;

/Mastercam_forum/Training_files/Horizontal Example.zip

 

If I use the center jaw as my origin then I'll have a bore /boss or a tooling ball to pick up my origin. There's TONS of different ways to do things. And there's a nugget in there as well. I put some code that will accomplish the very same thing with less lines and I can make as many in X, Y and B as I want.

 

Check 'em out.

 

Enjoy!!!!

[crazy^millman]

DrewG are you doing 4th axis work on the parts? That to me makes the biggest diffrent on how you would apporach this. If not slam dunk. If so then I say use center of rotary and yes it is the fastest quickest way to program it IMHO. You can easily ger all your different workoffsets and rotary move using only one operation and transform by doing it this way. Most people do not realize you can transform to a postion and then transfrom rotate that operation but me personally I would sub it have one program and then do a Main fixture shift then sub call and go from there. Well now you are saying I am not thinking about one is one way and the other is 180 from that in the vice well yes I am becuase I would approach it different then explained above I would have 2 programs and do the same again all with just 2 groups of operations for 4 sides 6 sides or what ever you have for a tombstone. Again if only 3 axis work slam dunk do it the off center harder more time consuming way not using a presetter with Z0 top of part or bottom of part or center of part or whatever floats your boat. If you are doing 4th axis work center of rotary and now back to the everything done hit the green button walk away idea we all keep looking for.

 

HTH

 

Left out alot of detail becuase it would be a book to explain it completely so if there are spefic question I will be glad to answer.

 

Have a Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

[gti_jay]

one_rev : 1 #Limit rotary indexing between 0 and 360? (0 = No, 1 = Yes)

 

this line in the rotary axis settings will prevent "Negative" rotations

[Tim Johnson]

quote:

---

Now remember, the work offset's between the upper parts and lower parts are DIFFERENT--bottom lefthand corner for upper parts, upper lefthand corner for lower parts. I had so many people try to get this to work in Mastercam, to no avail, including my reseller. This doesn't seem out of the ordinary. In fact, I bet most people use the "center jaw" to locate parts when using a KURT/CHICK/TECO, etc... type double lock style vise. It doesn't make sense to either have to "rotate" additional times, or change the "same tool" just to be able to do this. Anyone else working in a similar set up??

---

I've been programming like this for years using MC with no tweaking on the toolpaths (some tweaking on tool name callouts). I program the bottom first then use G68 to program the upper rotated side. This would also work from upper side to lower. I use 8 different offsets for this type of setup and use a coordinate rotation subprogram to calculate new offsets for non front face work. E-mail me and I will send you some examples next Monday.