Hardest part to learn about Mastercam

[Marlowe Bright]

I've been using SolidWorks and AutoCad for the last 6 years and now might have to learn Mastercam. Can anyone give me some advice on learning and using Mastercam? How is it compared to learning SolidWorks? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[John13]

Welcome to the forum. Can't really answer your question, I'm just gettting started more indepth with SolidWorks myself. been using Mastercam for several years now though.

[Marlowe Bright]

I think Solidworks is preety easy, self taught on the job. I started on SW 1999 and waiting for 2007 to get here.

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

self taught on the job

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Mastercam even better .

It took me less than a day to make my first ,rather

complex electrode

[New Job]

Well, do you already know how to program or do you need to learn programming as well?

 

Mastercam like any other tool is dependent on being used correctly. I have found it easy enough to learn and apply to the problems I need to solve. However, I have 20 plus years of programming behind me. Three of those years I have used V9 and X.

[Marlowe Bright]

I was the second one hired by a company that was starting with 14 cnc routers for wood and given a seat of SW. Within 3 weeks i was putting products into production.

[Marlowe Bright]

Need to learn the programming also. Was suppose to learn on my current job but its a custom nesting software that is pretty much automatic. 2 axis shoda routers are what we use.

[jeff]

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self taught on the job

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Same here.

But these great people here on the forum have helped me out ALOT!

[Jimic]

Boyz, knowing how to draw and generate toolpaths doesn't mean you know how to program!!

The machining process is the most challenging part. That needed machining and tooling experiences and also people skill

[chris m]

Does Greensboro mean NC? Call Jimmy Wakeford over at Barefoot CNC in Morganton and schedule yourself some training over at his place. There is no substitute for formal instruction when you are first getting started; you 'self teach' a bunch of screwed up ways to do things that must be undone down the road and you will have a difficult time realizing full benefit from the software. I speak from experience as I 'self taught' V9 and had a bunch of things a$$ backwards..

[JNO]

Do you have any machine background? I believe it is a necessity for understanding Mastercam. I took both Solidworks and Mastercam classes, and I think they are about the same as far as difficulty goes. I think I had a little more trouble with Solidworks, because the course I took was a 5 day cram session.

I think if you have a basic understanding of machine tools and you are proficient in Solidworks, Mastercam should not be that hard.

As with anything, if you want to be good at it you must struggle thru it.(practice)

[Mcam Nut]

I am almost completly self taught in mastercam, learned in v7, but starting to realize that I am doing alot of things the hard way, and would really like some training now that I am programming more 4 and 5 axis work. I would reccomend formal training right away so you learn how to do it right the first time. This forum helped me out alot, learned alot of easier and better ways to program.

[BBOwen]

I am self taught as well, but this forum is a must if want to grow as a good programer. Then when you learn pay it forward........

[Thad]

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Well, do you already know how to program or do you need to learn programming as well?

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Need to learn the programming also.

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Just to clarify, do you need to learn programming or Mastercam programming?

 

Thad

[Marlowe Bright]

Mastercam programming

[P_Scott]

Marlowe,

 

I agree with everyone who promotes formal training for Mastercam. However the formal training won't do much good if you have no practical machining experience. JNO is "dead nuts" when asking this question.

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Do you have any machine background? I believe it is a necessity for understanding Mastercam.

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Solidworks is a great CAD software package. Mastercam is an OK design software but it flat out performs better than anything else as a CAM package. That's why it's called MasterCAM and not MasterCAD.

 

The one thing that separates MasterCAM from any of its competition is the flexibility to allow the user to work their programs any way they choose. This is possible because the user controls the toolpath. The only way you will get great results is by applying your work experience to properly assign the parameters. There are several ways to machine the stock. Every machinist has different techniques and methods. Mastercam was originally, and still is, developed as a tool by machinists for machinists.

 

As an instructor, I have seen and taught all skill levels in the proper use of Mastercam. I have prior machining experience to back up my instruction. If someone asks me a question on the best way to machine materials with a given tool, I can answer them with confidence due to my experience. This is something you won't learn from using the software. Only real-world machining experience can give you what you truly need to become an expert with Mastercam.

 

You can know the software inside and out but without the machining experience, how will you know what feed and speed or direction of cut to apply to the geometry? How will you know how deep the cutter can go without failing? How will you know when or where to plunge and how to hold the stock material you need to machine? If you already know this, Mastercam is a breeze. If you don't already know the basics of machining, Mastercam will make no sense to you at all.

 

Get some experience. Take a basic machining class at a Community College or someplace that actually has and uses equipment. Even manual equipment is better than nothing. And try to avoid the "desktop" variety of equipment. That's almost as bad as looking at a computer simulation. Cutter tool technology has changed over the years but most techniques that have been in use since the beginning will still apply today. Speeds and feeds have to be modified depending on the material, equipment, work holding and cutter tools available. Welcome to the Forum. We can help you with many things inside and outside of the Mastercam software. This forum however will not be a substitute for machining experience and formal training with the software. Good luck.

[Marlowe Bright]

Let me say that again. Mastercam programming and surfacing.

[MLS]

The best case scenario in my opinion is working around someone who has experience with the software. The basics of Mastercam are easy, but forcing it to do exactly what you want it to do can be somewhat tricky some of the times in surfacing and Multi-axis. This is common with most CAM systems I believe.

 

There are many features that seem redundant to beginners, but actually provide different results in different scenarios. I would say that is the most difficult thing to learn, which method to use in which scenario. I'm still learning, but only when myself or a co-worker explores the software beyond how we do it now...or *shudder* someone scraps a part.

 

If the parts are simple, I say the learning curve is slight. So start simple, use the forum, and no problem.

[terry5357]

Self taught on ver 4.11, That was in 1990 I think.

However I programmed G-code for Bout seven years before that, pushed my first cycle start button in '81, was a manual machinist for 6 years before that. I belive, as it has been previously stated, because you can draw a line, or create a surface whether ruled, swept or coons patch and can push a tool across it does not a programmer make you. Its very easy to write a multi surface toolpath with every version of MC after version 6. The test of a knowledgable programmer is one that understands that when you rough your surface with a 1/2 ball mill at .25 step over leaving .030 stock, you cannot send a 1/4 end mill in thinking there is only .03 stock.

Only the person that realizes that a 1/2 ball mill won't even begin to come close to going in places a 1/4 ball mill will, and reallizes that he or she needs to do something about the stock that is in the little knooks and crannies that will break your 4" long 1/4 ball mill that you are using because you are going 3.975 deep, will be the one that will stand the test of time.

 

Also, this same person will know that Carbide coated with anything still wears out. It just lasts longer when cutting different types of material and that would be from wood to hascoloy.

this same person will understand that, to really move material when cutting aluminum only 2 or 3 flutes will do the job.

In the time that I have served as a programmer needing help, or a supervisor needing a programmer, I have run across sooooooo many people that have come to me with their resume of all the college courses and tech school courses, that were taken for programming, that when they actually had to sit down and generate a toolpath that was efficient, accurate and didn't scare the ever loving **** out of the operator, in all reality I would guess that I found one in every 50 - 100 that could talk the talk and walk the walk. that is the difference between wanting to learn to be a programmer and know HOW to program.

 

That just my opinion, and everyone knows about opinions, everyone has one, and most of them stink.

Thanks for allowiing me to bore you to death