Mastercam Solids

[NeilJ]

I mostly work with imported Pro/E IGES files. Almost all the work is two and a half axis milling work. What benefit if any would we get if I had our company upgrade to Mastercam Solids?

[Andy]

I mostly do 2 and 2 1/2 also.

I have solids, but only use it as a design

tool for myself and to show my customers what a part or assembly might look like.

[?Mark]

Solids help tremendously when doing multiple setups (at least for me). Sort of draw once approach. You can do it using wireframe, but you can't change it easily. Not to mention that visualizing a part using solids helps designing a manufacturing process sooooo much easier.

hth

[NeilJ]

Andy, Mark, I shade the surfaces that Pro/E creates when the files are saved as IGES and get the same visualization as a solid.

[PERRY C]

One of the main benifits I have using solids is at times we're constantly moveing bolt holes or button holes. With solids I can just select the geo. for the hole move it where ever regenerate the model and it's updated if it was just a surface model half the time you might as well just start from scratch and draw a new model depending how complex the part is. Plus I like that I can generate a drawing by doing a solid layout. You can just do a lot more if you have solids it gives you more opitions. Some complex parts I'll turn the solid into a surface model for machining because it's easier for me to tell what I'm selecting to machine but if there's a change I can make it to the solid regenrate it then create a new updated surface model.

[Storkman]

You can also use the solid to verify your toolpaths.

[kkominiarek]

it's one of those things.....since you're not using solids you don't realize the benefits. once you start using it though you'll say "i should've switched years ago".

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

There are also a couple of solid toolpaths that can be very handy. Not sure if they are available when you dont have it (like Solid Drill)?

 

First shop I was at didnt have it and I have had it at 2 shops since and I see a difference. For lathe, maybe not so much (Mill Turn for sure!), but for milling, totally. As said above, multiple setups, visuals, you can even go as far as creating solid fixturing/pallets around to confirm clearances, which I do occasionally.

 

Useful tool and not very expensive (I know, I am not suppose to talk about it....), but for the couple bucks it is, I would go for it.

[mgsanchez]

I agree with Perry, it is so much easier to work with solids.

[NeilJ]

"You can also use the solid to verify your toolpaths."

 

Since I'm having so many problems getting Pro/E IGES files to create an STL that Mastercam Verify can use perhaps this might be an option. If we purchased the Mastercam Solids upgrade how would we go about solidifying the surfaces that are in the Pro/E IGES file into a solid? We are stuck with Pro/E IGES as the only file we can get.

[?Mark]

Stitch surfaces into solid(s) might help.

Never used it though, so I don't know how well it'll work with your files.

[YoDoug®]

Menu-solids-create from surfaces. Its works pretty well with ProE iges. Also Step solids from ProE work really well.

[P_Scott]

NeilJ,

 

What others have said above are all correct. Ask for a STEP file from the Pro-E supplier. As long as you are current w/Mcam Maintenance, you can open a STEP file free of charge and it's 500% better than IGES ("I guess it's OK"). You won't get redundant wireframe entities (lines, arcs, splines) when converting or generating curves from a solid. You can actually use solid edges and faces to "Chain" for use in milling toolpaths. Even if you don't use the Solid Drill toolpath (the only toolpath which requires Solids and automatically selects hole geometry directly from the solid), there are many benefits to using solid parts that were just brought into Mcam and not designed with Solids. If you have Solids add-on however you can modify a Solid very easily and then regenerate any toolpath that is using said solid. It's another tool in your "toolbox" but can be a powerful one. Ask your reseller to give you a demo. HTH

[Storkman]

quote:

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Menu-solids-create from surfaces. Its works pretty well with ProE iges. Also Step solids from ProE work really well.

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Whenever I convert surfaces into a solid and take edge curves from it, I still get splines instead of lines and arcs.

[NeilJ]

I put a Pro/E IGES file on my USB portable drive and took it to a shop this morning that has the extra cost Mastercam Solids that we don't. The Solids From Surfaces tool worked perfectly. I can see where this would give me another option when STL fails for use with Mastercam Verify.

 

Is there an STL repair tool we could buy to fix the STL so Mastercam Verify would recognize the shape and I could use it for Verify?

 

"Ask for a STEP file from the Pro-E supplier."

 

They are a large company. All they want to provide is Pro/E IGES so that's what we have to use.

 

"You can actually use solid edges and faces to "Chain" for use in milling toolpaths."

 

I frequently use Mastercam's Xform Project tool to copy wire geometry from a different Z level on the part that I want to use for my toolpath. I don't think being able to chain solid edges and faces will eliminate having to use the Xform Project tool. Am I missing something in my understanding of what you said about chaining solids?

[Storkman]

Have you ever tried the silhouette boundary c-hook?

[Thad]

quote:

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I don't think being able to chain solid edges and faces will eliminate having to use the Xform Project tool. Am I missing something in my understanding of what you said about chaining solids?

---

Neil,

 

Between holes/pockets breaking into each other and wanting the tool to start and finish off the part, I don't even bother using solid edges/faces to chain. There is always some geometry to create to get the tool where I want it.

 

Thad

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

Terry,

 

I get the same thing with all our ProE stuff that comes down from Engineering. First two things I do are these;

 

Hit Screen, Combine Views - If there are any arcs to move it will move them

 

Highlight all entities/solid and hit Edit, Join Entities. When it does this, usually for me I get a message asking something about joining the gaps from other entities that exist and I always say NO. From here I never have a problem with half arcs or weird lines (although I still have do a trace for lathe purposes).

 

HTH