Machine Simulation Tool Info

[jgary]

I am setting up my machine in the ModuleWorks simulator. I am getting pretty close, but I am hoping someone can shed some light on the way the tool info gets passed through the .pst file. I am not getting any tool to show up now, and it gives me some kind of error if I try to simulate a 45 degree chamfer tool. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Allan Brown]

The tool info was written out directly by the post in early versions of the posts that shipped with the machsim install. The chamfer tool was not covered. No everything is, including custom tools, thanks to machsim itself internally, which writes out tool definitions for each tool that can be merged into the .sim by the post.

 

So the quick answer is, the post handles it, and the post you are using doesn't have that tool type covered off. Newer ones may.

[jgary]

I got the entire "Mpmaster X2 with Machine Simulation output support - Inch " from this thread -

 

http://www.eMastercam.com/ubb/ultimatebb.p...ic;f=1;t=024082

 

It was using the tools from my file when I was using the preloaded machine, but now I have created stl's and set-up my machine, but I am just using the same mpmaster 4 axis horizontal post with simulation support. Does anyone know of a newer version of this post? Or I could have it set-up incorrectly still. I will continue to investigate.

 

Thanks

[Allan Brown]

I'll try to update the files with the latest this aft.

[jgary]

That would be great.

 

Thanks

[Bob W.]

Is this for 4 or 5 axis simulation? I set mine up with the trunnion etc... and it worked well but it didn't match what my machine was doing. In my opinion too much goes on in the NC post processor to do meaningful simulation with the moduleworks simulator (for 5 axis anyway).

[jgary]

I am just doing 4 axis. I basically am using this to make it easier to see when I have tool length issues, and to make sure I don't hit any fixturing or my laser. I can't get it to show any of my tools now, but when I run a sim, it is using the length of the MCAM tool to compensate where the 'Z' is. That is another thing that is weird. I doesn't show the 'Z' values that would be in an NC file, it adds the tool length to it and shows that value. (basically where the spindle face would be, not the end of the tool???)

 

I am in the process now, of checking the .xml files to one another and trying to figure out what I did wrong.

 

This is kind of tedious work...

 

If I can get it done it would make alot of things better though...

[Bob W.]

I remember the process taking a few days to completely iron out. One thing I had to do is assembly the tool to the Z axis when constructing the simulation model of the machine. I am not in front of Mastercam now so I can't tell you exactly what to do. I opened up some of the reference files so see how they were done and I had to do it for both the tool and the raw stock I believe.

[jgary]

Yeah, I have been playing with the matrices that tell the spindle what the orientation is and all that stuff, I am also looking into the post processor side, too.

 

Still plugging away,

 

Thanks

[Allan Brown]

Please give the update a whirl.

ftp://mastercam:[email protected]/Ma...ter_machsim.z2g

[jgary]

I finally got a tool back on the screen, now the end of the tool is @ the spindle face and the rest of it is up in the spindle, so I am kinda making progress, but it is hard to keep plugging when progress comes so slowly..

 

Thanks for the update! This should support the chamfer tool, correct? I think the other problems are just my own setup issues. I'll try it out first thing Monday, as I am done for the day.

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

[jgary]

Good Morning All,

 

I used the updated post this morning to try a simulation, and I still got this error:

 

"Couldn't construct a mwTypedRevolvedTool object"

 

when I tried a chamfer tool in a Contour (2D chamfer)

 

machsim apparently doesn't like the chamfer tool very well.

 

The other thing I am perplexed with, is that my tool is not on center of the spindle. I finally got it to point the proper direction, but now it is offset in the negative 'Y' direction from the center of the spindle. Very Strange....

 

Thanks for reading,

[jgary]

Okay, I figured out the chamfer tool, it just doesn't like a 'zero' tip diameter, so I had to lie to it and tell it that it has a flat on the tip, the it worked fine, except it was pointing the wrong way.... still working on that

 

too much fun

[Allan Brown]

Feel free to email me your files. dave dot thomson at inhousesolutions dot com

[jgary]

Thanks, I will send all of the files in my machine folder in the machsim directory and an MCX file to use. I am thinking of re-orienting the machine to match the mpmaster version also. (180 degrees)

 

Thanks for your time and effort,

 

Mail...

[Allan Brown]

In a nutshell, orienting the machine to have the tool from the front toolplane at B0 will solve all. You can mess with spindle transform matrices in the xml, which I've done for you, but we still have B180 for the first op, so you part gets spun out of position rather than into position.

[Elvincnc]

How can I download Mpmaster X2 with Machine Simulation  ?