Locking operation settings?

[neurosis]

This is a dumb question I am sure and I may already know the answer but I have to ask anyway. I know that there are several different tool settings that effect your operations. The problem is, even with the same tool or the same operation in different situations. I make some modifications to feed rates and some times side steps or depths to adjust for a particular situation. Well if I have to for some reason either move a ucs due to material size or change a tool for one reason or another and re-run these operations, it changes everything to whatever I have set in the tool settings. I then have to go back and try to remember which operations I adjusted and fix them one by one or bad things end up happening. A good example is I have a tool that is interpolating two different diameter holes. One is 2" dia, one is .55 dia. im using a .5 endmill. (this is a fabricated situation by the way, just an example. ) I have the large hole interpolating at 70ipm but I cant interpolate the small one at that feed so I change it by hand to say 12 ipm. If i have to re -run this operation for any reason it will change the feed rate, side steps, depth of cuts, etc to whatever is set in my tool or operation or whatever I have selected in my tool settings page. Is there a way to stop this from happening? Its annoying to set everything and fine tune and have a material change and have to just about go through and fix every feed rate, side step, and cut depth.

[Philcott]

Neur..

 

This is from the help dialog box,

 

quote:

---

Make all other changes to the toolpath (such as tool or parameter changes) before using the Toolpath Editor. The Toolpath Editor locks the toolpath after you edit it. Locked toolpaths are not updated by Mastercam. To further modify the toolpath, you must unlock it. If the toolpath is regenerated after editing, any custom modifications will be overwritten.

 

---

If you regenerate the tool path any changes will be overwritten back to the original settings. It would be a lot better to be able to lock in these changes permanently. I think you'll need to figure out a work around for this.

 

Phil

[MLS]

I set my tool library for a default speed and feed and set the default on stepovers and down to zero. Any stepover, depth of cut, and speed/feed modification is then made in the toolpath parameter as opposed to the tool settings.

 

Tool settings are across the board. Toolpath parameters are individually maintained.

 

HTH

[calnet42]

If I need two different feeds and/or speeds for one tool, I will create two tools, both with the same offset numbers but with two different speed/feed settings.

 

Also,in machine group properties page, under tool settings and feed calculation, I use "from tool" so the seetings are controlled from the tool parameters.

 

I wish there was a way to "lock" the speed and feed in each operation separately but, there isn't.

 

HTH,

Calvin

[neurosis]

quote:

---

I set my tool library for a default speed and feed and set the default on stepovers and down to zero. Any stepover, depth of cut, and speed/feed modification is then made in the toolpath parameter as opposed to the tool settings.

 

Tool settings are across the board. Toolpath parameters are individually maintained.

---

I wonder if this same idea would apply using material library for default speed/feeds since setting the material library uses a combination of the tool and material. I went through and changed all of my milling tools in the tool libraries to 0 for side steps and depths with the exception of the drills. Thanks for that information. I'll see if this works for me.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Dave,

 

If you use the "user-defined" option in the Machine Group Properties - Tool Settings tab, it will keep your speeds and feeds set to your customized parameters, even when switching to a new tool.

 

Example, I create two contour toolpaths with T1, the first at 87 IPM, the second at 43 IPM.

 

Now I go back into the parameters and select T8 from my list. The parameters stay the same (even though T8's default feed is 20 IPM.

 

HTH,

[neurosis]

Colin,

 

Does this only work if you start the file using "user defined" for the tool setting. I opened an existing file, changed the tool settings to user defined, clicked on the tool in an operation, and it changed the rpm and feed rate to what was defined in the tool settings page. The strange thing is, if I hit the x on the operation to close without saving, re-open the operation, click on the tool again, it doesnt change the rpm and feed rates the second time. Very strange. Im going to try creating a couple of part files using "user defined" in the tool settings, and see what happens from there.

[crazy^millman]

I never use Material. If you change a tool from say 1" to 1/2" would you want that tool using the same speed, feed and depth of cut?? If you are changing tool numbers then it should not be a problem. I can really say I see what you are seeing and change things all the time. It might be because I do not use masterail. I never really liked the way Mastercam handled this from the time I started using the software. May have got better, but it is all over the place for my liking. 6.435294 feed rate what it that. I want 5,10,15,20 imp standard not some weird thing it thinks is best.