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Solids vs. Surfaces

Mic6

By Mic6,
in Industrial Forum

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Jason B. Newbie

Jason B.

Posted
Posted

Ron,

If your going to post in a forum, PLEASE read the entire forum so that you understand the conversation.

 

Let me try to spell this a little clearer for EVERYONE to understand. (long sigh)

 

Like I already said.... I'm not saying no one should buy the Masteram solids package! (Here I am having to repeat myself for you)

 

quote:
If you had solids and it saved you just 10 minutes a week verse not

Like I said already.... (again repeating myself) You NEED a solids package to stay in competition with todays market. I ALREADY HAVE A SOLIDS PACKAGE!!! Therefore buying another solids package is fruitless and money squandering. If you want to do this, then buy all means please do.

 

quote:
We make all of our set-up sheets using solids.

I don't. I use a very simple yet to the point set up sheet that gives a clear and concise package of information to the operator using a .set file that has been customized to my liking. Why in the world you need to use solids or surfaces to make a setup sheet is beyond me but I'm not here to judge you. If it's working for you than stick with it. smile.gif

 

quote:
in our company your way of thinking would be costing us 10 to 30 times the cost of solids by not having that capability.

Again... My way of thinking is HAVE SOLIDS!!! It just doesn't need to be Mastercam's.

 

So you are telling me that because you make such lavish setup sheets you are required to buy a solids packgage? I think it is more the case that since you have the solids package, you are, in fact, using it to make your setup sheets a little more than they might need to be? I'm certain you would still make just as much money if you didn't make such a setup sheet. I've been in this business long enough to know that a setup sheet isn't what makes you your $100 per hour.

 

quote:
not having solids in this day and age is the same thing in my book.

Again Ron.... read the entire post please. I AGREE WITH YOU. banghead.gif

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Ron Branch @ Verisurf Newbie

Ron Branch @ Verisurf

Posted
Posted

Again you are not machining to solids in Mastercam and again I feel this could save you 10 minutes a WEEK so independent of what Solid package you have if you wanted a quick dowel hole added to a part that was a solid in Mastercam I could add it in seconds. Your way I decide I want the dowel hole added to the solid. I then close go back to my solid software. Make the change. I then save it as Solidworks or whatever solid Package you have. I then reopen that changed solid in Mastercam. I then am back to where I was with that new solid. I then create my surface from the solid since I do not machine with solids. Again there are times when I would rather just stay in one file get it done and move on then go through these hoops when it is not needed.

 

quote:
I've been in this business long enough to know that a setup sheet isn't what makes you your $100 per hour.

You are right no set-up sheet can cost you a lot more than that. I can bring my solids of my vice in about 2 minutes. I can put it with my raw stock and have my set-up sheet showing the vice, Material, and title block most time in Mastercam in about 10 minutes. I now have a real looking set-up sheet that shows the operator what the part will look like in the vice, in the chuck, the 4th axis or what ever. Now when they have a question for use we almost never get where, how, and what way do you want me to hold this part. That not having to come in here and ask me questions is worth it weight in gold. When 2nd shift and guys on the weekend can set-up a job and not need to ask me any questions make $1000s/hr by not having lost production with my lavious set-up sheets.

 

 

Set-up sheets was an example as your comments have been your example for not having our use of them is an example of where Solids in Mastercam is important for us. Oh and all my 4th and 5th axis work the solids are moved to the origin. I do not use WCS for those types of parts.

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Jason B. Newbie

Jason B.

Posted
Posted

Fair enough. smile.gif Your example shows that you will benefit from the solids in Mastercam. For my situation, Very rarely do I need to modify something once it is in Mastercam.

 

The money I have saved over the years by not purchasing or maintaining solids for Mastercam has in fact payed for my CAD software package. For my specific situation this is extremely beneficial since I have been a user of Mastercam and my CAD software equally for over 16 years. It is very beneficial to me to continue to use my design software for model creation and manipulation since I have such extensive expierience with it and I am proficient with it. Mastercam has paved the way for me to keep using both. And we all know how much of a CAD software Mastercam isn't. biggrin.gif

 

IC6,

 

I think we all agree that you need some sort of solids package. It just depends on your application as to where your going to benefit the most from it. My company is geared more towards the new product design end of the market, therefore my needs lean more toward the design end of the spectrum. therefor I need more power in my design package and less in my machining package. Hopefully you can take our banter and put it to good use. biggrin.gif

 

 

 

Take care.

 

- Jason

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Ron Branch @ Verisurf Newbie

Ron Branch @ Verisurf

Posted
Posted

quote:
The money I have saved over the years by not purchasing or maintaining solids for Mastercam has in fact payed for my CAD software package.

This one I agree with you on. Waiting for the MMT product has soured us so much we are stuck on X2MR2SP1. X3 was a joke and our maintenance expired so we could not get the mu1 so X3 for us was a joke.

 

We are all trying to make and save money where we can. I have Catia by the way and have used Mastercam solids for so many years it is hard for me to want to go into Catia and do all my designing to then have to convert it to stp to then bring in Mastercam. We are different that is the beauty of this forum. We all do different things and what works for others may not work for others. What is important to me may not mean a hill of bean to others. The cool thing is we call can share our experiences and then everyone can judge for themselves what is and is not important for them.

 

Have a good day Jason. cheers.gifcheers.gif

 

quote:
My company is geared more towards the new product design end of the market, therefore my needs lean more toward the design end of the spectrum. therefor I need more power in my design package and less in my machining package.

See I do not design parts. I design fixtures and tooling so the need for trick surfaces and solids is not a big requirement here.

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Joe788 Newbie

Joe788

Posted
Posted

I have Solidworks, and MC, and I honestly can't think of a single time that I've ever stopped and said, "Man, if I had MC Solids, I'd be able to perform this task faster...."

 

Definitely worth getting for somebody that doesn't have any other solid software, but I've never missed it.

 

And Ron, if you want to make reallly pretty setup sheets (for the fixtures), you'd be doing it in Solidworks! biggrin.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...
Ron Branch @ Verisurf Newbie

Ron Branch @ Verisurf

Posted
Posted

We know where the center of the 4th axis is from home. They move it to that point then re-zero out the control and then move it the 1.310. Most times we use soft jaws and they will mill a slot for ref or they will mill it for a dowel pin. This is rough stock so it is more of a ref. We also have made up a precision ground block that is the height of the 4th axis so they can use that verses having to figure it our everytime as well.

 

HTH

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Thee Rickster ™ Apprentice

Thee Rickster ™

Posted
Posted

We machine dowel hols and press dowels into the

bot of the 4th axis in alignment and .0005 larger

drill bushings in the table.

 

no need to dial and never pick up zero's. All the same size machines have the same location for their

rotary tables. (just touch off cutters and away you

go.)

 

WE do casting production and many different

fixturing. so the rotary's get pulled off

quite often.

 

Rick

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