Default operations

[bhyde]

I am not sure that this is a bug, but I cannot find another solution. I have setup defaults for

operations in ncutilsdef ops. What I have changed was the defaults for absolute or incremental. I do not want Mcam to default to incremental at all. I have one operation that this is either hit or miss. Contour (defaulting back to incremental instead of absolute) has screwed me and several other co-workers more times than I care to list. I have version 9 with all the latest updates. Is there something I am missing?

[Rekd™]

Open Mastercam, go to

Screen

Configure

Start/Exit

 

At the top of this window, there's a box that says Startup configuration file. Click that and select MILL9.CFG(English)

 

Now, just to make sure, while in Screen/Configure, go to NC Settings, and down to the left you'll see a button that says Operation Defaults... Open it and apply everything you want to be a default for each operation type you're going to use. A lot of areas here can be set to incremental. Set them to your liking. This will control how Mastercam starts.

 

Exit Mastercam and restart, you should be in English Units.

 

If you're still having problems, ensure you are using an ABSOLUTE post, not an INCREMENTAL one.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Rekd

 

[ 12-04-2002, 10:53 AM: Message edited by: Rekd ]

[Trevor Bailey]

Since you have V9, just go to screen-configure. Locate at the bottom left the drop down box Rekd mentioned and select the metric config file. Once you close all aplied windows, your file will be updated to metric on the fly. You can obviously go back to standard the same way without having to leave MC.

[bhyde]

Rekd,

 

I have tried this to no avail... This bug is really costing alot of time and $$ for our R&D.

Unfortunately, time and $$ are the same when it comes to any business trying to get products to market. Any other ideas???

[Rekd™]

I added some stuff to my post, re-read it..

[bhyde]

I really should say that this has nothing to do with being in inch mode or metric. This problem has more to do with endmills,drills and whatever tool not exiting totally out of the operation to a clearance plane before re-positioning. The radio buttons that specify clearance, retract, top of stock and depth are defaulting to incremental instead of the default I set up of absolute.

[bhyde]

Rekd,

 

I am not really sure how I would tell the difference between an absolute post and an incremental post. We are using a slightly modified

version of the MPFADAL post....

[Rekd™]

by going to Operation Defaults in Screen/Configure, and opening, say Drilling operations, you set these values to Inc or Abs. Then when you create a new file with new operations, it will be where you want it. For instance, I set the following defaults in screen/configure, not NC UTILS...

 

Clearence ABS

Retract ABS

Feed Plane INC

Top of Stock ABS

Depth ABS

 

Now when I start a new operation, that's what starts...

[bhyde]

Rekd,

 

That is what I originally did, but for some reason, and it isnt consistant, contour changes back to incremental!

[Rekd™]

You did it in Screen/Configure? or did you do it in NC Utils?

 

Do it in Screen/Configure to make it stay.

 

-Rekd

[Jim Whipple]

A bad day Mastercamming is better than a good day Gibbing...

 

haw!!!

Jim

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

ROLF!!!!!!

 

Gibbing..... LOL!!!!!

[Trevor Bailey]

Something sounds fishy here. Is it your final depth that is constantly changing back and forth? If that is the case, then your problem is your geometry. That inturn means that all you geometry you are trying to contour is not "squashed" to the same plane. MC will always go to incremental mode when your geometry is like that.

[bhyde]

Rekd,

 

I have tried both screen configure and ncutils. Neither seems to work on just the one operation "Contour"..All others seem to retain the absolute value.

 

Trevor,

The only one that seems to change is the retract. If it were the depths, I would blame myself for that one or the other toolmakers that work here.

 

BTW... Thanks for all the help! I really do appreciate it!

[Rekd™]

bhyde,

 

The only thing I can think of at this point is that it might have something to do with permissions, but I doubt that's the case.

 

Sorry.

 

p.s.

Gibbing is also referred to in First Person Shooter games. When you GIB some one, it means you blew them apart, and the GIBBS are the chunks of flesh/bone etc. Very Appropriate IMO.

[bhyde]

Rekd,

 

I have found a solution to the problem. By default, I had retract on with absolute. Since this was the only one of the picks I had a problem with, I just turned it off by default. Now, If only I could get coolant to shut off on that particular operation by default! ( Contour, and yes, I have set the default, but it still likes to come on) I can live with the coolant issue because it doesnt seem to put extra features in the part that I dont want or need!

 

Thanks Rekd and Trevor for all of your suggestions!