Old bugs back again. Thanks alot CNC!

[Thee Rickster ™]

but I will say I haven't used surfaces.

 

Then you will never see the bugs that we see and get frustrated with.

 

You don't have to wait 10 minutes for one of 6 paths like it to generated then fail.

 

If you ever get to use the other 80% of the software that actually taxes your p.c.

and the inefficiency of broken applications that cost the rest of us time and money

will you understand.

 

I am crunching a path for 10 minutes now while I type

I have MC open and Firefox. 12 gig s of ram on an I7 p.c.

if that path crashes I am NOT gonna Blame Fire fox or my keyboard!

 

HS scallop is the most commonly used path in any software.

if it crashes its a bug.

 

Try a waterline/rest finish path in X5(then a .003 step over pencil with a limit offsets of 8) on something like this using a 1/16 ball 2-1/2"long,

.005" stepdown and a .0004 total tolerance.....then get back to me. It has a 50% chance of failing.

save reboot and the path usually works. 10-15 minute wait for your path to crunch

and this part doent even have ribs.

.

[Aeroguy]

I think another possibility and I know some folks may take issue with it is using some of the new "techniques" out of laziness. What I mean by that... yes they offer restmill this and that and all of these "cool" toolpaths. Trying to make it look like it saves us time, but in all actuality it really is just saving us the trouble of figuring out best practices for cutting.

 

 

This is probably one of the more moronic things I have heard. By your statement you are basically saying that MC should have just stayed at V9 and never released anything after that. What is CAM software for if not a tool to make everyones lives easier and more productive? Hence earning more money etc etc. But I guess your not bothered by this as you clearly enjoy being stuck in the early 90's, or you are already a millonaire and don't care about making money.

 

 

As far as the HS scallop, I haven't had an issue with it, but I will say I haven't used surfaces. When I get the chance I will try my solid models as surfaces and see how that works.

 

Don't bother. If you don't use surfacing toolpaths regularly then you will never know the pain they inflict

[Bill Henderson]

Rick, on the pencil do you pick all surfaces? Or limit to the ones that are actually around cutter contact?

 

Reason I ask this... I am too impatient to have the processor go through all of the surfaces. I would just pick the ones I need to seeing you have a boundary.

 

Picking just those contact surfaces still causes it to fail?

[Bill Henderson]

This is probably one of the more moronic things I have heard. By your statement you are basically saying that MC should have just stayed at V9 and never released anything after that. What is CAM software for if not a tool to make everyones lives easier and more productive? Hence earning more money etc etc. But I guess your not bothered by this as you clearly enjoy being stuck in the early 90's, or you are already a millonaire and don't care about making money.

 

 

Right. I have cut and programmed 12 ton cavity and cores. With thousands of surfaces. I know process speed are slowed down when trying to filter through of the restmill cr&p. It is far faster for me to throw a quick boundary up and USE my Moronic head and get the results I want quicker.

 

But I guess that's because I have been doing this since 1992 so I am very good in figuring that stuff out.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Bill, yes I only pick the ones that are within my containment boundaries.

 

I just found out I lost 3 hours re cutting an EC on a mold half.

 

Has this ever happen to any body else in X6?

 

I just did an engineering change to a mold half. X6

My refine toolpath on all path were check(create acrs in X,Y,Z) and the slider at 50% before the EC

Now every single toolpath after re-genning them the refine tool path MAGICALLY unchecked itself for no reason

and two of the finish paths stock to leave change to .05 on walls and floors.

 

This is not making my rush fix go very smoothly or my bosses blood pressure stay a safe levels!

 

OH YEAh, i am getting great pleasure point out these horrific failures in MC!!

.

here is a pic of what the paths defaulted to.

.

[Aeroguy]

Right. I have cut and programmed 12 ton cavity and cores. With thousands of surfaces. I know process speed are slowed down when trying to filter through of the restmill cr&p. It is far faster for me to throw a quick boundary up and USE my Moronic head and get the results I want quicker.

 

But I guess that's because I have been doing this since 1992 so I am very good in figuring that stuff out.

 

Colour me unimpressed.

How can you say you have done cavities and cores with thousands of surfaces, when by your own previous admission you stated you don't do surfacing much? I can only assume you are refering to not using the dreadful new HS surfacing paths and not the horribly outdated old style surfacing paths then.

[Bill Henderson]

Colour me unimpressed.

How can you say you have done cavities and cores with thousands of surfaces, when by your own previous admission you stated you don't do surfacing much? I can only assume you are refering to not using the dreadful new HS surfacing paths and not the horribly outdated old style surfacing paths then.

 

I use the surfacing toolpaths on solid models. I used mostly surfaces back in X4 and prior.

 

I seemed to have hit a nerve with you. Your not being impressed with me really hurts.

 

I have been a CAD/CAM supervisor. I know that some guys (typically younger guys) try to take the easy way out. Mostly due to lack of experience.

 

Newer is not always better. It is sometimes faster attacking the toolpaths with your head.

 

I do try and will try everything that is offered in the new releases and determine whether or not I think its worth it to go that route. I typically do not try them on rush jobs or when I am under time constraints.

 

That's all I am saying on the matter.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Bill, you gave me the same impression....that you were riding in the trunk and not getting

the full luxury of the entire sedan....

 

I thought you implied you only use 2-d paths....

 

My mistake

[Aeroguy]

I use the surfacing toolpaths on solid models. I used mostly surfaces back in X4 and prior.

 

I seemed to have hit a nerve with you. Your not being impressed with me really hurts.

 

I have been a CAD/CAM supervisor. I know that some guys (typically younger guys) try to take the easy way out. Mostly due to lack of experience.

 

Newer is not always better. It is sometimes faster attacking the toolpaths with your head.

 

I do try and will try everything that is offered in the new releases and determine whether or not I think its worth it to go that route. I typically do not try them on rush jobs or when I am under time constraints.

 

That's all I am saying on the matter.

 

I will agree that just because it is new doesn't neccessarily translate into better. And it's not just MC that works that way. All the other CAM packages do as well. However, when the other guys make releases, they DO fix any problems from prior versions, as well as actually improving on existing ones, plus any newer style toolpaths that, while not used by everyone, are still useable and stable and not prone to crashes, bugs etc..

 

Oh, and btw, still not feeling it here. Sorry. Your credentials just aren't blowing my socks off.

I'm not gonna list mine, it'll just make you jealous.

 

Of course, you would probably be pleased to know I only have about 18 months worth of MC experience But don't let that fool you.

[Bill Henderson]

Bill, you gave me the same impression....that you were riding in the trunk and not getting

the full luxury of the entire sedan....

 

I thought you implied you only use 2-d paths....

 

My mistake

 

No. Sorry for the confusion.

 

I leave my data in its native form (solid model). On occasion I will create surface from solids to use as check surfaces or if its shut off I don't want to hit but roll over I will take the runoff as surfaces and raise them up a couple grand.

[Bill Henderson]

Oh and btw.. Yes I am a multi millionaire. I just do this for fun.

 

When they do hand me my check... it's like they pay me for this much fun? Cool

[Aeroguy]

Oh and btw.. Yes I am a multi millionaire. I just do this for fun.

 

When they do hand me my check... it's like they pay me for this much fun? Cool

 

[mayday]

So, this really makes it fun. We have a new hire. Never used MC but came from NX. So I'm training him with the basic 3 axis starter jobs. I find I am spending more time explaning to him how not to use this or that cause it's broke and I'm realizing the huge amount of work around info I have stored up over the years. Things that have become 2nd nature and you dont even think about anymore come full front when you start training someone. I already told him to throw out the book. I suppose the software looks great when you dont really have to run a machine with it. I can make it dance just like the demo guys do, but throw it in a machine and WTF

[peon]

So, this really makes it fun. We have a new hire. Never used MC but came from NX. So I'm training him with the basic 3 axis starter jobs. I find I am spending more time explaning to him how not to use this or that cause it's broke and I'm realizing the huge amount of work around info I have stored up over the years.

 

That's when you really realize the problems we have been accustomed to. I'm training an individual for the trode department. He is more frustrated than me cuz he doesn't know all the work arounds yet!

[Dtm]

That's when you really realize the problems we have been accustomed to. I'm training an individual for the trode department. He is more frustrated than me cuz he doesn't know all the work arounds yet!

 

I know how he feels. I'm at 1 year with M.C. so I have learned alot of the workarounds. However, I was ready to quit this job due to my frustrations with this software.

[Aeroguy]

I know how he feels. I'm at 1 year with M.C. so I have learned alot of the workarounds. However, I was ready to quit this job due to my frustrations with this software.

 

I have almost done the same myself. You really get a sense of how poorly it does the job when you are used to a different CAM package that is light years ahead.

[Dtm]

I have almost done the same myself. You really get a sense of how poorly it does the job when you are used to a different CAM package that is light years ahead.

 

Absolutely dude. Half of the people on this forum have no idea.

[Aeroguy]

Ok, back to the regularly scheduled program.

 

I was using the HS Dynamic contour on a particular job. It has never given me any problems so far untill now. It ran as per usual along the selected curve with no problems what so ever. It got to a part where it had to go back to the start point, to clear out a corner.

 

It went right thru the part. A $3k block of aluminum smoked in less than a minute.

 

I sure didn't see that coming. When I looked at the toolpath on the screen it never once violated the contour I had chained. When I verified it, nothing looked out of place. I recalculated the toolpath, re-ran it on the machine, and the problem disappeared.

That was awesome. Truly it was.

I tried to explain to the boss, but he didn't quite seem to care what went wrong, just that he was out 3 grand.

[K2csq7]

No Dry Run?

[Thee Rickster ™]

I dont and cant dry run.

 

Why would you have too?

 

I sent a program that was 17 hrs long last night, who would make someone

watch that program for 17 hours just to run it again 17 hrs later?

[K2csq7]

Ya, I am not a mold master....no lights out here...

 

A 17 hr. program here could be dry ran in under an hr.

Some of our machines while in dry run will "loop" arcs, the operators dry run it, then go back to the "loops" and run them up over the part at a 200% feedrate to ensure no looping.

Guess when your feedrates are in the hundreds of IPM, dry run probably isn't that much quicker

[mayday]

We trust nothing anymore. some of our programs run for 25 hours. We sub program every tool and somtimes each toolpath just so we can dry run. Forgings are inconnel at 13 grand each. Would you trust MC

[K2csq7]

All of our material is customer supplied superalloy, (last material P.O. I saw was $23k, for 1 forging), machining without dry running is simply not an option.

[GoetzInd]

On that kind of stuff I would not run without vericut regardless of software used. However, end mills randomly plowing through parts in unacceptable IMO.

 

Mike

[Bruce Caulley]

I find I am spending more time explaning to him how not to use this or that cause it's broke and I'm realizing the huge amount of work around info I have stored up over the years. Things that have become 2nd nature and you dont even think about anymore come full front when you start training someone. I already told him to throw out the book.

 

dejavu

 

Bruce