NOOB Questions

[BNFab]

Hello. I have a couple of questions that may be silly noob questions but I haven't quite grasped some concepts.. I am still working on understanding the different planes.... I read a thread stating that the WCS is basically how your part is oriented in the machine. Still not totally sure on the tool and construction planes... I am working on a simple part where basically I will have raw stock in a vise and qualify one face and do a simple profile (this is the bottom of my part) and then flip the part to finish machining.

 

Now would it be wise to make a seperate view of the bottom of my part to use for my work offset for the first operation? I kept trying to change a different work offset but it ended up giving me a few options to either make a copy or update everything that uses that view, and it ended up changing them all to that one offset... I think because of my WCS view?

 

The other thing is the 2d 3d. I've been working on online tutorials and the videos just told me when to change to 3d or back to 2d but I am never quite sure why.. And if I should normally be in 2 d or 3d...

 

I feel like I just blabbed a lot but hopefully it makes some sense and you guys can offer me some advice.. Thanks

[K2csq7]

I am working on a simple part where basically I will have raw stock in a vise and qualify one face and do a simple profile (this is the bottom of my part) and then flip the part to finish machining.

 

Will you be physically flipping the part, or do you expect the machine to do it?

 

WCS is the orientation your part sits in the machine.

change the WCS (or move the part with the same WCS...i.e. top view of part on level 1, right side on level 2, bottom level 3.... etc...) if you will be physically moving the part (opening the vise & flipping with your hands)

 

if you want the machine to make the moves, (rotary table) use the same WCS but a new toolplane.

 

Tell us what you're expecting to get for code and we will help you get it.

 

Welcome to the forum.

[Jayson Kramer]

also looking at dynamic WCS may help a little to.

review this link to see how it work some. http://www.mastercam-cadcam.com/videos/DynmicWCS-2.wmv

 

Welcome to the forum.

[crazy^millman]

Jay that link is dead.

[Jayson Kramer]

It does not take you to the Tips page ron?

 

Just tested from the outside of my network and seems to work fine on both links.

[John Morris]

I'm seeing a dead link also.

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Is brokded from here.

[Jayson Kramer]

can you see the video if you go to Tech tips at the bottom of forums?

thanks for looking guys.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

WOrks for me on my Verizon Wireless card.

[Jayson Kramer]

I'm seeing a dead link also.

john try the link again as I made changes

[K2csq7]

john try the link again as I made changes

 

Tells me "You don't have permission to view the topic".

[Thee Awbade™]

This might be wrong, but from noob-to-noob, here's what WCS means to me.

 

a WCS can be thought of in any real-world application. All that it is doing is setting a Zero point, you set a WCS point on Mastercam, and now all of your space is reoriented to that position. in real life, I could set a zero point on the floor, and say this is x0y0z0. my machine is x18y124z5 from that zero point on the floor and I have created a WCS. So no matter where you set it on the machine, what you are doing is creating a Co-ordinate system for your machine to follow. You can set the part anywhere, find the x0y0z0 point and tell that to the machine and bam. That's your WCS. Just make sure your WCS on Mastercam matches the WCS you set up on the machine (oriented at the same point on your part.)

 

Again, I'm kind of a noob, so it would be nice if someone else can verify what I said but from my understanding that's how WCS works.

 

Cheers!

[BNFab]

Only reason I was confused is I was looking through other programs that people made and they never changed the WCS (always showed top) even with 8 different work offsets.... They only had the tool plane and contruction plane set to a different side for different tools... I guess thats where the kicker is because physically the part never moved, just the rotary axes.

 

In my situation I will be using either a vertical or a horizontal (just using the fourth at B0 only) so more or less the same thing except the code... I never though of tool plane as actually being the machine tool LOL. Now it makes sense, then you have a contrusction plane as well.. Where does that fit in?

[MLS]

The construction plane is for drawing geometry on that plane.

[K2csq7]

For the most part, you can treat the construction and tool planes as one in the same.

[Jayson Kramer]

I'm seeing a dead link also.

John please review this link http://www.mastercam-cadcam.com/videos/DynmicWCS-2.wmv

[BNFab]

Could you give an example of why or when you would not want the tool and construction planes being the same ? Im trying to figure out why, not just how! Thanks

[Jayson Kramer]

One thought would be that you have construction plans that are set to make a print, when you are drawing as the Top view you may have all the Dim coming from the upper left hand corner. Now you have a side view and all dim are coming from a lower left hand corner. so you set this to construction planes so the you can draw the part from the print by mostly being able to type the values from the pint when drawing in that CPlan.

 

But the Tool Plane is set to were your part origin is and the paths need to come from there. you want the C and T plane to match with paths so when you pick a dia for say depth that is it correct from the origin value.

 

When using the WCS you are moving the part to a new top relatively from the original origin. so if the new WCS comes from the bottom when you actually set the WCS and not just T an C you are defining this new plane to be set as the new top of part and location.

 

When changing just the T & C when programming this is usually used for example on 4th axis indexing to tell mastercam that there was a change in Plane so it marks the post for a rotation.

 

Hope this helps and makes sense.

[BNFab]

That makes a lot more sense. I will try and check out the link later too if it's working. Thank you

[crazy^millman]

That linked work Jay