Add/Link Tool to Manual Entry

[djstedman]

I had an idea for an enhancement to Mastercam and figured I would get it out there and see if anyone else agreed..

 

I think it would be great to be able to link a tool to a manual entry, we often have special cases where we need to use a tool that has to be programmed offline.

 

In these cases we use a manual entry to call the existing g-code; its a great function that allows a huge range of flexibility in addition to the great amount of flexibility in Mastercam already.

 

There is a couple of drawbacks however, when using a manual entry, the tool that is called in the manual entry is not listed in the list of tools being used for the job, additionally if you have a machine that stages tools, the tool in the manual entry is not staged since the post doesn't 'know' about it.

 

My suggestion would be having a method that allows you to assign a tool to a manual entry toolpath, then the functionality for listing tools in a file header and for staging tools could work the same as it does for other toolpaths, in the case where there was no tool assigned to a manual entry it could continue to function as it does now.

 

Personally I think this would be an amazing upgrade in the functionality of Manual Entries.. hopefully others agree.  If you like the idea please say so on the official forum.. link below..

 

http://forum.mastercam.com/Topic6154.aspx

 

[Guest]

Just as a need it now, how about creating a point toolpath with your tool, then adding the Manual Entry?

[djstedman]

I have actually done that in the past.. it kind of works.. but its really clunky, plus you have to add points which are really unnecessary to the whole process otherwise. I am pretty sure there was something else about it that I wasn't thrilled with at the time.. need to look and see if I can figure out what it was.

[djstedman]

Ah .. just found the file and tested it.. the other problem was that the point toolpath wanted to go 'home' afterwards.. so I needed to add two point toolpaths.. one before and one after the manual entry.. then hand edit after posting to remove the going home after the first one.. and the toolchange portion of the second one.. it did indeed get my tool into the tool list and staged properly.. but it just traded one set of issues that needed hand edits.. for another that needed hand edits.

 

The idea with this is that it would remove the need for the hand edits altogether.

 

It is totally possible I am missing something and there is a way to do this that works better.. if so I would love to be enlightened.. cause this is something I deal with a lot for probing..

[Guest]

Ah .. just found the file and tested it.. the other problem was that the point toolpath wanted to go 'home' afterwards.. so I needed to add two point toolpaths.. one before and one after the manual entry.. then hand edit after posting to remove the going home after the first one.. and the toolchange portion of the second one.. it did indeed get my tool into the tool list and staged properly.. but it just traded one set of issues that needed hand edits.. for another that needed hand edits.

 

The idea with this is that it would remove the need for the hand edits altogether.

 

Yup....

 

I was just thinking of using it now......

[djstedman]

Yeah .. I get it..  it is a good tip..  I think it was you who had given that tip somewhere else that got me to try it originally..

 

I suggested this more for going forward into the future than for any immediate need.. i'm so used to dealing with this that it never even occurred to bring it up as an enhancement until now.. so if it doesn't get in until Mastercam X255 then it wont kill me.. just thought it would be a cool addition.. lol

[Guest]

To rethink this perhaps.....

 

How about a toolpath, that allows you to pick a tool, setting your settings, approach height, then has a text window.....

 

Upside, canned routines that you have in place can quickly be added in to a program......

 

Downside, there's be no way to verify the code.......

 

 

[djstedman]

Well for me anyhow there is essentially two places where this would be used all the time, one is threadmilling, we use a third party app that generates threadmilling routines. The second thing I would use it all the time for is probing, I realize that Mastercam has an addon for probing however for us that's a non starter with the bosses - they would and have said.. you have been programming them by hand since 1998 .. why exactly do you need a new program to do it now.. its impossible to argue against that whether the ability to have verification would help or not.

 

Anyhow.. yes I think either way would work, currently there is no method for verifying code in manual entries.. so it wouldn't be any different than what we have available now.. I kind of thought it would be easier to just reference a tool from a manual entry but a new type of 'point' path like you mention would do the equivalent job..  I would be good with whatever was easiest for CNC Software to implement so long as it accomplished the main goal.. which is to keep my hands out of the code once I have a proven Mastercam file..  I am the first to admit that the most likely place for a crash is where I hand edited a file.

[Guest]

for probing, is your post set up to call your probing routines?

 

I use custom drill cycles, feed it the G65 info and generate those that way..

 

I ask because before I set up my posts, I used to do it the same way, I had the routines and would copy them into the ME window.....

 

After I setup my posts, I never looked back on that again

[djstedman]

For us a lot of the probing routines are a lot more complicated than simply calling the renishaw macros, we do call the renishaw macro's but we also do a lot of things that are more complex, we do a lot of checking different features and adjusting offsets based on probing results - verifying part loading, picking up rotation of different parts and all combinations thereof.. there are cases where the custom drill cycle approach would work.. and I do need to look into that I suppose.. but in a lot of cases I don't think it would help much.

 

I have meant to do the drill cycle thing in the past but TBH trying to get the time to concentrate on it for long enough to get it done has always been an issue.. also I was wondering.. when you do modify the custom drill cycles can you alter the text on the fields? how do you know what probe cycle your calling.. and also .. how do you know what are all the available variables for that cycle.. ?

[Guest]

 

 

I have meant to do the drill cycle thing in the past but TBH trying to get the time to concentrate on it for long enough to get it done has always been an issue.. also I was wondering.. when you do modify the custom drill cycles can you alter the text on the fields? how do you know what probe cycle your calling.. and also .. how do you know what are all the available variables for that cycle.. ?

 

 

Shoot me an email at jmparis65 at gmail dot com

 

I'll shoot you a sample for you to ponder