Mill Guy Thrown to Lathe Wolves

[Rotary Ninja]

So I am in the middle of re-learning MasterCam for mills. Now I have a lathe program I need to get done ASAP. I have never programmed a lathe in MasterCam. Can I get all the lathe gurus here to send me their phone numbers, addresses, and next of kin?

 

I managed to somehow get a rough toolpath to cut the area I want it to cut finally. Now I am trying to figure out a simple facing toolpath and I cannot get it to cut where I want it to. If I choose "Select Points" and select my stock boundary it doesn't cut down to my finish Z which is at zero. If I select "Use Stock" and set my finish Z to zero it tells me "The toolpath starts with the tool embedded in the stock. Modify the toolpath so it starts outside of the stock boundary." I don't see anywhere in the very limited options of this toolpath to do that. Please help.

 

Thanks.

 

P.S. Lots more questions coming!

[Rotary Ninja]

Or should I just use a rough toolpath to do the face?

[Pilot Plant Supervisor]

It likes the facing operation first. If you start with the facing operation, it will use the stock automatically and you don't have to pick boundaries. You can enter a step over for multiple passes if needed, and if you want a separate finish tool, just enter stock to leave and make a new finish operation just chaining the face.

[THEMILLGUY]

you should also try putting a a lead in

[MSL]

_{Make sure you have stock in your Z.}

[#Rekd™]

Can you share your file?

[The Cathedral]

Make sure you use a lead in/ lead out. Make sure you have a number in the "entry amount" field. If this is set to 0, and you don't have a lead in, the toolpath will try to start at right at the edge of the stock. If you're using a multi-spindle or multi-turret, make sure you have the right axis combination, and the tool is set up for the correct spindle.

[jeff]

Trying to figure out Mastercam lathe is like trying to learn quantum physics.

It's not very user friendly, I still have a hard time with it but then again I only use it like 3 times a year. 

[Rotary Ninja]

Ok, here is the file. The red square is of course my stock. The light blue is the finished part. And the green is where I need to cut it to. I have figured all of this out just playing with the settings. So anywhere that I could improve PLEASE point me in the right direction. But at the preset time I cannot get the facing toolpath to cut the face the way I want it to. I have tried every setting and nothing seems to work. So please tell me what I am doing wrong.

 

Thanks guys.

 

 

Lathe.mcx-8

[Rotary Ninja]

Also, I hate to be such a noob, but how do I create a WCS to flip this part over to repeat this struggle on the back side? I basically messed around and got the D+/Z+ datum on the screen and pasted my geometry there and got this to work. I have tried to flip everything around using WCS and am at a loss.

 

Thanks again!

[Guyinthedesert]

Ok, here is the file. The red square is of course my stock. The light blue is the finished part. And the green is where I need to cut it to. I have figured all of this out just playing with the settings. So anywhere that I could improve PLEASE point me in the right direction. But at the preset time I cannot get the facing toolpath to cut the face the way I want it to. I have tried every setting and nothing seems to work. So please tell me what I am doing wrong.

 

Thanks guys.

I feel your pain. I was in the same boat a couple months ago. My only CNC lathe experience was hearing one run on the other side of the shop. Once I figured a few things out, I found MC lathe to be extremely easy. Can you post a screen shot? MY boss S%$^ canned maintenance so we don't have x8

[DODGERFAN]

Take a look at what I did with the facing.

 

 

I don't like using the face path, instead I use roughing and change the direction of the "rough direction/angle.

[Rotary Ninja]

Take a look at what I did with the facing.

 

 

I don't like using the face path, instead I use roughing and change the direction of the "rough direction/angle.

 

That is what I asked in my second question, if I should just use a rough toolpath. I am more trying to figure this out now just because it is pi$$ing me off. But I will take your advice and just use the roughing toolpath

 

Guyinthedesert, here ya go

 

If I turn on roughing it cuts back and forth for some reason. But no matter what I try I cannot get it to cut to the face which is the longer green line.

[Rotary Ninja]

Ok wait Dodgerfan... TM haha.

 

The area where Stock Recognition is in my properties dialog is grayed out. That is my problem. What do I not have set correctly that allows that option to be used?

 

(I am just going to alter my signature to say)...

Thanks

 

 

 

NEVERMIND... I got it

[Newbeeee™]

Kev - for your second side that's gunna want to ring like a church bell???

How are you thinking of holding it? What's the mtl and finished wall section you've got?

[Rotary Ninja]

Kev - for your second side that's gunna want to ring like a church bell???

How are you thinking of holding it? What's the mtl and finished wall section you've got?

 

It's 718 Inco. It's being held with stock hard jaws. 3 of them clamping from the ID which is already roughed in. Using ceramic inserts. When flipped and finished it's going to be held exactly the same way. You have your hand on a can of worms and are peeling the lid open. Do not go there!

[bd41612]

I have X8 sitting on a desk here, don't have it installed...IT dept.  This is from X6, but can't be that much different I suppose.

It looks like you have 2 green lines horizontally extending beyond your face.  The facing operation will remove stock that is beyond your part geometry.

 

Also, I hate to be such a noob, but how do I create a WCS to flip this part over to repeat this struggle on the back side? I basically messed around and got the D+/Z+ datum on the screen and pasted my geometry there and got this to work. I have tried to flip everything around using WCS and am at a loss.

 

Thanks again!

 

Use Lathe Stock Flip.  Toolpaths\Misc Ops\Stock Flip...  Works like a dream.  I check "Transfer geometry, Blank original geometry", offset level by xxx.  Select the part geometry to flip it.  Stock position, under original position, select and click on the rear of the part.  Done.  I wish I could include some images, but paste is not working and even Ctrl-V is not working...IT setting?  Move the little red insertion arrow in your ops manager to flip it back and forth.

[Rotary Ninja]

I will give that a try. Thanks!

[Newbeeee™]

It's 718 Inco. It's being held with stock hard jaws. 3 of them clamping from the ID which is already roughed in. Using ceramic inserts. When flipped and finished it's going to be held exactly the same way. You have your hand on a can of worms and are peeling the lid open. Do not go there!

Sorry bud but I'd say trying to get a facing toolpath to work is the least of your worries...

[Rotary Ninja]

Lol. Aren't you from the UK? Or am I thinking of someone else?

[Rotary Ninja]

Ok, I am posting out the program but all of my values for X are negative numbers. What gives?

[Newbeeee™]

Lol. Aren't you from the UK? Or am I thinking of someone else?

Yes that's me.

Luckily I quote the work as well as do it so I can avoid jobs like this

[Rocketmachinist]

Ok your post is written for a Haas Tl. That lathe they wanted everything to look like the way the operator looks at the part not upside down. So everything that you would think is X+ is actually X-. It is really stupid and I usually use the post for the haas sl and it works for both and don't have to program one one way and the other a different way. It also makes it so I can use the tools in the library without swapping them all around.

[Rotary Ninja]

That worked. Man you guys are good!

[bd41612]

FYI, look for this:

 

# Machine Specific Settings

dia_mult     : 2     #Multiplier for output on X axis (Neg. switches sign of X)