Does mastercam auto switch tool numbers based on mach. prefs?

[JeremyV]

I must be insane for suggesting this but... we have a variety of CNC Machines in our shop, so of course we try and streamline the tools so they remain constant when we have to switch programs from one machine to the other.

 

 

One of the issues I want to try and eliminate is:

 

-Is there a way for mastercam to auto switch tools based on how the tool library is setup for a certain machine?   

 

We also have a HAAS that uses dwell cycles with P.1 which equals to P100. on most other machines.  Catching that is annoying at best, so is there a way for that dwell time to auto change based on the HAAS settings?  Or is that all manual labor?

 

 

-JD

[Colin Gilchrist]

Your post can be setup to do just about anything your heart desires. (Well, it won't help you find love, but it will format your NC code in just about any conceivable configuration.)

 

The exact purpose of the Post Processor is to be able to have a single Mastercam file, and have that code be output with the proper format for the exact machine your are running. If you should need to switch to a different machine, then you simply change the Machine Definition in Mastercam, which swaps out the post for the correct one for your machine.

 

That said, the post processor does rely on some data coming in from the Mastercam system to format the code properly. One of these things is the Tool data. If all you want to change is the relationship between Tool # and Offset #, then you can handle that at the post level. There is no "out of the box" solution to be able to program with Tool #10, and have the Post "know" that T10 is really T18 on this machine. I have seen people do some customization where a tool is searched against a "master tool list", but I think there are better ways to handle that "up front", that are less work for everyone involved.

 

Bob W. did a thread recently where he gave his method for using a "Master Tool List", and the management of tools starts before you even start programming in Mastercam. You really have to commit to having everyone use the same methodology in your shop, or it just becomes a headache to manage.

 

I know several people that will post all programs using the default Tool Numbering scheme in Mastercam (T1, T2, T3), but they also use the MFG Catalog # in every tool description. That is output as a comment in their NC code, and they have a Visual Basic program that they run on all programs before it hits the shop floor. The program replaces the T/H numbers with the tools currently setup on the machine, and assigns any "unused" tool (a tool not currently on the machine), as "empty" pot numbers. That way the operator has a minimum of tools to swap out.

[bigprody]

Hey Colin, who are these other people running the VB stuff? I thought that I was alone on this. I would not mind sharing notes.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Hi Kevin,

 

I'll ask if they mind me sharing that info. If you like, you can PM me your contact info and I'll pass it along. Both of the shops I know using this method are large Aerospace companies in WA state. One uses it for managing their Cell System, the other for their entire shop...

 

Thanks,

 

Colin