Jump to content

Welcome to eMastercam

Register now to participate in the forums, access the download area, buy Mastercam training materials, post processors and more. This message will be removed once you have signed in.

Use your display name or email address to sign in:

Editing Post Processor help - toolplane issue Mastercam X4


Recommended Posts

Hi everyone.

I am using Mastercam X4 (old, I know).
I am trying to add some features into a Generic Fanuc 3X post processor. The features I would like to add are actually from a AXYZ Generic 3X post.
I know very little about editing post processors but I believe the post processor code I am looking for in the AXYZ post resides in "#Position Calculations" section.
Specifically, I think it has to do with pmatrix_su, pshft_map, and pxyzcout. (all located in the specific AXYZ post)

What I am trying to do:
I set Z zero of my stock at the bottom corner (or spoilboard top). All my geometry is laid out on the bottom of the stock. I set the toolpath WCS tool plane to 0.7" above the toolpath geometry. This way, I don't have to physically move the geometry up to the top of stock. 
The issue I then have with my normal Generic Fanuc 3X post processor is that it will obviously read a depth of cut of -0.25" when I put that number in the linking parameters. With the AXYZ post processor, it will automAXYZ GENERIC 3X ROUTER.PST.txtatically output the gcode to actually cut at 0.45", though in the linking parameters, I actually have written a -0.25" depth of cut. (exactly what I want)
The AXYZ post processor basically does all the math for me, and I can still use negative (-) z cut numbers in the linking parameters rather than positive numbers, which makes my life easier.


Question: 
How can I integrate the AXYZ post processor code into the Generic Fanuc 3X post processor that works with my CNC?


attached is the AXYZ post processor (in TXT file)AXYZ GENERIC 3X ROUTER.PST.txtAXYZ GENERIC 3X ROUTER.PST.txt

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
16 hours ago, AlexanderJames said:

I am trying to add some features into a Generic Fanuc 3X post processor. The features I would like to add are actually from a AXYZ Generic 3X post.

I don't think this is a post processer issue. It is how you are setting up your toolpaths. Are you using absolute or incremental on the linking page? Usually people will use a solid model or geometry arranged in the same way it is on the part. Now you can lie to the system and say I don't want to machine the geometry at a different Z level but this can be a slippery slope which is easy to loose track of. Why set the WCS at .7 and then machine Z-.25? Why not just set the WCS at Z.45? Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Also AXYZ implies a 4 axis post....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, nickbe10 said:

I don't think this is a post processer issue. It is how you are setting up your toolpaths. Are you using absolute or incremental on the linking page? Usually people will use a solid model or geometry arranged in the same way it is on the part. Now you can lie to the system and say I don't want to machine the geometry at a different Z level but this can be a slippery slope which is easy to loose track of. Why set the WCS at .7 and then machine Z-.25? Why not just set the WCS at Z.45? Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Also AXYZ implies a 4 axis post....

The reason I am trying to do all this is because I am going from an old CNC to a new one. The old one, I never z zeroed off the spoilboard. I always z zeroed off the top of the stock. So now I have 100 old toolpaths that I would have to change all z depths to a positive amount for cuts. Or, physically move all geometry. This would be very time consuming. 

I just so happened the stumble across the AXYZ post processor doing exactly what I wanted to do by simply putting the WCS toolplane at 0.7" for Z. It would be a fast and easy way to not have to edit all my toolpath cut depths. 

 

And to answer your question, I am using Absolute in linking parameters. 

 

Thanks for responding btw. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
29 minutes ago, AlexanderJames said:

And to answer your question, I am using Absolute in linking parameters. 

Unfortunate. Just as a matter of interest most experienced MC users program in incremental (there are a few places where I use absolute in 3 axis ).

The reason is that if you were programmed incrementally you could achieve what you want simply by selecting the new WCS Z0 and regenerating. It can save hours of work especially say converting a Vertical 4 Axis to a Horizontal 4 Axis machine.

Just be careful, your post is apparently giving you exactly what you want but you are "cheating" the system, which might not work under ALL circumstances so a problem or crash could just come out of the blue .

An example would be that I have just finished updating all my mill Posts to fresh MPMASTER bases to get the Productivity + codes and just generally clean thins up. Everything was fine until I used Force Tool change option and the Coolant stopped outputting correctly, had to re debug and find the problem (it was posting "clean"). Now that wouldn't cause a crash in itself but it just goes to show that unless you have a full understanding of what is happening in this post it always has the potential for problems.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Join us!

eMastercam - your online source for all things Mastercam.

Together, we are the strongest Mastercam community on the web with over 56,000 members, and our online store offers a wide selection of training materials for all applications and skill levels.

Follow us

×
×
  • Create New...