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HELP!!


KKlausman
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Quite frankly i am not the best programmer. Looking for some pointers or possibly even someone to help me get this part completed. It will be machined on a UMC 750 and I have full 5 axis programming capabilities within Mastercam 2020. I am having some major learning curves with the internal features and having a hard time figuring out how to attack this. I have some toolpaths that have gotten me to a decent point but i need to rough and finish the rest. Anything would help and would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks.

14020AA-2.mcam

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I would do a simplified 3d block sketch of the vise/base to use as guide when you work on your created planes. I had a look at the file and am not sure about your paths on the front and back planes. With the simple vise giving a bit of clarity of the table orientation you can get a clear idea of the plane definition required. Spend a 1/2 hr out the machine to get a better understanding of the table orientations you have to deal with. This is what seems to work for me in getting thing straight in my head.

 

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3 hours ago, KKlausman said:

Im really just trying to find out what possible toolpaths you or maybe others would use to rough this out and finish it

now that I got 2020 loaded, id say use dynamic optirough after your #8 stock model. It'll take into account remaining stock if you point to it. you already have a plane established. After that just 2.5 and 3x paths on your plane.

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You did a pretty good job getting to the point you have gotten. Thank you for sharing a file with sweat equity in it. I would use the same process you used on OP7 in the Index Plane to finish roughing out the ID area. Make a Boundary to allow for your tool to start in the empty space. I normally will make it 2X to 3X larger than my tool. One other thing name your operations as your making them. Hard to follow what your doing without clicking each operation to see it. I did an 1800 part and every single operation was labeled. Looks like PHD designed this part with the .125R in one place and then 0.134375 in others. I would still use a 3/8 x .125R to swaff the walls after you get the meat out. You have a .0625R in the top 2 pads and can 3+2 then using your plane or you can 5 Axis them using Swarf. You have about 1/2 hour to one hour of programming left and it is done ready to flip. I would make a set of jaws to ID grab the part then finish the outside with a flat ground bottom endmill. Not a flat endmill, but a Flat Ground Endmill. Most endill have a slight taper in the cneter and will not flat cut correctly and leave scallops on your surface. A good flat ground bottom endmill will make that thing look like new money. You can use 5 axis Parrella with surface and call it a day on the side walls and round outside. Then come back with a nice 1/2 ball endmill to clean up the radius. Could get a Radius mill the 0.2343R, but then have to worry about blending it. 

Define your holders. Not defining holders is sloppy in my opinion. You also have some crashes your not seeing by not defining you holders. Define your work holding plenty of free models out there from just about anyone. 

Put some of this to effort and come back trying to do more and we will help you along more. Here is a Video of the

5Axis Finish Video

Edited by 5th Axis CGI
Reduce my attached files so I can help others
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20 hours ago, THEE THAINZ™ said:

There are great videos online thru YouTube, if your work will pay for training there are good online courses you can take. The cost is reasonable  they won't and you have a credit card.  There are also Great forums on Facebook if you do a search for them.

 https://caminstructor.com/

https://streamingteacher.com/

Have you used the streaming teacher site?  I have a CamInstructor membership.  I like it better than emc, but it's a bit too repetitive.  Perhaps I need to skip ahead to stay interested, but I feel like I might miss something if i do, haha.

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20 hours ago, 5th Axis CGI said:

Define your holders. Not defining holders is sloppy in my opinion. You also have some crashes your not seeing by not defining you holders. Define your work holding plenty of free models out there from just about anyone. 

I hear you, it's nice to hear others think the same. I started at this company almost 4 months ago and they had nothing defined... at all. Every single tool used was custom created. Holders almost never defined except for rare occurrences on 5ax machines.. drawn with calipers and a scale. No feeds or speeds. Machines all have completely different tools in different pods for whatever job they're running. They don't realize how much time and money they're losing when it takes an operator an entire day to get a job ready to run that I could have done in a half hour 6 months into running and programming a machine. Seems like holders are all ordered by what is cheapest at the given day it's purchased. No clamps, vises, no fixture database. I've been trying to set all of this up while learning this software and program jobs but it's definitely been an uphill battle. But my biggest complaint thus far is Mastercam itself. I could program complete jobs before in 1/10 or 1/20 the time. Entire class A die upper or lower in a couple of hours, all OPs with all components. In this.. probably take me 2 weeks and I would still have lower quality programs. 

After 4 months I've been able to get a spreadsheet from purchasing with the long list of our "standard" tooling. Almost completely uncoated Accupro. But I go along with it and create a database but I'm the only one really using it. I haven't yet gotten around to getting holders. And it's still not nearly how I am used to or how I feel it should be. Jesus, drilling here I've gotta manually create a pile of operations every time and manually define depths, tools, using these state of the art jobber steel drills. Before I could just basically highlight the model and in 10-30 seconds have a hundred holes completely programmed. 

I've also been able to(thanks to you guys) successfully design setup sheets, and tool lists. Partially successful in setting up FBM and FBD, but not really good enough to utilize. Play around with machine definitions, machine controls. Unsuccessful in trying to setup virtual machining(beyond mastercam base machines). Successfully implemented viewsheets and utilizing planes and simulation better than each op separately on different levels(or files) with different geometry. 

Sorry for the rant.. just wish there were more like minded folk out there..work smarter not harder.

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4 hours ago, jwvt88 said:

I hear you, it's nice to hear others think the same. I started at this company almost 4 months ago and they had nothing defined... at all. Every single tool used was custom created. Holders almost never defined except for rare occurrences on 5ax machines.. drawn with calipers and a scale. No feeds or speeds. Machines all have completely different tools in different pods for whatever job they're running. They don't realize how much time and money they're losing when it takes an operator an entire day to get a job ready to run that I could have done in a half hour 6 months into running and programming a machine. Seems like holders are all ordered by what is cheapest at the given day it's purchased. No clamps, vises, no fixture database. I've been trying to set all of this up while learning this software and program jobs but it's definitely been an uphill battle. But my biggest complaint thus far is Mastercam itself. I could program complete jobs before in 1/10 or 1/20 the time. Entire class A die upper or lower in a couple of hours, all OPs with all components. In this.. probably take me 2 weeks and I would still have lower quality programs. 

After 4 months I've been able to get a spreadsheet from purchasing with the long list of our "standard" tooling. Almost completely uncoated Accupro. But I go along with it and create a database but I'm the only one really using it. I haven't yet gotten around to getting holders. And it's still not nearly how I am used to or how I feel it should be. Jesus, drilling here I've gotta manually create a pile of operations every time and manually define depths, tools, using these state of the art jobber steel drills. Before I could just basically highlight the model and in 10-30 seconds have a hundred holes completely programmed. 

I've also been able to(thanks to you guys) successfully design setup sheets, and tool lists. Partially successful in setting up FBM and FBD, but not really good enough to utilize. Play around with machine definitions, machine controls. Unsuccessful in trying to setup virtual machining(beyond mastercam base machines). Successfully implemented viewsheets and utilizing planes and simulation better than each op separately on different levels(or files) with different geometry. 

Sorry for the rant.. just wish there were more like minded folk out there..work smarter not harder.

There are a lot of like-minded folks out here. You've found the place where most of us like to hang out.

I've been where you are at, and my advice is just to keep doing what you are doing. Make improvements where you can. Learn as much as you can. Help as much as you can. But always be looking to your own career and knowing when it is time to move on. I heard this phrase uttered once by a guy I really respect, and it stuck with me over the years: "To move up, you've got to move on". While I do know of some companies that provide all their employees a path for growth, many will not understand that as you gain additional skills, you become more valuable as an employee. It is incumbent on you to keep track of your accomplishments and communicate that information back to your management when it comes time for a review. Just keep in mind that in 5 years, you might "double in ability and knowledge", but it would be very rare for a company to bump up your pay by 100% over that same time. That is why it is important to know what your knowledge and skills are worth on the open market. Being able to successfully program a UMC-750 with both 3+2 and "Live Five" toolpaths is a huge step forward in abilities, just in comparison to an operator who can only run a 3-Axis Haas machines. Not to knock the 3X Programmer in any way, but a 5X Programmer (and 4X Programmers, especially for Horizontals and Cell Systems) is worth their weight in Gold; but only after they have really 'cut their teeth' on figuring out how to properly use the paths in Mastercam to bend that machine to their will.

You would be best served by getting a good "3rd Party Post Processor" for that machine. There is even an "OEM Post" that is available directly from CNC Software, but you really have to push most Resellers into agreeing to sell you the 'CNC Software, OEM, Haas UMC-750 Post'.

All of the good "3rd Party Posts" for the UMC-750 support Machine Simulation: that is, there is a specific "simulation model" that has been built to work with the ModuleWorks Machine Simulation inside Mastercam, and the Post Processor has been modified to support MW Machine Simulation OutputWhen you invest in a "linked Post Processor", you really get the best of both worlds. You get accurate Machine Simulation that runs directly in the Mastercam Interface (Machine Sim), and this output is closely coupled with the NC Code that is being run. In other words, the NC Code and the Simulation you see are both output by the same Post. So anything like an "unwind" move, will accurately show up. The "OEM Haas UMC-750 Post" from CNC Software, is "Machine Sim Linked".

Keep in mind that the maximum revolution of your C-Axis Table is about 26,000 Degrees. I haven't tested to find the actual limit yet, but that was reported by a customer with a UMC-1000. So there is a "maximum number of revolutions of the C-Axis", even though they label it as "unlimited". That means you've got about 70-72 "revolutions" before you have to "unwind" the table. You're individual results may vary, so I'd encourage you to write a program to test the machine, so you can find your particular machine limits.

 

Those last links should contain about 95% of the knowledge that I've gleaned about this machine. I recommend reading every single PDF file, front-to-back. This should help introduce you to Macro B Programming (The beating heart of your machine). It is the language that allows you to interact with the Probe and with the Machine.

For 5-Axis Programming Help, order the following book:

"Secrets of 5-Axis Programming", by Karlo Apro.

I recommend purchasing the book anywhere except Amazon. Don't give Jeff Bezos any more money. Support a local book seller. Take the 30 minutes to walk into a bookstore in your local city, and see if you can get them to order it. Local College or University Bookstores are especially good at this. Check in your local Library. You might have free access to this information. The only way I'd support an Amazon order is if you live in a location where access is difficult. I think anyone in the middle of farm or ranch country should have it dropped off in the mail. Everyone else, please don't live attached to your phone screen. Try interacting with an actual live human being. Not doing this is causing so many of the problems we face in the world today.

I also highly recommend the following (non-Amazon bought) books:

http://mooretool.com/publications.html

Moore than any other book (Pun Intended), "Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy" fundamentally changed my knowledge and view of manufacturing, for the better. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. It would be a bargain at 10 times the price. It is a steal at the amount they charge for it. The pictures alone are almost priceless in the value they impart to a curious mind.

"CNC Programming using Fanuc Custom Macro B", by S. K. Sinha - an excellent resource on learning Fanuc Macro B Language.

"Fanuc CNC Custom Macros (Programming resources for Fanuc Custom Macro B users)", by Peter Smid.

Both of those books are great resources. Full disclosure: I have the Sinha book on Kindle. I just try to balance the amount that I use Amazon with other services so I don't become dependent on them. They are basically the precursor to Sky Net or the Borg. Take your pick.

 

 

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On 10/24/2019 at 11:12 AM, jwvt88 said:

I hear you, it's nice to hear others think the same. I started at this company almost 4 months ago and they had nothing defined... at all. Every single tool used was custom created. Holders almost never defined except for rare occurrences on 5ax machines.. drawn with calipers and a scale. No feeds or speeds. Machines all have completely different tools in different pods for whatever job they're running. They don't realize how much time and money they're losing when it takes an operator an entire day to get a job ready to run that I could have done in a half hour 6 months into running and programming a machine. Seems like holders are all ordered by what is cheapest at the given day it's purchased. No clamps, vises, no fixture database. I've been trying to set all of this up while learning this software and program jobs but it's definitely been an uphill battle. But my biggest complaint thus far is Mastercam itself. I could program complete jobs before in 1/10 or 1/20 the time. Entire class A die upper or lower in a couple of hours, all OPs with all components. In this.. probably take me 2 weeks and I would still have lower quality programs. 

After 4 months I've been able to get a spreadsheet from purchasing with the long list of our "standard" tooling. Almost completely uncoated Accupro. But I go along with it and create a database but I'm the only one really using it. I haven't yet gotten around to getting holders. And it's still not nearly how I am used to or how I feel it should be. Jesus, drilling here I've gotta manually create a pile of operations every time and manually define depths, tools, using these state of the art jobber steel drills. Before I could just basically highlight the model and in 10-30 seconds have a hundred holes completely programmed. 

I've also been able to(thanks to you guys) successfully design setup sheets, and tool lists. Partially successful in setting up FBM and FBD, but not really good enough to utilize. Play around with machine definitions, machine controls. Unsuccessful in trying to setup virtual machining(beyond mastercam base machines). Successfully implemented viewsheets and utilizing planes and simulation better than each op separately on different levels(or files) with different geometry. 

Sorry for the rant.. just wish there were more like minded folk out there..work smarter not harder.

Whats wrong with drawing holders with a caliper and a scale??? How else are you supposed to do it if you cant find a model.. lol

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