Define reduced neck tool with VB Net-Hook

[SavannahG]

I've searched and searched and I can not find a property in the Net-Hook API to define the reduced neck diameter and length for an end mill. There's flute, shank, and shoulder, but no reduced neck, Is this missing, or am I missing something?

[Guest]

If you are creating a t-slot type tool you could define the shoulder as the portion with the smaller diameter.Thats the one I use.

[Zaffin_D]

Have you looked at the ToolNetApi.dll that ships with the newer versions of Mastercam? 

[SavannahG]

Thank you for the suggestions.

Peter, I'm trying to define a end mill with a relief diameter, so it goes cutter diameter/length, then shoulder diameter/length, then Neck diameter/length, then Shank diameter to Overall length.

Jeff, I'm going by the Net-Hook API reference guide online version of the NET-Hook_v3 Reference. That was what I found in the MasterCam downloads. I'll look into the ToolNetApi. It looks promising.

[SavannahG]

Jeff, do you have an example of how to save the tool to the tool manager using the ToolNetApi.dll functions? I have the method for the Mastercam.database EndMillFlatTool class as follows:

    Friend Function CreateEMFlat(P As Integer) As EndMillFlatTool
        ' Define a new tool
        Dim endMill = New EndMillFlatTool(ToolDia(P), ToolRad(P), ToolNum(P), ToolLenOff(P), ToolDiaOff(P), oa_len(P), flute_len(P), shldr_len(P), ToolCmnt(P)) With {
                    .Coolant = CoolantMode.COOL_FLOOD,
                    .Flutes = ToolFlts(P),
                    .MfgToolCode = ToolMfg(P),
                    .PlungeFeed = ToolPlunge(P),
                    .RetractFeed = ToolRetract(P)}

        MessageBox.Show("Neck Relief = " & ToolRel(P))

        ' Commit the tool to the database
        Return If(Not endMill.Commit(), Nothing, endMill)

    End Function

**************************************************************

I've been trying to figure out how to commit the tool using the ToolNetAPI TlToolEndmill class.

    Friend Function CreateEMF(P As Integer) As TlToolEndmill

        ' Define a new tool
        Dim endMill = New TlToolEndmill() With {
                    .OverallDiameter = ToolDia(P),
                    .MfgToolCode = ToolMfg(P),
                    .OverallLength = oa_len(P),
                    .ShoulderDiameter = shldr_len(P),
                    .ShoulderLength = shldr_len(P),
                    .NeckDiameter = ToolRel(P),
                    .Name = ToolName(P)}

        Return ???

    End Function

 

 

[Mick George]

As SavannahG mentions, never versions of Mastercam has an extended API for working with tools and assemblies. I thought there was an example up on our website under the 3rd Party developers .NET developers section, you might want to check that out.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, SavannahG said:

Jeff, do you have an example of how to save the tool to the tool manager using the ToolNetApi.dll functions? I have the method for the Mastercam.database EndMillFlatTool class as follows:

    Friend Function CreateEMFlat(P As Integer) As EndMillFlatTool
        ' Define a new tool
        Dim endMill = New EndMillFlatTool(ToolDia(P), ToolRad(P), ToolNum(P), ToolLenOff(P), ToolDiaOff(P), oa_len(P), flute_len(P), shldr_len(P), ToolCmnt(P)) With {
                    .Coolant = CoolantMode.COOL_FLOOD,
                    .Flutes = ToolFlts(P),
                    .MfgToolCode = ToolMfg(P),
                    .PlungeFeed = ToolPlunge(P),
                    .RetractFeed = ToolRetract(P)}

        MessageBox.Show("Neck Relief = " & ToolRel(P))

        ' Commit the tool to the database
        Return If(Not endMill.Commit(), Nothing, endMill)

    End Function

**************************************************************

I've been trying to figure out how to commit the tool using the ToolNetAPI TlToolEndmill class.

    Friend Function CreateEMF(P As Integer) As TlToolEndmill

        ' Define a new tool
        Dim endMill = New TlToolEndmill() With {
                    .OverallDiameter = ToolDia(P),
                    .MfgToolCode = ToolMfg(P),
                    .OverallLength = oa_len(P),
                    .ShoulderDiameter = shldr_len(P),
                    .ShoulderLength = shldr_len(P),
                    .NeckDiameter = ToolRel(P),
                    .Name = ToolName(P)}

        Return ???

    End Function

 

 

Look at the chainmanager example for vb.net Under downloads in the services folder there should be an example of the vb function with a return type did you try this :

    Friend Function CreateEMF(P As Integer) As TlToolEndmill


        ' Define a new tool
        Dim endMill = New TlToolEndmill() With {
                    .OverallDiameter = ToolDia(P),
                    .MfgToolCode = ToolMfg(P),
                    .OverallLength = oa_len(P),
                    .ShoulderDiameter = shldr_len(P),
                    .ShoulderLength = shldr_len(P),
                    .NeckDiameter = ToolRel(P),
                    .Name = ToolName(P)}

        Return If(Not TlToolEndmill.Commit(), Nothing, TlToolEndmill)


    End Function

 

[Zaffin_D]

I'm allergic to VB.Net's syntax; below is a (very) basic c# example.

namespace ToolNetApiExample
{
    using Mastercam.App;
    using Mastercam.App.Types;

    using Cnc.Tool.Interop;

    public class Main : NetHook3App
    {
        public override MCamReturn Run(int param)
        {
            var toolSystem = TlToolFunctions.GetToolSystem();

            var endMill = new TlToolEndmill()
            {
                Name = "Example .5in Reduced Shank Tool",
                OverallDiameter = .5,
                TruePhysicalLength = 4,
                CuttingDepth = .375,
                ShoulderLength = 2.0,
                ShoulderDiameter = .375,
                ArborDiameter = .5,
                IsMetric = false
            };

            var toolAssembly = new TlAssembly()
            {
                MainTool = endMill,
            };

            toolSystem.Add(toolAssembly);

            return MCamReturn.NoErrors;
        }
    }
}

 

[SavannahG]

HOORAY! It works. Thanks Jeff. I spent hours digging through the sample code and never found an example addressing the tool manager using the ToolNetAPI. Your example is exactly what I needed. I just tweaked a few things for VB, and it works. Here's the VB  version, try not to sneeze!

 

   Friend Function CreateEMF(P As Integer) As TlToolEndmill
        Dim toolSystem = TlToolFunctions.GetToolSystem()

        ' Define a new tool
        Dim endMill = New TlToolEndmill() With {
                    .OverallDiameter = ToolDia(P),
                    .MfgToolCode = ToolMfg(P),
                    .OverallLength = oa_len(P),
                    .ShoulderDiameter = shldr_dia(P),
                    .ShoulderLength = shldr_len(P),
                    .NeckDiameter = rel_dia(P),
                    .Name = ToolCmnt(P),
                    .ToolNumber = ToolNum(P),
                    .FluteCount = ToolFlts(P),
                    .DiameterOffsetNum = ToolDiaOff(P),
                    .LengthOffsetNum = ToolLenOff(P),
                    .ShankType = shnk_type(P),
                    .TaperLength = rel_len(P)}


        Dim toolAssembly = New TlAssembly() With {.MainTool = endMill}

        Return If(Not toolSystem.Add(toolAssembly), Nothing, endMill)

    End Function