Hi All, Does anyone know of a way to have the comment from the toolpath parameter page output as code? I've been chasing it for a few hours now... Thanks.

Thanks David, that was the ticket.

Nope, that doesn't seem to work. Thanks though

Good evening, I'm diving into the world of post customization and right off the top I'm in trouble. I can't seem to get the 1st line in the program correct. The very first line of the program should look like this: $PROGRAMNAME.MIN% but I get this: $ PROGRAMNAME .MIN% using the following code in the post: "$", sprogname$,".MIN%",e$ Can anyone shed some light on the extra spaces? Thanks

Mac, One setting that used to crash X for me all the time, especially with larger files, was the graphics acceleration. I had to turn it right off with the check box for Disable Hardware Acceleration. It is in Settings>Screen, top of the page under Graphics Support. Good luck. Crashing sucks!

Ron, Are you allowed to add and AND condition? Ex. WHILE[[#150-#151]GT.001AND#150LT.003]DO1 Just a shot in the dark.

Good Evening, I am trying to set up separate tool libraries for each type of material we deal with. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But I'm having trouble getting my head around how X2 handles tool libraries. The library my definition is set to is in the same folder as the test ones I have created using the "Create New Tool Library" button in the Tool Manager. And if I select Toolpaths>Tool Manager it shows our full mill tool library which only has a few tools added to the default mill_inch tool library that comes with MR2. It has be updated to X2. But if I select my test library (Library 100.Tools) from the pull down window in Tool Manager, the list of tools doesn't update. Furthermore, if I try and edit one of the tools listed you can see it is still using the original library, not the one shown in the pull down window. Now, if I go to the machine group files properties and change the tool library to my Library 100.tools, then go back to Tool Manager it will show my test library with its one tool in it. Now if I select the main tool library the display is still only my 1 tool library and as you can see from the data from explorer, the file sizes are quite different. Is there some setting I'm missing that is preventing X2 from accessing any tool libraries other than the one specified in the machine group properties? TIA

Thanks Colin, I'll give that a try if I start getting error messages again.

Thanks, Now that I have figured out how to keep the tool libraries on the server instead of just the local machine it makes the time to set up the libraries more worth while. Also, thanks Gary, for the link to the lessons, they seem pretty good, I look forward to learning a lot.

Hi All, This is a timely thread for me. I've just upgraded to X2 and that has me back in mastercam a bit more again. I've always wanted to set up custom tool and material libraries for us to use but keep feeling overwhelmed by the scope of it, or at least my perception of the size of the task. We are a small job shop with no real set product line. So, what would then be the most efficient approach? For example, lets take a 1/2" 4 flute carbide endmill. That same tool will have to cut C1018, 4140HTSR, Aluminum, UHMW, etc, at some point. So setting the speed and feed of the tool would only be correct 1/4 the time or less. Does that mean I would have to save a tool for each time of material we come across?

So today X2 starts up with no error messages and starts with the correct machine in the op. mngr. According to the Settings>Config>Files>Mill Material it should still be looking for Default.MATERIALS, even though I have changed the full path in the config file with a text editor. Too weird, but I'm glad its working for now.

Pete, You have mail.

Pete, The file I tried to pass to Mastercam from SE opens fine in Mastercam if I open the .PAR file from Mastercam. It just won't pass any information when I "push" it from SE to Mastercam. Mastercam opens when I push the X button in SE, but nothing shows up on screen and a check of the Entities field in the level manager shows 0. I've tried with a couple of files now and still the same result. I have downloaded and installed the add-in.

Good Morning, I found a thread from a few months ago discussing direct conversion from Solid Edge V19 to Mastercam and the hope then was X2 would fix things. Well, I just tried the "Mastercam Button" in SEV19 and it didn't quite work out. It opens X2, but the file is empty. Is there some setting I'm missing? From in X2 I can open SE part (.par) files no problem. Thanks for any help.

gcode, I think I have full priveleges. Never had any issue s creating, save, etc... to that server folder before. Just checked my user profile and I'm in the administrators group. I can open my config file in a text editor so I did that and changed the path directly in the config file. X2 still opens fine, but when I checked the Config>Files page it showed the default file for Mill Materials, yet when I checked the config file after in the text editor the full server path was still there. Weird.

Hi gcode, Not sure if this is the same place you were thinking of, but I've narrowed the problem down to this page / setting of Settings>Config>Files I can browse to my server location, apply, save, exit config, but it won't stick. Next time into X2 and it is back to looking for the default.materials file in the mcamx2 folder on the local machine again. I've set it to c:...mcamx2materialsdefault.materials now and no more error message at start up, but I don't want any material updates I do saved locally, they should all be to the file on the server.

Good Evening, Decided to take the plunge and upgrade to X2. It never seems to be easy for some reason. After going through the install and the transition guide I've come up against a problem I can't seem to resolve. When I start X2 the Operation MNGR looks like this: This is not the machine I have set up in the Config settings. If I select the correct machine: I get this error message: Then I went into the Config settings to check the Default Machines. If I just click the green check mark at the bottom without changing anything , then go back and re-select the Machine Type it works and the Operations manager then looks like this: The last machine group is the one that should be all by itself when X2 starts. I thought this was a problem with the machine definition but as you can see it points to the materials library on our server: So, after going through this routine a couple of times, exiting X2 and re-starting it, things changed. Now when I start X2 I get the following error at startup: If I click OK then it continues on and the Operations Manager comes up correct: And I'm confused and not a little frustrated. We want our tool and material libraries on the server, everything else can be on the local machine. Is this not possible? Anyone have any ideas what I've missed? TIA

Ducati, I would second John's nomination for the Okuma. I run a Crown L1420. Its getting along in years now, but it will still hold bearing fits all day with no problems, as long as no one throws open the big loading bay doors when it is 20 below outside:). We do similar size and material work to what you describe and the Okuma has been really good at handling the big stuff, it is a very solid machine. They also use IGF, a conversational programming language on the control that is quite versitile and powerful and should easily be able to handle what you are doing right now. As I mentioned ours is a little old already and I have noticed that some people find this control more of a challenge to learn, but once you have it down it runs circles around cheaper (cough..Haas..cough) machines. Hope that helps.

Gcode, how do you get special treatment? I tried again and no joy. That little window about .Net is where the message comes up that the server can't be reached. I've also re-tried downloading the patch and get the same type error. Maybe it is Monday, no wait, we had one of those already this week.

Thank you Gentlemen, at least I know it wasn't something else I screwed up. I'm really looking forward to the day when Mastercam just updates itself quietly in the background and doesn't require me to do any installing / uninstalling. That will be a happy day for me, the IT challenged!

Hi all, I tried downloading X2 today and I can't seem to get a connnection to the Mastercam server. Is anyone else having this trouble or is it just my computer? I did get it yesterday, but had some troubles and did a system restore to a point before I downloaded the file and it seems to have disappeared. TIA

On that Plunge Paramerters page, if you are using a VNMG tool click the 3rd option in the top row. Then you will need to enter a clearance angle in the right window of the 2nd row. Consult your tooling manufacturer catalogue for your toolholder's clearance. VNMG is probably around 45 degrees. HTH

I asked a similar question some months ago and the general consensus was that it couldn't be done. The only way to play a macro was through the macro manager. Of course that may be changed in MR2.

We use mostly Kennametal tooling here. I've uploaded a shot of the page from the endmill catalog that should help. Their catalogs can be downloaded free at Kennametal Catalogs HTH

Steve, Hmmm, that may explain something, sort of. I had given up hopes of a simple upgrade (pet peeve) and had begun re-doing all the toolbar states, config and keymapping files. In the process after saving the toolbar states, I believe, my toolbars re-arranged themselves the way they were in MR1. Wish I knew exactly what I did, I have at least one more computer to upgrade. Thanks for the input.