SAE port Tools - There are only a few sizes that you need to create so once you draw them - you have them for ever.

quote: One other tip I use to do when threading odd ball acme thread was to do get the size small insert and grind off the full profile and just do a shift using 2 different z offsets and make it the width I need without having to pay the minumin 10 insert price and get something that did not have to special made. If you are doing left/right outside and left/right inside can get very expensive quick if having to buy all of them. This is a great technique and I use it all the time. Try to get some of the larger ACME inserts - 2.5 thru 4 and you will have to put a kidney on EBAY just to pay for it. The other thing identified is the compounding angle. try changing the G76 with a vertical compound angle (the A Address I think) and the start position (in Z) should be the same for each pass. The insert will start cutting on both sides of the insert and you may get some odd results.

quote: +1 Andrew Anyone who works for you should be grateful to have a boss thats straight-up and honest. I like that. I will print and distribute to all in my department - they will just love that!

Post the MC9 file to the FTP and lets have a look.

quote: I hope your programers do not read this Andrew. :-) good luck with your budget. The ones that are left don't have to worry - but to be honest, ultametly if you can't reduce headcount or increase sales, then what is the point of an upgrade??

Sump Cleanlyness and keeping the coolant free of contaminents. Our plant isn't the best for this either as our excange cycle is quite high... As far as Grotan - no alternatives but to change out the coolant I'm afraid... If you haven't had any problems related to it then I guess you are using it the way it should be. My experience is based on a misapplication and in order to remove the potential failure from happening again, we stopped using the stuff. [ 10-10-2003, 03:23 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

quote: I'd have to disagree with that. Anybody can purchase a hammer at a hardware store or where ever, but only those that are skillful with the hammer will build properly with it. Very good point Chris. This can be said about the rest of Mastercam as well - anything in the hands of an idiot could result in catastrophy. If I may expand my earlier post and expand on your analogy I would suggest that there are few third party developers trying to correct the constraints related to the original hammer design. I am suggesting that the newer features in Win Compliant Software will be like using a pneumatic nailer - allowing this to be erected at a much faster rate... [ 10-10-2003, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

I suspect with the new maintenance agreements that the business model of the 3rd party application providers will change somewhat. Also with the fundamental change from Legacy DOS to a windows based application, there may be a little more stability on the post front and also with the other apps as well - but I only speculate. The need for 3rd party stuff - may become less and less as the user becomes empowered with VB scripts etc... I also can see an opportunity - now with a steadier revenue stream - for CNC to aquire and absorb some of these other applications (ie Moldsplus and all the extraneous 5Ax Addons) that will add value to the product and expand into other market segments - I have to say that with the number of installed seats world wide (Mastecam Saturation), and with the CAD/CAM market reaching a certain maturity - that the only way to grow will be thru acquisition and pushing into other market segments like a better CAD interface and more capabilities on this front. What I would do is to appease my current generation of Garage Machinists - is to split the product and company into two - Mastercam Lite for those that only want simple things in life, no maintenance and Mastercam Professional for the higher end requirements and a new market opportunity - develop both in parallel and keep a broader market covered. I have signed up for the program and want to itereate that with this maintenance, there are a number of attached expectations that I now have and hope that the systems are developed to meet these. What is the release schedule for VX? and when can I expect to see VXI? What tools are planned and what is the net effect to the productivity of my people? By upgrading from V7.1 to VX, will I be able to reduce the number of programmers from 5 to 2? These are things that I have to justify for the yearly costs added to my department - Gee I love budget time. [ 10-10-2003, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

This is a question regarding how the other board members view posts by members on the board. For example - when someone "Bashes" Haas or another manufacturer - do you think it is the persons opinion or are you influenced by statments made and would never ever buy a Haas based on that alone? I would like to extend this to machines from international markets (ie Korea/China etc...) as I am interested in some of these machines and would appreciate the feedback and experience here before I make a decision...

The use of Biocide will give you a rash as well as the stuff living in your coolant. Grotan - that is some nasty stuff, read the MSDS before you decid to use it and take the neccessary precautions.

Nice Jay - I just spent 10 minutes re-reading all these posts looking for the "Curse Words" and compairing the edit times on the messages to see if they had been deleted. I only now understand the Humour in your post... [ 10-10-2003, 12:24 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

Serge, Thanks for the Heads up - I have met Mark and we have had lengthy discussions on Vericut. Thanks

We have several coolant related threads here in the knowledge base. The single largest contributing factor to sump life is to keep the coolant sump clean of chips, sludge, dirt, grime, and biologicals. A disc skimmer to keep the tramp oils off the top of the coolant will save disposal costs as well. For $200 that will be one of the better investments you can make. (just think if you can avaoid one recharge of the coolant tank how much that would cost...) Coolants are a commodity item and they each will spin things their own way - it is the process that they are in and how they are maintained that will determine their life. Machining Nodular Iron will foul coolant quicker than Machining Stainless - so wade thru the speculation of cooant slaesmen - I used to be one... [ 10-10-2003, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

Serge, Are you at CMTS?? I look forward to seeing the Integrex Module. I have a seat of Vericut within Pro/E - Great Tool and my Pro/E guy just returned from training and uses it on everthing now.

quote: I'm with you on drawing my own tools. Sandvik's files are typically terrible [and metric] so I usually scale them down in ACAD and trace over the useful geometry with my own lines where I have to, then I sh!tcan the original Sandvik geometry and all of the ridiculous 6,000 layers that are in their file. Agreed. I created a bunch of tool holders from one of their basic holders and then used it as a block for the rest. Duplicate line as well. Anyway - Draw it from scratch and save all that editing time...

quote: If you cut a 3flt end mill in half and looked at the section it is somewhat the same, that type of profile Cut direction - radially or axially?

quote: I hope this puts an end to our southern friends calling Canadian bills monopoly money due to it's colour full apperance. Colour makes it easier to settle up with the barmaid at the end of a good night... that way you don't have to still be able to read - just give her a couple of green ones (Canadian 20's) and she is all set... [ 10-09-2003, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

For my input... I looked thru my Kenna CD and found no DXF drawings or the like. Iscar and Sandvik are the only electronic catalogues that I have here. I am with Chris - you are best off to draw it yourself. It has been my experience that it takes me longer to look for a file than it does to just draw it myself. How about you?

mayday, This screw that you are profiling, what type of a tool path are you using - Mill or Turn? Are these compressor screws when you say Blower??

quote: The point is WTF? Who ever heard of a machine that just cranks up it's own rapid override? Agreed. Use the terms "Unsafe", "Hazardous", "Risk" and "Liability". Perhaps that $3800.00 quote may become a warrenty item.

Harry, Not what you are looking ofr, but you could set the parameter for the c-axis rapid at an artificially low value. This might help.

Good luck to them, with the requirement on the credentials- I won't move for anything uder US$90K. Harry? Chris?? - How about Dave T?? [ 10-02-2003, 08:17 AM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

Any one going that we should look out for? I am trying to schedule my group to go this year and will make a decision on the day to converge with other members if possible. Oct 21-24th - National Exhibition Building.

Has anyone encountered the following warning when trying to use the verify for a milling path in a lathe session using a 5axis tool path. Warning Security Access Violation Why, Why, Why??

Thanks Jack - Talk to you soon