Special prize will go to the first person to animate Hardway's Bond Graphic. (Bonus marks for Audio!)

Jack, You never told me you had those babies under power... I have a drawer full of those 11mm chicklets and even have a few of the 17mm Test Inserts to go as well. You let me know when and I'll bring a big chunk of steel! Our next quest should be a Nobel Prize for Machining and Manufacturing Excellence... One and a half million used CNMG 432 inserts are your prize (the 100 degree corners are still good - hold on to those babies! You could get a job facing and turing forgings for a steady profit.) [ 10-15-2002, 04:34 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

Ever consider a BTR board that will emulate the tape reader. I have had several of these and used them with great success on most of the vintage equipment that was in the old shop. Now all the memory is in the local desktop computer - we used old 486's with a dos based communications package. I am sure that with a proper board, that CIMCO can offer a cost effective solution.

Describe for us the type of machine that it is and even the controller manufacturer and model. The more information that you can give, the better service we can provide. I hope you realize the magnitude of the resource that you have just tapped into. There are over 3000 real live experts that are just waiting to help. My bet is that we will all collectivly get at least 100 A+.

Jim is right. When you lock a tool path you are infact telling mastercam that you do not wnat it to regenerate. The computer is doing exactly as you ask.

In the ops manager also right click on the operation, select options, toolpath display, Off. This should acomplish another method of cat skinning. I wonder if this will be the permanent solution you require or if on re-start, a default will over-ride. I smell some testing...

Sorry Peter, it was a two part question of which the first was answered. Draw if you will a line, rotate that line 1.5 degrees (to simulate the bend). Observe where the end of that line now is. If this is looked at as the tool, then you can see that the cut diameter is now larger as the apparant tool length is shorter. the SolidCAM package that Iscar sells accounts for this bending and allows you to program to size. Tools are set with the tool straight (no bending) and so this is why a compensation amount in the program is nice to have. The particular case that I base my question on is a face profile for which true shape is required however there are no measurable features to adjust an offset to. My solution was to use a pair of DNMG style holders to complete. The second was to read - Taper compensation amount to be entered into Mastercam "After" trial cut @+.015" or some nominal, then re-post the code for a similar part with the taper amount known. quote: ***This doesn't create a tapered part. Taper is caused by incorrect feeds, misaligned tailstocks, poorly bored soft-jaws, or a crashed machine with misaligned axes.*** The taper that I am referering to is caused by part deflection. This is also not quite linear but over the distance that I require, a linear compensation will do nicely.

There are some advantages to being a mercinary machinist - go where the work and the money is... This is how the construction trades operate so whay not extend it into manufacturing? Call up the local union office, order up 2 machinists, one painter and 3 assemblers.

Part II - Answer this one and you will get full marks, Tool Deflection amounts as the tool moves across the workpiece. Published inside the tooling catalogues are values to be expected for deflection of the blade style older as it moves across the groove. The deflection depends on the amount of material being removed (Speed, Feed Depth of Cut), the material itself, the geometry of the blade and on, and on, and on. Answer - very dangerous so use another tool where form is important (unless there is enough scrap allowance in the job to "Dial" in the deflection amounts) Real Question... Are there any correction amounts availale to account for Taper, IE G0X14.5 Z0 G01Z-10.U-.005F.012 (THE U IS TAPER ADJUSTMENT) G0X20. The value of -.005 can be entered after a trial cut, then re-post the code to get this. Misc Values would work but this isn't as elegant as a field on a dialogue box... Any thoughts?

Ying - Help this guy, sounds like a communications problem. Can you use the communications package that came inside of Mastercam or is the greco minifile the only way to get code into it. The xxxxor is PC based so it should be easy to get programs into or out of. Sure hope your a registered user or you might just be branded as the only "Pirate" that actually has a ship!

Dr PeterE You have the medicine to cure my (mental blank) illness. Thanks [ 10-08-2002, 04:30 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

To claify - the tool path would look as follows X10.0Z0 (START) X9.5 (RADIAL GROOVE TO DEPTH INCREMENT) Z-2. (TURN AXIALLY GROOVE IN Z) X9. (RADIAL GROOVE TO DEPTH INCREMENT) Z0. (TURN AXIALLY GROOVE IN Z) X8.5 (RADIAL GROOVE TO DEPTH INCREMENT) Z-2. (TURN AXIALLY GROOVE IN Z) etc... What are the solutions that people use for this?? I haven't tried to use a roughing path yet, is this the proper tool path option?

I am looking blankly at the groov parameters and trying to do some groove turning. Is anyone else using this technique in MC or are they using the SolidCAM from Iscar for these features??

Ernie, Thanks for the interpretation of Form. Andrew's Memory - Nil Ernie's copy of ASME Y14.5(1994) - 1 On re-reading of the Standard, I must conceed that you are correct. I was thinking of true position.

I agree Ernie, What I am trying to extract from these conversations and get my head around is how in the name of all that is holy, can the CMM be reporting form out of tolerance by that much! This is a bored hole and unless the machine has a little R8 shank adapter for the size of the bore, it should be capable of .0002" size, straightness, form or anyother word we use here. The datum is not to be called as a reference to the GDT form but rather to see how the CMM is setting up its plane, origin and alignment - back to which wether we like it or not, all measurements are referenced and reported in relation to. Also Ernie, cool graphic! What publication is this reference from? We also have the responsibility to point out that with these form tolerances, you can apply a bonus to the form as the feature size increases! Suggest that a copy of ASME Y14.5(1994) be referenced for this.

For completness in the emastercam knowledge web, ASTM A514/A514M - High Yield Strength, Quenched and Tempered Alloy Steel Plate, Suitable for welding. (The Metals Black Book,Ferrous Metals 2nd Edition Volume 1 - Casti Publishing 1997 pg260) Looking up a similar material in the Machining Data Handbook, (using 4340 as a similar material) Q&T steels run in the order of 43-48Rc (416-465BHN). Sandvik's technical data (LitCat 00-T)indicates a cutting speed of 400-750sfm@350BHN for a P10 (GC4015) carbide in a turning application. In a milling application, the carbide is spec'd to run at 805sfm @ 180BHN for a P10 carbide. As this hardness is above that I would multiply by .6 and use 240-450sfm to start and increase the chip thickness first and then up the cutting speed while maintianing the constant chip thickness. Please post what worked.

After reading smit's post, Force tool change would do the same thing between operations. That is if the post will spit out an M1 and the optional stop is activated. Smit - Very elegant solution. If you leave the E0 off the block will the Fadal retain the proper work coordinate?

What software is available to screen capture and playback a Mastercam session so that I can save the routine to create a specific toolpath? The other suggestion that someone made is to screen capture stills and merge them into a word document. Anyone else do this for their companies? [ 10-07-2002, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

Kieth - Must have hit send just before you did. Great Minds...

Use manual entry and cut and paste the routines you need. 1005 and 1006 - post the code to find out if you have got brackets around the code or not. (If the code comes out bracketed, then the machine will ignore it as a comment so watch out!)

What is the material condition of the top surface - As Rolled, Rough Cast, Machined to a flatness of .0001"?? The bore mic is a static measurement and the Form Error is both a dynamic measurement. The CMM is approximating the Form Error thru Mathematical Calculations. By knowing where the datum planes and points are taken, one can then analyse his/her setup to find the source of error.

Does the hole indicate round in the machine??

Peter, Great post, that is correct that people will be more receptive to the system if it will produce the same format as to what they are used to. The job of the software however isn't just to show how it is, but how it could be! Having served my time in the sweat shops of hell, I must admit, the canned cycles were much easier to manually program... The use of offline programming takes the apparent power away from the set-up/programmer/machinist guy and places it squarly in the hands of the programmer (where I think it belongs). I avoid using the canned cycles (in turning) so I can maintain control of the process and keep the errors caused by our "Operator/Machinists" out of the equation. I create enough problems already on my own... Perhaps this could be an additional benefit that the prospect wasn't aware of. Ask him/her how many times that they had a great setup only to have the night shift slow the thing down! Hope this helps and gives you a second opinion for the bag of tricks. (Sorry Webby for the previous post snippets... Jack is still on vacation anyway!)

Peter, I had the same issue many times - the answer is that AutoDesk and SmartCAM have polluted the market place into thinking that that is how you are supposed to create geometry. The answer to give the prosepct is "Mastercam returns the intercept and give the added power and flexability to change it on the fly." The first time that your Xfrom, Translate, Join - the power of CAD tools starts to sink in. The other mentality is to create the basic prismatic shape first - In SmartCAM, we would create our turning profile from start to finish. How do you deal with those ones? These guys are still white knuckled holding onto their keyboards and screaming... Eventually Darwin will look after them and they will be out of business.

Your CMM technician should be the one to tell you what Form Error is if they are saying that it is not correct. What are the drawing callouts for this Form?? Explain to me how an error in diameter of .0001" and perfect position be out of tolerance by .009" (unless the hole is not being interpreted as perpendicular at the origin plane). Give more detail - CMM Make Model and Software +version and we may be able to put the wheels back on this part so you can ship it by year end in 3 months...