52 minutes ago, volitan71 said:

Did you know, you can select a bunch of entities, then go to the level manager and right click a level and click on "move selected entities" and theyll move to that level?

I never clicked it before, I assumed it would run a Move command on the whole level. Gonna use that one

No problem, thanks for the heads up. The lathe dept will likely just strip out the code for the moves, but I'll let them know not to run it as is

I'm going to make use of this tool for sure! We don't have a lathe seat newer than X and sometimes the guys need a more complicated contour than they can hand bomb.

I make a dummy endmill of the nose radius and give them the posed nc for a contour path. This looks even easier, and passing on lathe flavoured code will be appreciated.

You may be looking at the issue covered in this thread, if MC is starting up as soon as you close it

Sends part data to their cloud for processing, and sends back toolpaths. Gonna be a no go for any controlled goods or NDAs. They specifically mention don't use it for security sensitive data.

That will eliminate all the parts where saving time by automation would really be useful, AKA anything complicated or important. If you're already using Fusion360, it's all cloud anyways, so I guess those guys don't really mind another 'tunnel off the property' so to speak.

Looks like we're sticking to the old fashioned way, boys, Skynet's gonna have to wait another day to take our jobs.

42 minutes ago, riverhunter said:

 

Wasn't there a dude named redacted on here about 12-15 years ago the would always loose his S*iT? and then go post on other software platforms?

Shhhh... Be careful about unintentional summoning rituals. Many such beasts live on though memories and storytelling.

22 minutes ago, cncappsjames said:

The gain with keeping the tool down and following is machine performance. Obviously a late 1990's machine with max feeds in the 400-800 IPM range won't see the types of gains a high performance machine of today that is capable of feeds in the 2,300+IPM range. The strategy is sound and in actual test cutting (not backplot times) it's impressive. 

The dynamic paths behave like that when they come back around for the next cut set to climb only, I know what you guys are on about. My operators get scared sh*tless when I program ruffing like that, so they asked me not to. Now I set to to dynamic zig-zag in 6061 so the tool doesn't whip around.

Signed up for the 'beta' program. I'll report back if it seems more interesting than FBM.

Curious how it handles defaults, tool libraries, etc. Does it just add it's own stuff? Does it use my tried and tested speeds and feeds?

I'm skeptical that it says it will "draft the code to tell a CNC machine how to make it" - this is not power-user language. The whole thing has a sales pitch vibe, but we'll see what it can do if they send anything to work with.

Edit: Also, after you sign up there's another video, and it's the first time I've seen someone explicitly call it "Sandvik MasterCam", lol, gave me a chuckle

1 hour ago, neurosis said:

I think what he's talking about and not explaining very well, is in the paths shown in his video, when the tool transitions to the next z level of cut (step up), it doesn't retract.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen Mastercam do that?

It's easy to keep the tool down when it's cutting on the same z-level in optirough. When you transition to the new z level it picks up and starts at that new z level.  Is that wrong? I've never even considered that an issue but also never tried to keep the tool down in that way. 

I see the "rapid" motions that he's trying to replicate, but I don't know how it would be better than hopping up and over. You're just going to add a bunch of arcs or point to points at a high feedrate, and relatively close to the part wall at that. But it will need to output F values, and the associated G01's and 2/3's to achieve that motion. Not seeing the benefit of reducing your number of z retracts on roughing, repeats back down aren't going to kill your accuracy here.

Seems like a lot of code to rapid back to a starting point for an HSM pass...

If you're  eyeing the RTX A4000/4500 series, look at the current ADA generation card with 16GB VRAM. Those are the newest gen, released mid-last year. The original 4000 is 3 years old now.

48 minutes ago, cncappsjames said:

You've run the same program, the same way on both CNC_MEM and DATA_SV?

300kb is nothing. I routinely run programs 3-4x that without the stuttering you are describing.

A note on DATA_SV management, I have seen a performance degradation when there are "a lot" of programs in the root DATA_SV. I always recommend customers to use folders and sub-folders. I don't have a definitive number of programs when the performance degredation starts unfortunately. It was just something I noticed accidentally. So I typically reccommend \\DATA_SV\CUSTOMER_NAME\PART_NUMBER\REV\ for a structure. This keeps things clean. organized and running smoothly... in my experience anyway.

I did not run the exact program, as it didn't fit in CNC_MEM. I think I have 350kb total there - the toolchange, renishaw and my macros are taking up some space of course.

We do save the programs to the root of DATA_SV, there are 10 programs there, taking up maybe 2Mb. I'll implement a folder structure moving forward. The machine with the server option is loaded up at the moment, but when I can I'll test some dynamic toolpaths at speed and see. I'm typically not operating the machines, so I don't get to see when EXACTLY this behaviour crops up.

Also, @cncappsjames, while I have your ear...

I'm seeing stuttering and jerky motion during code-dense dynamic paths with G131 on my 660 when the programs are in the data server, vs main memory. Is this expected behaviour? The programs are pushing 300kb, and it feels like it gets worse the bigger the files are. Any insight would be appreciated!

15 hours ago, cncappsjames said:

multiple non overlapping m-codes on the same line,

So, start coolant, start spindle, unlock rotary could all activate on a single line and would happen simultaneously?

I'll have to try it and get out the stopwatch

35 minutes ago, cncappsjames said:

manufacture date of your machine

One is 2018/09

The other 2019/02

Thanks for the info! Added the D to my hi speed post block and we'll try it out.

Saved ~30 sec on a high volume job with M203's recently, we'll see if there are savings for us with the D1 positioning (decent # of holes across 4 offsets). Maybe we can get another cycle for the shift since the run time is only 10 minutes or so. Always another trick to learn! Thanks again!

The Autodesk Borg was my first thought, unfortunately, too. I've been leery of all the acquisitions.

I know nothing has changed substantially for us as end users, but I fear the day will come. You know... the 'buy now' button beside the recommended tool for your operation based on the AI's suggestion from the Sandvik library.

On 2/23/2024 at 6:42 PM, cncappsjames said:

The D is used for positioning type cutting as opposed to contouring type cutting.

So drilling and reaming can leverage hi-speed? I have all my posts (31i - VX660's) configured to not output G131's on canned drill cycles, I thought it was a no-no?

Just imagine if those Norwegian black metal guys had a steady supply of Mag chips back in the 90's...

Are the two B0 offsets always the same relative to one another?

I would consider the first as B0 and the second as B6 (or whatever) and when they share a WCS, you know it will rotate between them.

Also on my horz, I need to force a tool change in between rotations for the same tool, or it will skip over the B call - might try that out. You'll be certain to get a retract then as well.

There are a few knowledgeable folks here that can help you out, welcome.

Let us know what version you're on, and how you're creating your setup sheets now. If you're using the sheets included in your post, or using Active Reports, the advice will be quite different. Knowing some more about your situation will net you some answers, or at least a nudge in the right direction!

6 hours ago, Newbeeee™ said:

.it's the last 20ish% finishing and the small tools needed

Classic Pareto Principle, still looking for an arena in life where that last 20% doesn't bone you if you're not careful. Also, time-wise, don't forget to account for arguing with the customer over the flatness callout on the print, when they actually wanted parallelism.

1 hour ago, volitan71 said:

No, it's shaped like a football.

You'd need this type of synchronization to turn a shape like that. Certainly not a typical lathe OP, and your surfacing method is probably the best option.

27 minutes ago, SlaveCam said:

It would be nice if the appropriate geometry was emphazied/boldened when you hover over the arrow.

+1

I agree, that would be clutch. I was seeing the red arrow select straight ahead or turn if the chain was modified somewhere else along the line. To see some idea on the path itself when you hover would be the best option

Just a few things to keep in mind that I can share from using this method often:

Sometimes it will just use your initial stock, and ignore your stock model.

Make sure your Stock Display is off, try to regen and view your stock model with ALT+T, and if that doesn't work, save and restart MC (classic). It has happened less often with each update, I will say, but still occurs. I find it happens more when first creating the stock model, not when you have a setup in place already and are coming back to it. Still not sure what exact conditions will stop Verify from using your stock model, but those steps have always had everything back in order.

All in all, I applaud this feature, it's one of the best new tools I use daily in 2024.

Just did a few tests. Even/odd number of wireframes, even/odd number of intersections, arcs, lines.

I thought I was on to something... but the answer is "the other one".