Jeff, when we were deciding which software to buy, we looked at worknc. They sent someone in for a 3 day demo, but we weren't impressed. It had no modelling or cad capabilities. We couldn't even add tool boundary chains if we wanted, unless we imported it from another software. I don't think I cared for the worknc user interface either. All the toolpath parameters were on 1 or 2 screens, and it was layed out in a confusing manner(IMHO). Another thing that turned us away was when the demo guy told us only square and ball endmills were supported, and you couldn't create custom endmills like you can in mastercam. Not only that, but their verify wasn't very easy to use either. Finally, we programmed 2 identical electrodes-one in mastercam(which we purchased about a week before this guy showed up) and one in worknc, while the worknc guy was here. We kept as many parameters as possible the same. In the end, the worknc electrode came out like crap, while the mc trode was good. That was the clincher. One more thing, back then, their only tech support centers were in the mid-west. That's fine and dandy if you're in the mid-west, but not in Pennsylvania. Why would we buy this software, when we can drive 15 minutes and speak to our MC dealer face-to-face? Bear in mind, we looked at worknc 4 years ago. They may have fixed alot of the stuff I just mentioned. It can't hurt to at least look, if you have the spare time. One thing I can say about worknc, when we told them we weren't interested they left us alone. No call backs every other month to try to sway us. Plus, if worknc even has a forum, I garauntee it's not as good as this one HTH scott

[MC is all we have(other than Autocad)] Yeah, we're in the same boat All of our customers have been working from models lately--no 2d prints unless we specifically ask. I'd much rather import and work with a solid than an iges file.

Forgot to mention that I work in Hummelstown, live in Dillsburg/Mechanicsburg , and shop at the Carlisle Walmart(it's so much nicer than the Mechanicsburg store)

John, You might want to call Librandi's, in Middletown. (717)944-9442. Another one that may be able to help is Kelley-Tron, off Colonial Park in Harrisburg. (717) 545-8814 They helped us with some plating issues a year or so ago. Both are machining/plating shops. If you need directions to either, shoot me an email. HTH scott

quote: This part is a fine example of why surfaces rulz.......Just goes to show we should be adept with all forms of modelling, not one or other. It's really annoying, though, that I can't make this solid scott

Rob, I'm curious how you created the red spline? Did they(customer/die designer/boss/etc.) give you the node points? The reason I'm asking: I projected the red spline and its node points down onto the surface. Then I created lines perpendicular to the new projected spline at each projected node point. As you can see below, the projected spline twists around. This is probably why sweep won't work for a solid, but I'm not 100% about that. Maybe recreating that red spline(as arcs?) would help model this thing as a solid. I don't know for sure, though. I don't really have any more time to mess with it today. scott

quote: When are you going to repaint the house?.."shortly"--LOL "I started it." she says: "2 years ago, are you ever going to finish it?" "I'll probably start on it again in the near future." she says: "How near?" "I don't know! Shortly!" she says: "Grrrrrr!" "I have to wait on the paint I put up 2 years ago to age first. Otherwise, I'll have half the back side of the house with 2 new coats of paint. It won't blend well with the rest of the house. SHEESH! Women just don't understand home improvement." "What did you smack me for!?!?"

Roger, I added chord_tol : 0.0002 to my post and ran the electrode I was messing with this morning. It seemed to work well and didn't add any noticeable posting time. Thanks. scott

Nobody's even mentioned humidity? We had a heckuva time with tools, parallels, mill tables, chucks, etc. rusting before we put the ac's in the shop & computer room. It still gets warm in here, but at least we don't have to wear our swimming trunks into work anymore. scott

Thanks. I'll give it a try and see if it's better. scott

I did a search on this but still am not sure of the answer. My machine doesn't do arcs well, so I have my post set to point-to-point output. The post is modified MPFan. However, the line segments it's breaking the arcs into are too large in small radii(0.005 rads). What tolerance controls the line segment length? Is it something in the post, or one of the filter settings in M'cam? thanks, scott

Another big thing you have to consider is if the electrode will be used on a manual or cnc edm. And if its a cnc, then what type of orbit will be used? It'd be tough to try to explain it on here and have it make sense. A great help to me was talking to some friends who run sinkers and have them desrcibe how they would make electrodes in certain situations. I even had them sit down and sketch the final cavity(with finished dimensions), and then sketch the electrodes. This is really the best way to understand what the EDM is doing during the burn process. I would suggest talking to the EDM operator(s), if you can. If not, I'm sure there are resources out there that can explain this stuff more clearly than I could. The Mitsubishi training manual is pretty good, if you can get your hands on one(you have to go to class to get it, but maybe you can borrow one, or find it on the internet). If you have a certain electrode you're having trouble with, may put a sketch on the FTP site so we can take a look and make suggestions. HTH scott

Bernie, My spindle is min 5000 also. I've been told that I can safely run a good edge finder at 5000 rpm. But I did have 1 blow apart on me. Didn't hurt anything(edge finder excluded of course ), only scared the bejesus out of me. Just wanted to throw my word of caution out there. scott

Kev, I did actually know about using AM radio. I have to be careful, though, because the cnc sink and wire machine are in the same room and the AM will pick up signals from both of those as well. And your owner is correct--flushing makes all the difference. Micro, Mits support isn't always to be relied upon. But I have bugged them plenty with questions. I agree whole-heartedly with your comment on the Chinese--in this market, getting the most out of technology is the only way we're gonna win this one. But both myself and the wire guy have been bugging him for a couple years to send us to our respective training. Answer's always the same--"maybe next year the company can afford it." It's exactly that mentallity that is why we're barely afloat right now. :shrugs: Whataya gonna do? scott

Morning all. Does anyone know of any good books/online resources/cds & dvds/etc. on running a sinker? I've been running the sinkers here for about 3 years, but never had any training. (When you have to learn on the fly, you don't always pick up the best methods) Unfortunately, the boss says the company can't afford to send me to the Mitsubishi training courses. Thanks, scott Mitsubishi EX-8 CNC sink Eltee Pulsitron manual plunger

We make sure to clean all parts and fixtures well immediately after getting them out of the tank. Never have any problems with rust. scott

Eric, I know I'm a little late on this, but... I had the same problem with my Defiance mill a few years back. Spindle would intermittently throw an E-stop. Defiance walked me through the troubleshoot. Turned out to be a voltage filter circuit board was burned up. After replacement of the board(which was no charge to use btw), it runs great. scott

Bruce, I like your method. Seems like a good way to cheat it and still give 'em all the dimensions they want. Hafta keep that in mind for future reference. scott

The designer here is exactly the same way. When he gets an idea in his head, it becomes the gold standard and nothing changes his mind. I usually do one of two things--just do something the right way (as opposed to his way), or have my Mastercam dealer call him and explain why he's wrong(because I'm just a lowly peon--how could I possibly be right about anything?). Anyway... I'll chime in with my opinion now. STL files are a waste of time from a machining aspect. Work from your surfaces and solids and you will be much happier. my .02 scott

Many thanx, Iskander. I thought there was a script for it. scott

Glad we could be of service. scott

Kannon, I'm curious how you worked around that. Could you shoot me the file? jctjct, the smallest radius on the pink chain is 0.0150. If you changed this radius to 0.0200, then you would be able to chamfer the face 0.0200. But as your model is now, the largest chamfer you could use is 0.0150. scott

Not to high-jack the thread... Iskander, is there a way to automatically increment the autosave file name(ie from solid1 to solid1_1) without retyping the new file name every time the autosave window comes up? scott

Looks like a top notch facility. Unfortunately, South Carolina is a little too far a commute from Pennsylvania. Best of luck. scott

Jim, Welcome to the forum! If you look in the following folder, there should be sample toolpath files in there. Mcam9MillMC9Samples Play around with them--try changing parameters to see what happens(remember to save each to a new file BEFORE making any changes). And if you still have questions....well, you know where to come for answers HTH scott