Hi Creating offset surfaces on complex models may not work that well. Could turn into a nightmare on some parts. Best recommended method is the use negative stock offset while machining - since you can control XY separate from Z, very important. With Moldplus Electrode Maker, we discussed this matter several times and after much feedback from customers and resellers, realized that it is more reliable to have users apply the spark gap / negative offset while machining. With Solids, it may be a bit easier to apply the negative scale since you have control of separate XY and Z control. But then again, advisable to check first people who have done this. Please refer to the previous discussions on electrode making on this forum. They go into this topic in great detail. Here is 1 link to refer to: http://www.emastercam.com/cgi-bin/ultimate...ic;f=1;t=003096 Regards Anbu

Hi Please visit the Moldplus website for a quick and effective solution. www.moldplus.com You can extend multiple sets of surfaces (trimmed or un-trimmed) to planes, tangentially or as offset surfaces at various angles. Please contact your local Mastercam reseller for more information on the product. If you do this very often, this will save you time and money! Regards Anbu

Hi Please ensure the following: You are running the latest version of Moldplus V9 for Mastercam V8.1.1 or V9. The current version is 90936 for Mcam9 and 90836 for Mcam811 Please email an example file that gives you the problems to [email protected] Pointing out the exact surface by marking it as a different color will help. More explanation, the better. Also, what version of Mastercam and Moldplus you are using. If you do not have the latest version, please contact your local Mastercam reseller to get it. Regards Anbu

Hi The CATIA translator for Mastercam currently supports the latest version of V4 CATIA. V5 is still in the works. Regarding importing CATIA Solids as Mastercam Solids, we have implemented that process that functions really well for Mastercam V9.1 So, if you have V4 CATIA files, you can import them as trimmed surfaces or SOLIDS (to be released very shortly - currently under Beta stage). You have control also on what sorts of entities you can import. For a more detailed listing of the supported data, visit the www.moldplus.com page and click on the CATIA link. 2D Drafting data however is not supported and wont be supported. If you save your file in CATIA V4 format and email the file to [email protected], the file can be converted to a Mastercam file and emailed back to you. If there are solids in that file, it will be imported as solids also. Regards Anbu

Hi Kwolf From the standpoint of "making molds from them", could you please elaborate on what you mean? Are you referring to building the core and cavity inserts from them? The Mold Design process using IMOLD for example, is very good from the point of importing the original part, splitting it and building core and cavity inserts for it and then creating layouts, feed system, moldbase, cooling, sliders, lifters, components, assembly drawings, bill of materials, etc. If you build your Core and Cavity inserts in Mastercam, you should be able to import them into IMOLD and work with them also. Also, are you familiar with Moldplus for Mastercam? Moldplus provides some very good tools for splitting core and cavity and creating the inserts, easy trimming of surface data, creating electrodes etc. The folks from Moldplus are working with the developers of IMOLD to provide the best of what Moldplus offers to work with the IMOLD software solution for Solidworks. As of today, you are correct, Solidworks is still working towards providing more surfacing tools and needs to improve those features and provide better trimming tools, etc. The folks at Solidworks are very keen at providing the necessary solutions for mold-makers and are working with their third party solution providers to do the same. Till then, if you can use a combination of Mastercam to build your inserts (core, cavity, side-cores), import to SW and work with IMOLD for the rest of the mold design, you will not lose out. You will have the best of both worlds. And with the Mastercam Direct option, you will be able to complete the CAM portion also. Hope this helps. You can always send the folks at IMOLD a part to split and show you how they can create complex runoffs, etc. using the IMOLD tools for SW. Creating complex run-offs using Moldplus is already available with the new IMOLD version. The websites - www.imold.com and www.imold-europe.com are for the same product IMOLD. Regards Anbu [ 12-16-2002, 09:09 AM: Message edited by: Anbu Lingappan - Intercam Europe ]

Hi You can search the Web for Mold Design solutions. For Solidworks, please take a look at IMOLD for Solidworks. It is a very good Mold Design solution. With the added fact that there is a Mastercam Direct interface from Solidworks, that will work towards your benefit. You can visit the site at www.imold.com Talk to your resellers also for solutions that they might know of. At the end of the day, the product that provides the most for you to get your job done and has the best support network and development behind it will be the ones you should settle to work with. Regards Anbu

Hi You should be able to use the Mastercam scale function to apply the shrinkage factor to the part. It will work fine. If you need a non-uniform scale (required in some molds), simply use the non-uniform method to apply the scale. The Scale dialog permits the scaling in both uniform and non-uniform manner. Regards Anbu

Hi There is no direct CATIA to IGES export available from CATIA. Your best option is the CATIA to Mastercam Direct option. Talk to your Mastercam reseller about it. If you also need to test the translator to import a file, you can try it before buying. Regards Anbu

Hi CATIA uses it's own Solid modeling kernel. I really dont have any details on their Solid modeling kernel other than the fact that they do not use ACIS or Parasolids. We import the CATIA Solids to Mastercam Solids with our latest CATIA translator (currently works on resellers SIM's). For V9.1 Mastercam, we plan to release the direct CATIA to Mastercam Solids translator. We support the latest version of V4 CATIA. V5 CATIA translation support is still under development. Thanks to the feedback of customers and resellers, we maintain a good quality level for our products. Regards Anbu

Hi Reading Solidworks file based on different configurations into Mastercam will only list the config names as numbers when you try to import the data. There is no output format from Solidworks that allows external translators to read the config names. The only method is to read the configs based on the numbers. When you try to read the file into Mastercam and you are provided with the choice to read a config (differnt numbers listed), read it and save it to a separate level or file. Then read the next config and save to a separate level or next file. This will allow you to read the 2 part files in the same MC9 file but different levels or to different levels. Mastercam is working on a better import method for files with multiple configs, perhaps directly from SW (if it is found on the same system) to read the data using the Mastercam Direct utility from within SW that will give you the config name also. We have also requested that SW provide the ability for us to read the config names from external translators. We are waiting for them to resolve that. Till then, contact your reseller and ask them to check with CNC for solutions to this. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi Moldplus Views will allow you to create Views from surface models in the preference you want using ANSI, ISO or User defined views. Check out the Moldplus software details here. http://www.moldplus.com/moldplus.htm Regards Anbu [ 11-14-2002, 04:39 PM: Message edited by: Anbu Lingappan - Intercam Europe ]

Hi Kevin Mastercam 9.1 Beta will import SW2003 files since they both support upto Parasolids V14. Since 9.1 is not going to be ready today, it will be wise to make a request to QC to see if they can create an APP or patch for Parasolids V14 import into Mastercam. Otherwise, you will have to write the file out from SW2003 as a Parasolids file with V13 as the output format. Regards Anbu

Hi Mold Design using Solidworks is possible through a few solutions. One of them is IMOLD for Solidworks. It is a complete Mold Design solution developed for the Solidworks platform. Visit them at www.imold.com Regarding the reliability and power, the new version of SW 2003 is much better. They provide more power in their surfacing tools, but still not as powerful as what Mastercam has to offer for surfacing tools. As you know, complex mold designs require good surfacing tools and SW is finally realizing it and working on it. The ability to do multiple bodies is also a benefit that they have just provided in SW2003. Makes it easier for those users not familiar with creating assemblies to add parts, but in the end, you will need assembly designs for the molds since SW does not have layers/levels. The mold design solution described will create the assemblies automatically for you and more... Regards Anbu

[ 10-01-2002, 09:08 AM: Message edited by: Anbu Lingappan - Intercam Europe ]

Hello For those interested in finding out more about Moldplus before trying the software, there is a Powerpoint Presentation available on the Moldplus Website. You can take a look at it directly from the Web, if you have a fast connection or download the presentation. www.moldplus.com Moldplus - Makes the difference Regards.

Moldplus Surface trimming an Untrimming utilities. Fast and powerful. Just the Suprtrim module will save you loads of time in getting the results you want. Contact your local Mastercam reseller for a demo or to give Moldplus a try. Regards.

For pricing for Camaix CAMAIX USA CAMAIX USA Daniel Harris 1515 cliffwood place Charlotte NC 28203 Phone: 1-704 342 9292 Fax: 1-704 342 9873 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.camaix.com

Project Manager from Camaix - specifically designed to manage your Mastercam file projects. Check it out. www.camaix.com or specifically http://www.camaix.com/English/Projektverwaltung/prjmanag.htm Regards

Hello Elad I am glad that you can get IGES files from your customers to do your work. There are a lot of customers who are given the files from large companies and asked to do the job. Just the native CATIA or ProE. If they cant import the file, they dont have the job. In this situation, what would you prefer to do? Buy a seat of CATIA or ProE just to import the files or simply have a translator to accomplish that job? The reason why translators, such as the CATIA and ProE and the rest are available is to satisfy exactly the above mentioned need - an option that costs far less than buying a system of CATIA and having it in-house. Ofcourse, nothing can be provided for free. We pay our royalties to make this translator and get it working for you. We provide a service. We cannot provide it for free. If you can get away without it, great. Regards.

Hello The CATIA Solids to Mastercam Solids converter is available for trial. The version is 9.0.03 The Solids translation is still a beta release. We have received positive feedback on the translator from customers trying them. For customers interested in trying the translator, please contact your local Mastercam reseller to arrange for a trial or send an email to [email protected]. We will need your SIM number and customer information. If you currently own the translator and just want to try the Solids portion, let us know. The Solids translator only works with Mastercam Version 9. We have no support for CATIA Solids to Mastercam Solids translation in Mastercam V8.1.1 Regards. [ 06-20-2002, 08:39 AM: Message edited by: Anbu Lingappan - Intercam Europe ]

Hello For everyone using Yahoo and AOL and other free email accounts, you are bound to get unsolicited mail because they are free. With Yahoo for instance, they recently added a "Marketing Preference" option in the mail accounts that allows for additional and all sorts of unsolicited mail to be sent to you without consent. Ofcourse there is a way to turn it off and you have to change your mail settings in order to do so. Check this link for more details: http://www.adsubtract.com/advisor/summer02...tent/news1.html You cannot help Spam. But, you can sure find ways to minimize it by watching (1) who you send emails to (try avoiding sending and responding to mass emails) and (2) managing your cookies placed on your system and (3) the type of Web sites you visit. When cookies are placed on your system, they track the websites you visit, gather as much as information as possible, solicit your email in certain cases and then sell that information to others. Software programs such as Adsubtract will help eliminate unwanted advertisements when visiting Web sites and most importantly - allow you to control which cookies are placed on your system. There is really nothing that can be sent from a forum to someone, unless the people running the forum are selling your information, which is not the case here. Please be aware that some cookies placed on your system are essential to save important data. You cannot reject them. Emastercam places a cookie and that is essential to visit this site regularly and have your access data saved. Hope this helps. There is no reason to panic other than watch your steps. Regards. [ 06-17-2002, 07:21 PM: Message edited by: Anbu Lingappan - Intercam Europe ]

Hi If you already have Mastercam software (as you have mentioned), you have all the software programming tools you need for the Integrex and other machines. I dont believe you need to invest in additional software such as the Mazatrol Camware in addition to Mastercam. Regards.

Hello The Mazatrol programming is good for most of the 2D machining / milling as well as the turning. Even their B axis indexing works well for the Integrex. The reason you need an external program such as Mastercam is to take advantage of the entire combination of 3D machining and 2D machining on the Integrex. I believe you cannot generate good/reliable 3D surface machining programs on the Mazatrol programming software. This is why Mazak teamed up with Mastercam to bring you a complete off-line programming solution for the Integrex machine. I believe several dealers have developed the Integrex post processor for a machine with a sub-spindle and single spindle. You can take full advantage of the B axis for indexing and for C axis and/or 3axis machining with regular turning. Mastercam Lathe 9 with the new part transfer routine, ability to flip the part and combination of Milling upto 5 axis and lathe combined will allow you to push the machine to the limits. So, you will find yourself probably using both forms of programming (Mazatrol and Mastercam Lathe) to get the job done, but will lean more towards programming with Mastercam Lathe and Mill combination because of the added advantages. I assume you do have Mastercam Mill. If you do, then the combination of Mill and Lathe is the ultimate for the Integrex machine. Good luck.

Hi James We pushed the limits of the Chooks with Paraplus and realized that it wasnt possible to continue developing Paraplus. We do realize the need for such a product. If anything changes, we will keep you posted. Regards

Hello Moldplus latest version is 9.09.33 Please contact your resellers to get the latest versions. Staying upto date will ensure that the software functions well for you at all times. Catia Read / Write version 9.0.03 Catia translator has an improved Solids translator feature (Direct Catia Solids to Mastercam Solids). It is now in beta stage and customers can contact their resellers to try the Solids portion. We can generate test codes for customers interested in trying the Solids translation. As soon as it is available for commercial release, we will inform you. Thank you for your continued support of Moldplus products. Regards