I sympathise with J, I get these errors daily and I seem to be narrowing it down to when you first create a toolpath all is good, but dont even think of changing a tool or a setting or I get the big CRASH. " out of mem, allocation too low etc etc." I am using VER9 Router 1 and Mill 3 and ART over both, I cannot yet try X because I cannot get it to provide me with the same machine def for both Router and Mill as I only have the 1 machine at this time, but that is another story. WHAT I WOULD WISH FOR? Is a video, downloadable from MC with a step through as to how to set the programs parameters up from start, not these "gettting started etc" books that always seem to miss settings or not provide sufficient information for me to ensure ALL settings are optimised. OR maybe those of us that have these issues could have a "GO TO MEETING " with someone from MC and use SKYPE for the FREEcomunicating and let us all walk the process, it would certainly save me money, even if I was charged for it. chris f

Thanks Robert, yes I have level 1 router and level 3 mill so there are a lot of surface toolpaths etc that I need in mill, that is why I am having a torrid time getting both to work. I need router for nesting and block drilling and art and mill for the rest which is a lot and I am also running ART under Mill 3 to see if it crashes less. thanks chris

Ken, excuse me, but how do you do anything if you only have a blue screen. i gusee you fill up the right click button? chris f

I went in and deleted everything under machines in mill to get rid of all the included garbage, there was not another 750.PST under mill but there is under Router and that is also where I want it. Router is OK but I do not know if mill can use or will use the router machine def? but it certainly wont allow me to bring in the same post for both??

ll, I am trying to get X up to speed and I use a CNC Router so I have a post for it called 750.pST which I tried to import using the update as per the transition guide. I cannot see the machine in the machine def file under Mill, it is there under Router and so I tried to re-import it and I now get the following error, 9 - 14 Feb 2006 03:39:01 PM - Enable debugging in the NC Output page of the post's Control Definition to debug/verify an updated post. what gives, and how do I fix this? chris f

gcode, I did all of that still no go that was what I mentioned above when I said "Re-completed all of the Getting started, Transition guide.Read the books, tried everything." I seriously am contemplating selling the CNC machine which was bought for this project in April last year and with this ongoing learning curve I am getting every day from MC which I think is now excessive. Maybe I just have a crap computer and I am a dumb xxxx with currently zero patience ($200,000 in the hole as well) and requesting "permission" to move the software with the CNC as I have just about had enough. For example I have had a lot of ongoing problems with the ART add on mostly we believe due to the size of the components I am trying to make. And a few seconds ago I got another surprise, this time with MC ver 9. In that I imported my companies logo to generate an engraving tool path, selected all the chains and set the tool parameters etc as you do, it then started to fiddle around 2 minutes plus ( normally this would take a second or two) up then comes a German screen with an editor in GERMAN then the generated "toolpath" is for the logo and it has decided to add a toolpath for a wheel chair over the top of the logo tool path, this is part of a job I did last year, how did it find it and arbitarily decide to include it. ??????? beats me I am in the process of sending this "new system toolpath to MC" And they wonder why I have had it with their programs, not to mention that I paid for full maintenance for a program they are not going to maintain, but that is another issue. Thanks for trying to assist. kind regards chris flint

Had a look at the movies and there is no reference as to how to do what I am looking for. Re-completed all of the Getting started, Transition guide.Read the books, tried everything. All a waste of time ( a hell of a lot of time)., I cannot seem to get MCX to go and get my tool library which I can see clearly in WIN explorer and MC9 etc etc. The import function does not allow me to expand the folder beyond Tools, but it is in tools, and is named Rtools_mm.TL9 When I import the tool shapes flash on the screen, but I am damned if I can see my library at the end of this or find it or select it. About to give this whole X thing a miss and go and buy something els FEDUP and not enough life left to F***** around with someting which should be simple, every other program I get and over time update do not have any where near as much crap as I am getting here. VENTED

The material is acrylic, thanks so far all of you. regards chris f

Thank you Paul chris f

thanks James

I have done the machine def etc for X but when I dial up Mill for posting I get the MPFAN as the machine def, I want the one I created , which is NUM750, but I cannot seem to work out how to tell Mill where or how to find and use this definition, should I just delete all the other definitions to stop any possible confusion in the future. thanks chris f

Ver9 Hi Guys, I have to machine some standard full sheets of 3mm perspex using MC router nesting, piece sizes are 250mm X 60mm. I want to use a 3/16 plastic cutter and would appreciate some input as to feeds and speeds. Should I use a cold gun to cool the cutter, and is it common to use the dust extraction for plastics. thanks

G'Day all, I am new to surfaces and want to know how to solve the following problem. I select all surfaces etc and machine them using various strategy's, but when the last cut is finished the floor of the item in other words where everything has been reliefed from is not flat, reason, all surface machining seems to select only ball/spherical tools and compensates to the centre or tip, so it leaves the step over marks in this case 0.5mm ( 6.35mm ball tool)but it is not flat and the customer wants flat. What I want to do is select the flatish, now scalloped base and machine it flat with a 10mm end mill to complete the job and remove the tool marks left from the ball tools. Hope this makes sense so far, without pictures hard to explain and I do not know how to load a picture as part of this question, otherwise I would. When I select the surface I now want to machine flat, it does not matter what tool I select or what surface machining strategy I select, I get stuck with a ball shape tool on the Parameter page and I am not able to compensate left or right, and can only choose tip or centre, with the result that the 10mm tool cuts into the prevoiusly perfectly finished surfaces and I do not know how to get it to cut iE: compensate left of the surfaces base boundary, in other words leave it alone, stay away from the previous machining operation. I thought maybe I should tell it that the 10mm tool is actually 20mm to get it to stay away from the surface boundary, but I am sure that is not what MC had in mind when they designed the program. For Thad, VER 9 Mill 3 help I am going crazy

Try Snagit it has a free trial period and frankly is the best program I have ever bought and it has helped me sell a lot of MC work and the new one can save as PDF

Try deleting the chains one by one by one and see the result, after a repaint if you end up with bits left behind, there is your problem. Sometimes you have to zoom in about a million times to find the problem, I find it quicker to delete and redraw to endpoints.

When you say a "file containing a hydraulic motor" do you want a sketch/picture/full drawing of a motor or the schematic for a motor? chris f

Tony I am not sure how to "create edge curves" On a new drawing, I would like to copy the geometry and get a clean copy in MC. I imported this new job from DXF the piece is 20 X 20 inches and when I went "screen endpoints" it highlights about 300 endpoints. Which could take all day to sort, surely the import function is a bit better than that, I imported a DXF from a customer that emailed me the DXF. Is there perhaps a switch I need to activate to get the drawing into MC with "less" endpoints, overlaps etc, as this makes me think the import function is not real flash? chris f

I forgot the screen endpoint function. More to remember. thanks chris f

Yes I did try join and by the way sorry to all. I am in V9 latest release.( Got X but cannot use it as it does not yet support ART, which is my main use program). I have found the join operation to be frankly hopeless, in that whenever I have used it it did not work and gave me some lame explanation as to why it couldnt, splines mixing with lines maybe is the issue. Anyway good news I found the problem. Whe I zoomed up to about 1 million percent there was a tiny squigle of a line across one of the lines, tried to delete it, would not go away, so I deleted the line and there it still was, tried to chain select it and could not, so I "delete, window" and then it dissapeared. Redrew the line and now all is happy, how one is supposed to find these problems quickly is a mystery to me.Surely MC could put in a chook the "creates geometry in problem areas" and then lets you select it if you are happy with the suggested outcome, more for the wish list. Anyway many thanks to all I learnt a heck of a lot from the replies to this question. regards to all. chris flint

Thanks for the assistance, I was unaware of the overlap chook I have now used that and will keep it in my armoury for the future, good one thanks. I checked the 3D and no I am in T. ALT E is another great help as it isolates the problem and in amongst the lines it is very difficult to remember which one it is, thanks for that one too.( got a bit of a worry when I could not get the drawing back so thought "just press alt e again" and voila there it was). And yes they are mainly splines that are giving me a problem. What I have done to correct it and managed to stop the issue was to "Fillet" the corner with a 0.5mm radius this seems to join the lines and splines and allow me to continue completing the toolpaths 0.5mm on a 2800mm board is not going to be a problem. But I still do not understand why the trim feature does not "join" the open boundaries,( strait lines to splines), perhaps I just do not know which trim function to select for the best effect. But to all many thanks for the input I am indeed indebted to this forum. chris flint

I have tried that even to the extent of re creating this part of the geometry from a workable one, but it says "overlapping entities" and I am damned if I can find them chris f

G'Day all, I am having a heck of a time with an open chain. I have what to me looks like a completely closed boundary, which I want to pocket to remove the material to a depth of 6mm. I have :Modify, Trim etc.etc to ensure all looks ok and is trimmed together. If I select delete Chain the whole thing deletes. But when I Toolpath, Pocket, Chain, I get the "Branch Point reached, end here" with the cursed red arrow. I have tried to re-trim all, I have tried to join, I have tried Squash, I have told it to ignore depths. What am I missing. This is one contour in amongst 20 or so all of the others do not have the same problem. Where to from here. Thanks chris f

Psychomill, you have delivered me from darkness. Thanks a heap, I think your method is fantastic, and will end this for me issue for ever, and save a lot of extra drawing of offset contours. thanks again chris f PS to Millingman thans for the pointer, but I think it odd that we cannot post JPEG images with our posts here? ( maybe again I just do not know how to do it).

Guy's, I am having a problem I have a contour which is 20mm wide 6mm high and is 1800 mm long. My first machining toolpath is to cut the above contour. Now I want to radius both top sides ( it is a mould, for easier release). The tool (in the pic, don't know how to add the darn pic nothing in FAQ) is a "roundover tool" with the following dimensions. shank 12.73mm, width 16mm,2 flute flat plate like cutter which has 2 radius's X 5mm and the flat centre is 1/4inch 6.35mm wide effectivly the centre of the tool is in the middle of the 6.35 and then you get the 2 radius's then up to the flutes. How much must I offset the contour and then use compensate either left or right to get this tool to trim radius. ( round over the top 2 sides, does not have to be full radius, just enough to smooth it). Everytime I program it and then run verify it seems/looks wrong, and is driving me crazy, cause it should be simple. I cannot afford to run the job and screw it up as it is a huge 2800 X 1800 mould. Anyone care to assist. thanks chris f

Greg I have it in Brisbane and can post it to you if you want.just call 0738691350