Lee

When your views are correct, yes it will, so you really don't need to pick a location. But double check for your own security by checking a X,Y dimension. Or have the hot keys enabled in your autocurser, then hit the (O) key for the origin. You probably already knew of the hot key.

No backing up.

Hit shift and hold/ click 1st entity of chain/then last entity you want/ then let go of shift.

Thanks for the tip!

I have mine set as Stock Setup and it always stays the way I like.

Ok try this in your pocket toolpath.

In the roughing/Fininshing Para. tab set:

z clearance : .1

XY clearance: .1 (If you have the room between tool and geomtery)

Plunge Zig angle: 3

Plunge Zag Angle: 3

If ramp fails : Plunge

Entry feed rate: Feed rate

Give this a try and watch it back plot 1st. With these settings it will only ramp if there is enough tool clearance.

HTH

All I know is that if I was cutting square pockets in wood I'd use a 2 flute end mill so the heat build up is minimal with air to get the chips out. I would then use a smaller cutter to get a smaller corner radius if needed with a remachining toolpath. I would also ramp the cutter in. Unless I don't understand what your trying to accomplish.

What are you using for a cutter now? Maybe the cutter should be smaller. With a 2 flute you can even do a plungecut at a slower feedrate right down to the bottom depth. Program it as a seperate tool path if you need to but it can be done in one as far as I can see. HTH

A smaller cutter is used and will mill where the larger would not.

Wood? Cool! I would try a ramp entry 1st.

You can do a change at point also. Look at your lead-in tab in your TPath parameter page I believe there is a place to change some entry parameters. I never needed to do this, but take a look anyways.

If so I would think it's something with your toolpath, or tool. Please try another operation to verify using another tool. Say for instance a 2D contour. Just quickly make up a bogus toolpath. Omit verifying your original op and see if it works.

Thoob,

Go to your stock setup in the toolpath manager

and click on select corners. Then while in the top view select just outside the part to draw a window then just out side on the opposite corner

to finish the window size. Adjust your Z height a little above zero say for instance .050 in the box on the lower left, then on the picture to the right it has a box for the Z.

In that box enter a value about .100 thicher than your part actually is. That should do it for setting up your stock for verify. Save your file so it will always define your stock correctly when you open this file.

There are other methods also but this will work to accomplish your goal of seeing it verify.

Actually maybe something in your Machine Configuration.

Ditto

This is just an idea

That has a familiar ring to it. When I started wire I used to get Taper Angle Exceeds limit or something like that. But when it posted things looked good except I would get the warning.

Take a peek at your start positions in the machine definition I had to change the Z start position in wire from 10 inches to zero and the warning stopped. Just maybe you need to change your start position..

Sorry you could flame me for this suggestion if you wish as it's a shot from the dark side.

I believe you mean merged entities.

After merging and accepting the geometry hit the undo button.

Sounds like your trying to skim out weld.

The depth of the weld compared to the part thickness may be why your shorting out. Did you try slowing down the burn in the machine control, or changing the FC Override to -2 or maybe lower?

Just a suggestion anyways and good luck. I believe the FC override raises the off time.

I'm also interested in this so the vacuum will stay on until the end of program. Right now it shuts off at every tool change.

Steve Biehl taught me that awhile ago on one of his visits.

millmold

Do you have pro e on your pc?

Anyways,

Have the pro e dude export the files as levels with surfaces and wireframe edges.

[ 01-16-2008, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: edmBosto ]

I believe the Machine def. start point is set to 10 inches on the Z for milling purposes.

I have my Z set to zero.

Go to

Settings/

Machine Def. Manager/

In the lower right Machine Config. window in machine Base, under Upper Wre Guide Group, double click on the Z Axis icon and a new window will open for the z axis. Change Initial Position to zero.

Then save the settings and then replace your machine in the tool path manager under properties.

HTH.

Jerry,

I'm not at work but what is the machine definition x,y,z set to? If the Z is 10. try setting it to 0 and see if that helps.

If you open your chain manager you'll see you have 3 chains instead of one.

Click the 1st entity then the last and nothing in between.

Bowman I feel your pain. I design my trodes different ways and that all depends on the geometry or the mood I am in. (Usually a good mood )

Sometimes I call for a XZ orbit or YZ. Other times cirle, or X.

I like taking some of the steel geo. and throw it on another level and extend the geo to a z height.

Then I can lie about my tool cutter sizes to allow for the overburn.

Other times I design it using the cavity steel size and make a solid out of it with the mastercam solids add on. I also have the option of shelling the electrode then make surfaces from that, then change the outside color and delete that new outside color. Then I am left with a gapped shape. I like to take that gapped shape and make a solid from it and create curved edges since that is the best way to get the edges. Sometimes I'll recreate the fillets for an X or square orbit.

So to answer your questions I use the solid add on alot. I can draft the sides and create fillets very easily.

Another avenue to take would be to extract the geometry using pro-e. A pro e expert can show you how to do that.

I think it's good to know several ways.

Or I just push the easy button!

Try the "S" keyboard button to step.

If you have access to pro e I would use that as I believe it would be the easiest.

JM2C

______________________

EDIT!

Cool!

I just tried out the solid layout as Steven suggested on a rather involved solid.

Very nice!

I like That suggestion better than pro e.

Thanks Steve I never tried it before.

I had done a couple undercuts in MC9 years ago.

I had lied as to what the cutter actually was. The undercut I did had an angle in it also, but it worked very well.

First I finished the bore straight down, then another path was probably a 2D contour with my form tool I had to make up (don't retract the tool yet of coarse). Then I did a lead straight back out on the Y, then let the tool retract on the Z.

If I didn't lie to mastercam it would not have allowed me to cut it on the path I had used.

This may be wrong with X2 now but the method I had used was simliar to what I am describing and the results were perfect.

Verify didn't show the path correctly since I had used a stepped cutter of coarse.

Your circumstance seems somewhat similiar to me the way I understand your post.

This is only a suggestion.