When I was doing work for Boeing they requested the same so did the webinar with Kubotek to see what the software could do. At that time they couldn't compare Catia to mcam so I would have to translate out after I finished translating in. So thinking my original Catia file is (A) my mcam file is ( and my Catia created from exported mcam as ©. You need to compare A to C. I asked them if I do have a error how do I know whether the error occured between A and B or B and C if I can only compare A to C. They had no answer to that at Kubotek. The Einsteins in QC pushed and bought the software anyways even after I pleaded for Verisurf on the grounds that they could get 2 seats for the price of verisurf. So now we have 2 computers with a expensive desktop icon that hasn't been double clicked since it was installed.

There is some info on here which parameters to change check out section 4.48 pg. 288 http://www.cnccenter.com/pdfs/63010en.pdf

Ya those will work thanks guys

We have a problem with operators over torquing and under torquing insert screws. I remeber seeing a set of torx wrenches that had lights inside so as soon as the right tourque was applied they would light up but can't seem to find them anywhere. Does anywhere know where I could get these or any other products that would laso fit the bill.

newbeeee. I would only be pulling 2.5 diameter 4-5" max. How well do bar pullers work with hexagon blanks?

James yes I was referring to depth of cut. Now with the bar puller (I am more of a mill guy being asked to convert to lathe) can it work with a bar feeder? If it was your money and you had to hold those tolerances on length would you go bar feeder bar puller or bar feeder plus programmable tail stock?

How substantialy do box ways out perform linear. I also am looking for a small lathe. We have mazak daewoo okuma haas tongtai and some knock off piece of junk I just looked at earlier today (brand new machine that had a used pulse handle because the new one didn't work and a service tech scratching his head unsure why the brand new machine won't move which is very reassuring). I have been around a lot of daewoos and have been impressed at what they do. Is the extra cash for a mazak really worth it when its large volume small parts with fairly light tolerances? Most of are parts are never bigger then 2.5" dia and 4-5" long. I just want a 24/7 lights out machine. One other question is how many people use programmable tail stock for part off is it necessary or is the bar feeder push accurate enough to hold +/-.005?

The iscar is nice but Dijet SWB Series offers the exact same cutter but the inserts are a fraction of the price. I am guessing you are blowing through inserts because you are hitting rads smaller then 3/8 and this cutter is being used for remachining If that is the case try a parallel remachine using a smaller cutter using collapse and clear the rad out before going in with the 3/4. Is this inserted cutter the single insert or the 2 inserts? The single is for finishing the dual is for roughing. I use these in tool steels.

have you considered creating default operations the way you want them and import them and just add a chain for each pocket. I know its still multiple operations but if you are doing the exact same thing day in and out seems like this would be faster then manually recreating the operation over and over.

I see this coming up a lot so far in many posts but are people aware of the options tab in the file open dialog box. When you choose to open the sldprt and import you can choose to import with edge curves. Then use delete duplicates to clean up the file

Personally I love fanuc controls. and I have used all 3. I find siemans to be a bit of a pain and to have a lot of unnecessary features and screens to navigate through where the fanuc is a lot more straight forward and easier to find your way around with fewer sub screens.

why not have it in both places? There are many different ways to do a lot of things in mcam whats one more. Atleast then you could save when you want so when your part dictates a different sfm then what you are use to you can do it on the fly as opposed to having to overwrite your standard settings

I have one library that I have created tools for each material we cut regularly for each machine we have.The cutters are different grades # of flutes helix and so on so why not have more then one it really helps out my operators as well.. I use the calculator and send it to the machine tweak it at the machine to what the machine can handle now when I find the sweet spot on that particular machine I go back to my library and edit my tool accordingly. Takes a lot of work at first but when its done its done.

My reason for using positive offsets is because my offset is equal to the physical length of the tool which allows a quick tape measure check on the length to know if the tool was set properly. I don't have presetters or probes either I guage g54 z off the spindle nose and go. I know everyone has their own preference but the ones who don't use the g54 z height what do you do when the job changes and there are repeat tools? Unless I am missing a step with negative offsets wouldn't that mean you have to reset your tools each and everytime? +1 to the after g43 line let it rip the code in the middle you have to trust is right. If I am running a new program and am worried about my tool being long enough cause I choke down as much as possible and may have burned myself once or twice forgetting to turn "break thru" off on mcam.

You may have to tighten the locks on your B axis. There should be a plug in the top of the table. Pull it out get a flash light rotate the table till you see the locks. They will be split so loosen the screws then make a tool to tighten the actual split nut (I just used a shaft that I put 2 dowels in the spacing for the nut welded it to to socket and used extensions to reach down into the table) then tighten the screws again.HTH

The machine is a 1997 VF-2. The company bought the machine used 3 years ago so I have no idea what the previous owner did to maintain the machine. As for the 3 years it was here I can only speculate but speaking to the one operator I have that has been here a year and a half he says none. I am in the process of getting maintenance schedules and all that in place but when you spend your time trying to beat tools out of the holders and with all the stuff that is broken time is of a issue especially when you are busy. The shop was owned by a employee at our foundry who saw all the machining being out sourced so went took a machining course then bought a machine shop and started working for his own and getting the work from our main plant. He then sold the machine shop to us but before that he let the thing run into the ground knowing he was just giving up the machine shop anyways. With the main plant not having anyone with a machining background they don't know what they bought and now that I am here and showing them just how bad it is things are getting back up to par. It is so bad they were using one type of oil (hydraulic 46) for everything. chiller, lube hydraulic. Not knowing the machines used different lubes for different systems. You can tell what the guy was doing. He would write a new program and because he didn't know how the Z offset and H offsets workedd together every job he reset all the tools leaving the g54 Z value at zero and negative values for all the H lengths. Would hit start on a unproven program and take off and do what whatever he felt like come back hoping he had a good part. I am actually quite impressed that the this lil vf-2 didn't stall as it smeared the inch off that holder in the pic above. I have to get a rush contract out then early next week will have a tech to reload all the software see if that helps if not the boards will probably have to be replaced. I just hate having to keep asking for money but if they want parts made profitably I need this stuff to work properly

What would a crash from months ago have to do with offsets chanfing themselves and alarms being generated that don't even exist?

One of the beauties I can't even imagine the sound that this crash must of made. There is over a inch of the holder that was melted off

My operators are unskilled they are button pushers I make sure the doors are always closed when they are the one in front of it flipping parts. It's easy for us who program and are machinist who know the proper ways to use distance to go and to verify tool lengths before there is a boom and where we want the machine to go to limit problems before it happens. When I started oin cnc after years on manuals I was forced to learn how to program from my first day on the machine. I refuse to run other peoples program when its my face in the machine and I can't read block by block. I really don't know how operators can feel comfortable running these machines when they can't read code. Atleast they trust I will keep them safe. I just started at this place recently and the last programmer manually programmed everything. He didn't know you could actually have more then one program in the machine at a time. All of our work is reepeat we have a product line that we just keep rolling all of our parts as orders come in.They manually reprogram part a each and everytime they got a PO for that specific part. The amount of smashed tools and holders I have on the floor from mistakes manual programming and trying to machine 2 inches deep with a tool that is sticking a inch out of a holder is embarassing to look at. Here is a pic of one of our award winners.I will put it in my next post as its loaded in my phone and not on my computer.

Not that I know of. I used 10 good 11th bad as an example the problem is completely random. I have been having a tonne of problems I am thinking its a board thats dying but trying to band aid it long enough till I can convince the ones signing PO's that Haas is a POS I will run a part everything is good then it will run the next part and the feed will just stop and I get a alarm 366. Check the alarm message it says "unassigned". There is no alarm 366. But yet it stops the machine. Another problem I had with it the other day was. I had a tall part and long tool so I had to put safety move so the umbrella tool changer didn't crash and the tool cleared the part. Ran a couple pieces and except for the itermitentalarm 366 and my automatic coolant not being able to position and alarming out the machine I was hesitant everytime that tool was called and M00 that tool and would reduce my rapid to make sure it goes up before getting over the part the tool started going up I hit 100% rapid button. It jumped my block and instead of clearing to the commanded g43 Z clearance plane it went to the next block and snapped my tool off into the side of the piece. The tool was a 1.5" indexable that snapped like a twig. Can't believe it snapped before blowing the servo and stalling the machine. And the last fun thing it decided to do later that next day was grab the wrong tool. I command T2 it grabbed T20. I reset the program. go into mdi try to pull t2 tool doesn't change. I go back into the program restart it it grabs the right tool and chugs along doing what I am telling it to do. And of couirse this all happens on rush jobs where the truck is scheduled before the parts are made and these delays causes my salesmen to have to call the customers and delay shipment and reschedule cartage. My salesmen don't give a flying eff about the machine not working right they are butt hurt they have to call customers and have that conversation and look at me like this is my fault.

There is no G91 its not doing this incrementally. I* can run 10 parts and it will put the right offset in then the 11th it changes my R value to some random number that wouldn't even add up if it was moving in a incremental value.

My Haas has been working like crap lately and now its doing a really fun thing. I use G10 a lot for similiar parts that only difference is the type of finishing. So lately my Haas when it reads the R value it will set it correctly then a few parts later it will add its own value. Put R.004 I get R.012. Other then the fact its a Haas is there any reason this should do this? I am hoping to not have to start replacing boards or the controller but I can't have the machine changing offsets to whatever it wants on me. Thanks in advance for any help.

Hello. I have a 6T controller and I would like to tweak the DFTX&Z parameter to compensate for the drift of the machine. I know the value can be anywhere between +-500 which I believe is 0.0500". Now is this compensation per inch or over the travel of the machine? Thanks in advance for any help.

If you can see the proximity switch try covering it for each holder in the carousel to trick the machine into thinking there is a tool in the pot. If you can't see them check if the door to the carousel is operated by a solenoid. Manually trip the solenoid to open the door so you can shove a tool into the pot.

deleted sorry misread that