i ran the multi arc edit and it shrunk the radius like i wanted but didnt keep them trimmed to the other enitys, which would be time consuming to go and trim them all--is there another method?

If you have fillets instead of arcs, try using the fillet chain option,

create new fillets .0375, window select all chains,

then use mask only, misc, dia = .038 to select the fillets to delete

For X6 you can download it here:

http://gmccs.de/?page=downloads.php&dl_grp=8&pt=X%2B+Tool+Downloads

Just make sure you get the english version, unless german is your thing

Once installed you have to execute it by looking in "C:\Program Files\mcamx6\chooks\X+"

Take a look at some of the other tools that come with it, they can become quite useful.

My favorite is rename nci.

Great tip ajmer!

I might add that if you have the X+ add-ins installed, there is a Chook "chainit.dll" that allows you use the chaining dialog box (without toolpaths) for preselection of geometry, eliminating the need to go the whole contour toolpath, display only associative geometry etc....route.

JM2C

Ninja,

I appreciate the help, If it's workarounds, I have tons of those.

It's just every once in a while I think to myself "There has to be an easier way"

Thanks,

Thanks Ninja,

That does work,

Can be a PITA if you have lots of chains, which is my case.

I am interested to know if possible with single chain.

Really looking long term here, something that I would use often not just today.

I would save those settings to my bag of tricks

If "tapered walls" in depth cuts took negative values it would work, set it to -45 deg.

I have done the work-arounds, Never cared to have feeds and speeds change.

I usually do it for features that need decent finish but not size critical

I have tried messing with the different switches inside depth cuts and multi-passes with no luck.

Thanks for the help guys!

Is it possible to have within "ONE single operation" using the same piece of geometry, a single milling pass that leaves stock in "XY" and "Z" and then a second milling pass that comes back and removes that stock in "XY" and "Z"

First pass, leaves .002 on "XY" and .002 on "Z"

Second pass removes the .002 from "XY" and "Z"

Hopefully the tool can stay down between first and second pass

Thanks ahead of time.

i don't think believe there is a mass edit.

Your easiest way might be to renumber the levels one at a time, In level manager right click on the level you would like to renumber and type in the new level number and press enter.

Hey guys,

 

Is there a way to lock entities?

 

I have a part I'm making that I have fixtures modeled to hold the part and I don't want to edit them. In fact I don't want anything to do with them I just want to make sure my tools don't hit them.

 

Is there a way to lock a entity so I can delete it or modify it, maybe locking a level or something like that.

 

Any ideas?

 

TIA

 

Greg

I have not heard of locking entities, sounds like something we could all use though. You could use a an oddball color to draw up all fixture related geo, then set mask to not be able to select that particular color for the rest of your session.

OR

Could you make your fixture into a solid and use it to verify/backplot, or make fixture into a solid and boolean add your workpiece to the fixture and verify or backplot to it. With the solid you could turn it into a "dummy" solid or take the 2d geo used to make it and blank them.

You might need to resize the "levels" window or use the scroll to the right to find it, but it is there, at least in X6mu1

Well said Neurosis. I can only wish that X7 is nothing but a proper working version of Mastercam with attention paid to ALL the problems that still persist since X started.

If that ever happened I am sure many would drop maintenance, I have been hanging on for years hoping the next release will be better and I am still waiting...

I may not fully understand the question but...

Could you simply create a new flat surface at the plane that you want, and include that surface with the others that you have selected for that particular operation.

Drill any holes with carbide drills and thread mill wherever possible.

Are the carbide drills and thread milling a must, Can it be drilled with hss or cobalt?

Or tapped conventionally?

Not sure how H1150 compares to H1025.

According to our supplier (Earle M. Jorgensen) H1150 is 33 rc and H1025 is 38 rc.

17-4 annealed is one of the worst ss to work with,

I agree, warps, twists you name it... sadly the only state we have ever machined this stuff is in the annealed state,

just now trying to explore the thought of h/t to reduce instability.

Thanks for the help guys!

We need to make some parts out of some 17-4 SS, it comes in annealed, we need it to end up in condition H1025 around 38rc.

The part is about 12 x 2 x 5/8 has a few areas with some cutouts, lots of critical detail and a handful of tight tolerance holes.

Just trying to get an idea of how some of you process this stuff.

Do you send it out to get it treated and then do ALL machining, or rough some detail out and send it out for h/t then do final machining.

BTW, only 4 parts with aprrox. 40-50 hours of machining going into them.

Thanks ahead of time!

Thanks Ajmer!

Thats it,

I thought that I have seen a demo of that feature.

I have never used some of these toolpaths, I will give it a shot.

Is it possible to specify a line, arc or spline entity or chain as the sole method of entry when using pocketing operation?

Rich

Mastercam X4 MU3

Is it possible to reset or restart this poll?

Last year when this poll took place I mentioned to my boss about maybe getting me a dual setup.

He said it was not the right time with the economy etc.

I think the time is right, I would like to know what people out there are using today. given that the price of these things are dropping out of the sky!

That's the only reason why I have the "view manager" in my right mouse button menu.

This really annoyed me a few years back, but I got used to always double checking the WCS before moving on.

OOOPS!! had a little typo

Tim,

You are correct, If you have mutiple machine groups in your file, your WCS will always match the last WCS assigned to that machine group of where your "red arrow of doom" is.

Tim,

You are If you have mutiple machine groups in your file, your WCS will always match the last WCS assigned to that machine group of where your "red arrow of doom" is.

Try posting to a different directory/folder

I am constantly laying out cavity ID numbers for jobs I do. These are anywhere from .06 to .100 high, point being is that a "1" from MC starts looking like a blob when it is cut with a .015 wide cutter, it is more legible if it is simply a vertical line. ie "|"

I could probably sell the boss on the "3"

but the 6 and 9 are extremely butt-ugly

I have a pattern of all numbers that I currently import and manually move around and position into each cavity.... extremely time consuming, even worse when they want to move the numbers to the other half of the tool or resize the numbers.

Using the Drafting options gives you the "Center" and "half" option. which no matter how many characters you have will position it correctly. Using MCX fonts turns off the drafting options and then you only have the ability to position from first character.

Thanks,

Rich

The handful of windows fonts I have seen are pocket type and not stick type.

Thanks,

Rich