G10 is pretty powerful. While mostly used to record workshift positions into a program, it can also be used to record and/or change D and H. It can be used with either G90 or G91.

Here's a totally different idea. What if you used G10 in the program to set the offset value. It's no more awkward than using different D's, but you have the added security of not having someone make an offset to the wrong tool.

I would think that this could be implemented through the machine def. Since you need a post loaded to do any machining, Mastercam could look up the values used and simply replace them in the view table.

Ramp off the cut with a rad only slightly smaller than the bore.

Also. alt v will show you what version you have installed.

Maria, the interface from v9 and prior is very different to X and later. There will be no confusing the two.

While not completely addressing your question. If you switched to using wear type cutter comp, you could have just one copy of your macro with the plus and minus .010 values.

Here's my time with x3, same system.

Dell precision 490

Intel Xeon 2.66ghz

2 gig ram

Xp pro

Nvidia nv285(go figure)

6:56 X2 Mr2

5:50 X3 Mu1

The toolpath editor should have the ability to move a point in the toolpath by typing in a coordinate.

When moving a file that I did at home over the weekend, to the work site computer, Mastercam dutifully respects all of the file locations on my home computer. I would like to see a dialog box asking me if I want to update those file locations, this should happen when importing a file made in a previous version.

Vardex TMC 075-6 124/201 with a 028/019VKX insert is what you need.

I do these plunge/ramp toolpaths all the time, probably one or two a week. It works just as gcode described it. sometimes I play with the top of stock value to get the cut that I want.

I whipped up an example, here is what I get.

%

O0( T-2 )

( DATE = 25-03-09 TIME=HH:MM - 09:52 )

G0G90G54

M1

N1( 1/2 FLAT VARIMILL,TOOL - 1,DIA. OFF. - 1,LEN. - 1,,TOOL DIA. - .5)

T1

M06

M8

G0G90G54X-10.Y0.S1069M3

G43H1Z1.

Z.1

G1Z-.1F6.4

X10.

Z-.2

X-10.

Z-.3

X10.

Z-.4

X-10.

Z-.5

X10.

G0Z.1

G0G28G91Z0

M9

G28Y0.

M30

%

Perhaps it's a windoze file properties issue, if you right click on a file type and click open with, select X3. I think that windows will then remember to open that file type with X3.

All those skills and for 25K, sweet.

I still have V7, V9, X2Mr2 and X3, installed.

No shortage of space so no compelling reason to delete. I sometimes open a V7 file to backplot surface driven toolpaths. Rarely, on certain contours V7 will produce cleaner code on control comped toolpaths(this is for tweaks on old jobs)I don't reprogram old jobs just for the fun of it.

V9 is for keeping a path to those V7 files. I don't program in 9 at all. And most recently, I will minimize X3 and open an X2 job in X2 when I need to clarify something to a setup guy, it saves me the trouble of interrupting my programming in X3.

I like more things about X and later than I liked about 9 and earlier, but there isn't much time to be saved in lathe by moving forward. We have one holdout here, a Lathe programmer who refuses to move up. He claims that he is too busy to stop long enough to learn X, I think that this is a ridiculous excuse, but no one has laid down the law to him.

I just did it, make an undefined tool using geometry created in the top plane. For verify select as defined to see the results.

Nice picture, I especially like the collection of 123 blocks to the left. The VF indexer we have looks a bit different but should function the same. For the last job that I programmed I found the centerline distance between the A axis and where my part was and laid it out from there, but no dice, the angles and coordinates are no good. I think that I need to get my boss to pony up for that 5ax class.

Gcode, It's the generic post out of the box, so I expect that it's a proven post, I haven't made a single edit to the post yet. Also I tried programming it both ways, tool tip first and then pivot point. As I said, most of the jobs that we run are going to be small 4 axis jobs offloaded from the horizontals(3+2 ?), So I don't even know if I should be going in another direction as far as the post is concerned. I don't know if the VF-4 can run tool tip 5ax code, I'll check with the dealer on that one.

Hi Bogus,

I didn't see that "bogus code" in context until I had posted it. The bogus code issue is a bit long but here goes. The indexer is a VF series not a trunion style. The A axis is in line with the X axis, with a multi spindle B axis setup. I originally programmed a part as I would on a horizontal, XoYo = centerline of part, Zo = face, with angular workshifts either from centerline, or some convenient edge depending on the shape of the part, and fixturing. I used the top view as A0° My results were that the first workshift code was good, but subsequent workshift X,Y,Z,A, and B values were wrong. For example an X value that should have been X.756 would be X-5.823, B 7.5° would be B6.375° these aren't actual values but you get the drift. BTW the angles in the NCI file would be correct. I thought that it must be my approach, that I needed to base my part from the center of rotation, so I moved the part to that point and got new workshifts. I get essentially the same results as when I started. As it happened our reseller was in house working on a lathe post(sub spindle). He looked at my Machine Def and didn't see anything wrong, and said that he would look into it when he had an opportunity. I do believe that it is either in the Machine def or something that I am doing, but I do not have a lot of time to devote to this problem and I haven't any prior 5 axis experience to guide me out of the sticks.

Bogus would you mind saying what post are you using? I have just gotten a similar setup for our VF-4 and was advised to use the Generic Haas VF-TR Series 5X Mill. The trouble is that I get bogus code from it. I talked to my reseller about it and am patiently awaiting an answer(over 1 month so far). I am working around the problem for the time being, as the parts are 3+2 parts that I am offloading from our horizontals. Sooner or later I am going to be asked to do a true 5 axis part, and I can't fake that out.

Are you using axis substitution? I have a series of parts where I cut a channel for a wire. Here is a sample of the code that I get. I do filter the output. This post is based on the generic haas post but I didn't do anything terribly clever to the post.

N1(1.5 MM BALL ENDMILL)

T1

M6

G0G90X-.1575Y0.A0.

S6000M3

G43H1Z.4528M8

G1X-.9994A-956.171F4.

X-1.0074Z.4527A-962.694

X-1.0181A-969.16

X-1.0314A-975.547

X-1.0474A-981.838

X-1.0659A-988.016

X-1.0869A-994.064

X-1.2853Z.4528A-1045.123

X-1.3015Z.4527A-1050.252

X-1.3154A-1055.491

X-1.327A-1060.82

X-1.3363A-1066.222

X-1.3431A-1071.681

X-2.187Z.4528A-2029.443

X-2.1924Z.4527A-2031.164

X-2.201A-2032.665

X-2.2123A-2033.852

X-2.2255A-2034.651

X-2.2398A-2035.014

X-2.2545A-2034.917

X-2.2685A-2034.366

X-2.281A-2033.397

X-2.2912A-2032.068

X-2.2985A-2030.461

X-2.3024A-2028.676

X-2.3028A-2026.823

X-1.4604Z.4528A-1069.96

X-1.4532Z.4527A-1064.072

X-1.4435A-1058.24

X-1.4315A-1052.479

X-1.4171A-1046.805

X-1.4004A-1041.234

X-1.3815A-1035.779

X-1.1818Z.4528A-984.357

X-1.1636Z.4527A-978.584

X-1.1479A-972.689

X-1.1349A-966.692

X-1.1244A-960.612

X-1.1167A-954.469

X-.2763Z.4528A0.

G0G28G91Z0.

G28Y0.A0.

M30

%

Contour.

Another hint, in the view manager is an editable field work offset, this is by default -1 (which just increments the workshift #) you can set it to whatever work shift # that you want, I.E. 0 = g54, 1 = g55 etc.

Select a point in the center of the bore, check "use entry/exit point" in the lead in/out, be careful with depths if you will be using depth cuts.

Finally, turn off your caps lock. It's considered yelling.

I've noticed the same thing, but it's a bit random, sometimes it works, other times I have to hold the ctrl key to select multiple toolpaths.