I am curious have a question for Jon: Alot of fair points. I have seen you around in other forums pretty much openly try and tear the integrity of Mastercam apart. I have used and very well versed in many CAM packages as well as design packages. I am biased in my opinion that hands down though feature lacking in some areas Mcam still pound for pound is king of CAM world. I can throw that check the number of installed seats world wide out there just because. Also the fact that it is probably the most pirated CAM software for the same reason. Now my question and don't take me wrong I am not jumping on the hate for Jon bandwagon - Are you a programmer, a designer, what is it that you do day to day. I am curious because the tools that you bring up that mastercam is lacking may be good points and hopefully come to light someday but everything bad you point out MCAM of the 4 to 5 softwares I can run (I never found a part I couldnt work through with any of them) I can name as many if not more weaknesses in those CAM packages as well. From 2D through Multi Axis. Now my strength is clearly 3D complex surfaces, which Mastercam is very well suited for. I am trying to picture in my head what you are doing, types of parts, prototypes or production mold and die that these are Major issues. On another note, being I would love to get my hands on a Multi Axis Machine like a mill turn or something I would be very interested in seeing well put together video documentation. More Rant of my own on training : Locally we have a tech center that teaches MCAM. I once briefly was a reseller some (jay maybe) remembers this and wanted to teach MCAM classes because I feel our VAR and tech schools were (and are) lacking. I have a friend who still uses V9 and sent a kid to class for the past 8 weeks. They did agree to teach him 9 which I thought was okay. I went over yesterday to link the computer to his HAAS and showed the kid how to DNC and what I did to hook it up wire the cable yada yada....Anyhow I go into configs and guess what set to 17.5 megs, thats the default 8 weeks this never came up, he didnt know what a c-hook is. I have been bitching since 1999 about the tech center guys here locally skipping that step...********, then people wonder why things are slow, I seen this problem in at least 10 shops between here and NC (No offense barefoot they opted out on your training). Just the general lack of showing people what drives software and what they can really do with it. I have seen people when I programmed seat to seat with the CamTool rep, and PowerMill 4 years ago and they were like Mcam cant do this or that, well guess what it could,, the features were there and just lack of programmer training made them look way better. Most owners are oblivious to this. I got off Subject in multiple stages there guess things just kept coming to me. Sorry but what is it you do day to day for a living? Just Curious. I am a self advicate for letting people have them ball and let them run with it, and training them. I just want better training all around. When I came back to Erie from NC i was hoping to get back into a reseller position and or training but it is locally locked up.

Please do Justin, I use them quite a bit and cant seem to find them at a better deal any where else fo the differant angles. I use the 45 degree as well.

Harvey Tool 3/8 diameter 30deg chamfer mill tian coated cat # 18730-C3 $46.40 uncoated #18730 36.40 They have 1/2 in. dia as well page 67 of newest catalog. I would go with the 1/2 inchers if possible

I still prefer the contour ramp ol skool thats good to me. I think before X alot of people didnt realize it was there so they gave it a differant name and place. I use contour ramp for any closed chian just about no matter the shape. Constant tool engagement rocks. Just a late .02 thrown in.

quote: Mastercam is useless in knowing what this error message is. I've searched their knowledgebase & googled to no avail & our dealer has no clue. I'm hoping someone out there has seen this error. No offense if your dealer has no clue, get a new one. Part of the problem is alot of people have been weined from V9 1st how much ram are you allocating for MCAM and what do you have running in the background or at the same time. V9 and previous you allowed how much of the ram your system could use. And as a tip set it in 64,000 increments, I had my 9 set both Database and Toolpath to 128,000 also for faster processing I had set my maximum patches per surfaces to 600000 my allocation was around 700 megs for a system with 3 gigs of ram and using a gefoce 6600 le video card and very rarley ever had a problem and I would work on pretty big files quite a bit. I havent been on 9 in a few years but was familiar from 6 to 9.1 and remember this.

I have used all methods in the past 14years, I will mix it up in an electrode using both negative stock with ball and bull nose ctters and pick bottom corners out with 2D paths and adust stock settings accordingly. Also if i have a drafted contour with a sharp bottom that I have to actually pick out I will lie about diameter and also drop the Z offset of that particular tool to blend everything out. Its rare that I do that because I am also designer and will alter model if I can. On same occasions with complex electrodes I will incorporate all these paths in same program. Alot of times though i will just break the trode up into a few versions to get all the features just using the negative stock method, it is hands down the quickest easiest way to get a trode from the screen into the steel.

+1 to hardmill- I run 420 52 rc right around 600 closer to 660 on my roughing sfm, with a .0006 to .001 chipload. I generally use mostly Jabro (seco) tooling exclusively. I run down to a 1mm ball at 600 sfm or close to it. The biggest issue with 420 is it actually isnt hard enough, its more gummy than say 56 rc S-7, or 54 H-13. Comparable to your millstar typical for me is a 4mm bull nose (.0197 cr)that I would run in exact same material is 14000 rpm material @ 54 imp for roughing .015 doc and 60% step over

Never heard of it actually but found: http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.asp...43c7e912&ckck=1 better with descriptions read down : http://www.suppliersonline.com/propertypages/alloy255.asp

We use routers to.

both have thier place, i used to not like the heat shrink but i love it for our Sodick now, accuracy at 36000 rpms is amazing.

you da man or bird or what it is u are. Thanks man.

K so next question is in X2MR2 being 1st version since 9 I am using thios isnt the same - - when i create a new tool and in the 1st page tell it tool # it doesnt automatically put in page 3 for length and diameter leaving them zero which could be bad. Its prolly pretty easy but this forum over the years has made me lazy. Thanx in advance.

Thnx fellas. Turns out the file is crap, the model must have some S%@$# wrong with it because I decided to open some other larger files and it works great. John yes the quad core screams over the dual core. It still bothering me though its a solidworks file that is only like 60 surfaces. Corrupt. Anyhow dont like the g card it leaves fragments when x-forming. Guess the first file tried with in the box I just assumed it was the rig.

Like Ron said, it depends on 1st your abilities, 2nd type of area your in. Is there alot of companies locally that could utilize your strengths. Most want to keep it fairly local, in the beginning there could be set up issues, post issues, adapting to how they do certain things are some things to consider. Are ypou looking to do onsite or offsite programming. You have to get familiar with companies tooling, and things as simple as tool libraries for some customers. I can tell you its not quite as simple as getting a part throwing some toolpath on it and shooting them the code. At least not until there is some establishment of a relationship. If something goes wrong or needs to have a change will you have the ability as having another full time job to drop what your doing and fix it for someone else. Just some things to consider and my .02, welcome to the forum

So after out of the seat awhile Mcam 4 or 5 years, I have been using X out on the floor doing our high speed milling. I decided to rearrange floor systems to use the hasp on my puter in engineering (long story version) any how the floor puter was a dual core 2.4, 2 gig of ram with quadro fx 540 windows xp 32bit. Now the rig I have moved the hasp to so i can design and pgram at same seat, Intel Quad core 2.4, 4gig of ram, geforce ti 8800 card 528meg (suspect part of the prob) and xp pro 64Bit. This is an easy 3 to 4 times slower than the floor puter, it takes minutes to just rotate a model (not big or complex parts). Is the 64 bit an issue, cause its a night and day differance this system rocks with solidworks (Other than skimpy graphics card)

"You might check that the machine is level (a quick and easy check). With lighter machines I have found that when they get out of level that they tend to twist and cause problems simular to what you are experiencing." +1 if you sat the machine down ran it for a year maybe good to check and see if it settled at all. The concrete its on maybe thin, and all though a japanese machine half the size out weighs it theres alot of weight there. Also just curious 2D contour, whats your tolerance in Mcam? I would go with the backlash errors and the fact it is a FADAL, not to knock them to hard because one of the Big Mz with that much travel would set you back a new building, a shop truck, and health insurance for a couple years.

What type of machine, type of controller and how are they linked ie.... ethernet, rs232, or memory device?

1st unless your runnin Vista your not getting as much as your 4 gigs as you may think. Second Sworks 2008?, and if youve done your homework your system is what I rec just for sworks 2008, Resource HAWG you should whatch your task manager with that many instances. I run 2 sworks instances, X2MR2 and tax my system which is a Intel Core@ Quad 2.4 with 4gigs and XP pro 64bit. I had Vista but it doesnt play well with Solidworks (64 BIT with Large assemblies)yet so I downgraded back to XP. You need to go to quad core processor, Ram is good at 4 gigs, and increased FSB speed I didnt know much about this until Sworks 2008 but its far more CPU demanding than any other version ever. Also your trying to split the affinity you still only really have 1 processor, its not 2 independent CPUS (As I understand). dual core is minimal for any 1/2 way complex Solidworks modeling You add filleting and coring and shell features you will not be able to open more than 1 sworks and 1 Mcam without issues.

Pip, Good High end machine, Pricy a few years ago It would eat a Makino SNC graphite mill, and A mikron for breakfast, however doesnt stand up to the Makino V series, or a Mori Die Mold IMO. What are you looking to Cut would be the starting place, just trodes and finishing hard steel, its a good choice, if you want to rough before HT or remove alot of steel material, wouldnt be a choice for me. I dont remember model but it had a small hsk spindle.

Yasda, Seen the mystical beast one time, in a mold shop very impressive machine, however at the 35% higher cost than the Makino I ran at the time, and given the tolerance of automotive Mold work I couldnt justify going to the boss man and saying We gotta have one. Also another machine that I had very good luck manufacturing helicopter parts on that was incredibly accurate and fast was a mikron HSM 700. I have nothing else good to say about that machine though I hated it. Chris I ran the Makino V55 everyday for 2 years we had an intimate relationship. It was the first "high speed" machine I ran and it was 6 years ago. It reads 5 place decimals, and not doubt in my mind that it can easily hold any tolerance to the 5th place. I have ran since then a roeders, a few mikrons, a bostomatic, 2 DMG machines and now a sodick HSM, and being completely honest the Makino is superior to the later choices. Now I am aware that though it is a Top level machine there are others as well. I can also say I have ran a few Mori's and one of them now as well with the sodick, and they are very good mahines as well.

Makino is 5 place, the V55 will hold all day long.

SIG it wouldnt surprise me.

Joe, I was a foreman at Atlas for about year, we quoted some stuff for you, Good Luck Arden is a pretty nice place.

Thanks Jay, you still the man, It dont matter what hardmill says about you

I use several differant formats, you can check out a limited selection of some of stuff if you have a my space page coreylee75 is me.