you want them extruded cut offset from surface the same dist. correct?

So I thing I am on to it, I have to go to Change Rec - find the model and click it open, is it not automated associativity?

Okay, so design is alittle slow and they let our high speed machine programmer/operator go friday, i get to put my programming hat back on. One thing right off the bat I want to know how to get Mcam to react when my solidworks model updates, Unfortunetly I havent been an avid Mcammer since V9( and beta X)and have been using Surfcam the past few years. But with the new job we have several seats of Mcam so I get to be back to my roots YIPPIE. Any how Surfcam and Solidworks play very well together and I have X2 set up to read solidworks parts I want X2 to let me know when the model changes and can update X2 Part. Thanx in Advance.

hand rails and a saftey gate come to mind.

James after running what I consider IMO the top 4 machines all start with M and are all japanese (Mori,Mazak,Makino, and Matsurra)vs years of Haas,Fadals,Miltronics, and the bottom of the pit cinncinatti sabres and lancers, they ONLY thing that the first group of machines have with the second group is the can all remove material, other than that they are not even in the same league. On note is higher end machines tend to be more high mait. more sensitive, and oh yeah not as user friendly. However the function and abilities are unbelievably differant. I would pit a 40 taper of the jap machines against a 50 taper for any of the american machines listed for a 20 to 30% greater metal removal rate.

Not to say anything about your ability so dont take it wrong, but has he simply been doing it longer than you. Automatic dimensioning can be a hassle because it does just that everything, and generally there are differant tolerances and some stuff is dim 4 place and some 3 place. Also cimatron is a little more design friendly. I used both but will stick with my solidworks for design/detailing.

you know i have slovak and german roots and i tried to get work from boeing for 2 years (3 years ago), but since i was a small shop, caucasion american male i couldnt get anyone to even consider getting me one little step towards being a vendor. I did have someone tell me I should have put my aunt as part owner and let her go through it. (not racist or male shovinest) i just fit in to the typical catagory and the gov said to many suppliers in that range.now you have to have your business in another country. WOW. Sorry for the rant.

you def want some air hooked up. In p-20 I can run a 2" feed mill 1400 rpms 120.ipm with a .05 doc i am not sure of run time because it roughs fast and the off to next tools, I can rough alot of cores and cav material before rotation.

push it til she breaks and back off 10% i find the correct surface feet per minute vs. tool coatings the hardest formula to crack. SFM with technlogy and tool geometry isnt what it used to be. I can say being on the high speed machining and hard millig side of things its incredible to think we can cut heat treated steel in some cases faster with less distortion than soft state. Wait did I just hi-jack, sorry welcome to the forum.

I would take cimatron over powermill anyday of the week. But all in all tell your boss as an examaple from a non mastercammer anymore and from someone that has used Almost everycam system in some form for at least a little while, and is fluent (is that term applicable) with many systems including Mcam, Surfcam, Cimatron that depending on your work and if there is any diversitilty at all to it, then Mastercam pound for Pound is the best Cam programming software there is on the market. However it does not use HOOPS

quote: other than its location. Technically when dealing with a solid that is modifying it. It comes in a specific cooridinate when you move it although you really have not chenged the part geometry you have modified it, you would also have to regen anypaths you had it if you were to only move it. Not nit picking I dont have issues with this, just splainin my .02 which cant even get penny candy anymore.

create-surfaces-from solids, works well at least back in the day., preferably I would put a wcs on it where I want so that if I make a change in Solidworks it would update and I wouldnt have to move the geo again.

Maybe someone needs to adujust their resolution, I didnt know people needed realistic renderings to machine, Mcam kicks the crap outta my surfcam and I think it looks good, Not like my solidworks of course but......... If it aint broke and it cuts parts well there you go.

Greg thats overlooked the hurco is a great controller for things like that.

7,1,even,on/off,com 1 - what ever the machine parameters are, your comp settings have to match including baud rate. Not really enuff info. Smartcam wow, they are back I hear, user from v8 to V11 freeform, forgot about it once i seen the Mcam light, to bad i use surfcam now

What mill level of Mcam? also why so many steps to creating a cone you can do a sweep. Also you can cut a 2D contour and give it an angle to cut to automatically taper, and you can do a 2d sweep tool path also.

oops sorry G

I am a daily surfcam programmer for the past 4 years, full seat of velocity 3 mait up, and very versed with it, I would be way more happy with Version 8 Mastercam any day, surfcam has 3 strong points over mcam IMO, 1 i build thermoforming molds nothing to have 3000 holes on the back of block at differant depthes, when importing a sldprt from solidworks it gives you an option to add centerpoints and center lines to arcs, and Surfcam has a very solid drill on centerline option, also work cooridinat creation could not be easier, and its 2D truemill is outstanding, 3D WEAK. Anyhow As a former Mastercammer from V6 to beta X I do not put these softwares on the same level, Surfcam may help me pay my bills but I have it a notch up from BobCam. In an unbiased opinion, a strong 5ax software that could be considered is espirit. However from someone who is versed in 3 to 4 Cam softwares meaning I am comfy behind 4 differant including Mcam, Surfcam, Cimatron, and Smartcam, and a little edgecam, Mastercam #4# is the whole package, from 2ax to 5ax it is the best.

When you get it do the tutorials from the beginning, by far the easiest to learn software I have ever taught myself.

everything off the table, and use z offset, then I never have to pick a tool length up except the first time I put it in, also because most of my stuff has no flat area on the top so if i break a tool I would be screwed for a z pick up.

solidworks, oh wait let me say a little louder SOLIDWORKS office 2008 sp1

if I remember file-convertors-autodesk-write file, select dxf or dwg. Welcome to the forum.

another old trick that I would use back in the day was create curve 3 points and scab over the nurb and then analyze arc, if its on complex geometry you just have to make sure your in 3D construction, pretty simple and effective also.

Garr Alumistar 3 flute 1 or 2 " loc 5" oal length 149.75 - 15% . these cutters are replacing our dataflute inventory daily.

keenebec he is feeding ipm instead of ipr, huge differ, I like ipr because i plug in what ever spindle speed and the feedrate doesnt need to be changed. I also never run a 1/4-20 that fast usually around 400 rpms just my liking. Actually the G94 on line 180 doesnt need to be there unless turning off a previous IPR