Thanks Gcode, I will definitely use the ops manager as I have never needed to override this limit before, and it's highly unusual to drill over 90.

Thanks Gcode, I never mess in the machine defs for fear of messing something up. Do I need to back up both files that are in the cnc machines folder that control the definition for this machine? Thanks.

I'm using a custom post by In house for our 5 axis machine. The hole I need to drill is 91.34 degrees, but the post won't let me go over 90 degrees. Is there anyway I can override that, or am I going to have to get my reseller to do it? When I try to ignore the warning, the "program" that it puts out simply has the positioning move. That's all. Thanks.

Thanks, I did send a file to my reseller and they helped me with the first issue, but now another issue has popped up. I'm pretty frustrated. This was a good, working post and now it seems when I load a newer version of mastercam onto my computer, somehow, even though the versions are in separate folders, the new versions still "corrupt" aspects of the older versions.

I'm using a custom post from In House for a 90 degree head, and it is suddenly not posting the slower plunge rates that I have listed for the tools when I'm doing a simple contour or simple pocket program. I'm suddenly having issues with this post when it used to work fine. My reseller had me reset some of the miscellaneous values, but I don't see anything in there that should wipe out my plunge feedrate values. Any ideas? thanks.

Ok, how do I get the program to machine BOTH ways rather than only climb or only conventional? I got yelled at because the dumb program picked up over and over so that it would only climb mill. My co-worker thought he saw a parameter in X4 that would allow us to machine both ways, but now neither of us can find it. Any suggestions.

Yes I checked both of those. I ended up using the simple drill operation, but that meant a different op for each and every hole. What a pain.

I've used the multi axis drilling program for years and have never had a problem using arcs for the entity type and surfaces for the tool axis control. But tonight the tool instead of coming in perpendicular to the surface is coming in parallel to the surface. I've looked for some kind of parameter that may have gotten screwed up but can't find any. Any ideas?

I found an old thread that Colin told how to create an stl file in the proper position (when not using mastercam homes) from verify mode. When I use that as my CAD file, the program seems to properly generate. I'll find out soon if this program is better. I've got a part going in the machine right now that will be roughed using the high speed re-roughing. this is the title of the thread if anyone else has any interest: WCS seems to affect location of Verify Stock

Thanks Colin, I found this old thread, and I think I got it to work. I needed the stl to make the high speed rest roughing program work. It wouldn't work just using the previous programs.

I've been forced to do that because that toolpath keeps crashing mastercam when I try to open it to look at the parameters. Still no luck.

Dave, I keep getting an "unable to determine valid machining zone" for the high speed toolpath. I've checked all my parameters and can't find the problem. I tried to upload the file on the ftp site but it's not accepting my user name and password. I know the button is somewhere on this site to have it sent to me, but I haven't found it yet. ...I found my password, but it still won't let me log onto the cad/cam ftp site. Help!

Thanks, John, I'll give it a try but I'm a little "scared" of all the new parameters buttons in the high feed programs. It took me a long time (and a lot of stress...trial by error) to figure out all the various buttons in the old surface programs and exactly which ones did what. My company isn't very big on training and learning new skills which is another reason why I haven't jumped into the new high speed programs. One "aw sh%t" wipes out dozens of "atta boys."

John, that's what I'm asking. Does the new restmill have any of the issues I just listed? Or, does it have other issues? I don't use the restmill function often, but when I need it, it needs to be better than mastercam produces with the old surface restmill. thanks.

I made a surface restmill program, but in graphics I saw that it was plunging repeatedly in some small pockets that it should have skipped and also leaving little "islands" of stock other places which it would later plow through. In graphics I was able to catch most of them so I put some covers over some of the pockets and made the stepover smaller which reduced the number of "islands" of stock left. But in the end one high feed cutter got trashed. To me this is unacceptable that mastercam does not have the pocket ramp/skip function that the surface rough pocket does and that it leaves all these islands of stock scattered around the part because the stepover doesn't meet the threshold requirement to make an additional pass. I haven't used the high feed programs since our computers are older and slower and I've been comfortable with most of the older style surface programs. But is there anyway to make surface rough restmill never plunge in too small of pockets or leave islands of stock? Or is the new highfeed re-rough program totally safe? I want it to function like the old surface rough restmill but not plunge in small pockets that it can't remove all the stock from and not leave islands of stock just because it doesn't want to create another pass to keep that island from forming. Thanks.

I made the chains but it told me I have to snynch the sharp corners. I read the synchronization help page and tried branch. I guess I'll try all of them and see which one works. Any suggestions?

I'm trying to cut a seal groove that isn't flat (it starts out flat, then goes up an angled surface then is flat at the top for awhile until it goes back down the angled surface on the other side, gets back to the flat and finishes). I have to cut it with an endmill so that the bottom is as flat as possible so I'm using a swarf program. The post should really only need to set the C axis at 90 degrees and then after that the tool should move only in X,Y,Z and B. Unfortunately the program is "dancing" around in the C axis. I'm guessing it has something to do with the surfaces I'm using not being perfectly vertical, but is there some way I can set the post or parameters to lock the C axis at 90 degrees and stay there for the rest of the program? I'd only want it to be for this program (not a permanent post edit...and I can't change the post itself because it's locked). Thanks,

When I drill, I color all the different sized arcs with a unique color (all--diameter--right click diameter). Using this function also assures you that everything you select will be an arc and not a spline. It also shows if any of your holes need converted to an arc. (Sometimes other entities will mask the center point of an arc.) And when I'm really with it, I make a cheat sheet to remind me which colors are for which holes. Then when I drill, it's simple to hit entities--all-color--

I'd have to open my current file (and it's a huge one) and see the stepover, but I'll give it a shot to just make the gap the same as the stepover. thanks for the suggestions.

I'm trying to use the surface rough restmill program and the tool is picking up on every stepover and I've got the gap set at 2000%. Does anyone have any suggestions. Is the only way to keep the tool down is to use the newer high feed programs? I've kind of stayed away from them because my computer is getting so old that it's slowing down on even the more simple toolpaths. So I'd appreciate, if possible, a solution to the old surface rough restmill program. Thanks.

I got moved into the cam department after 10 years on the floor. I got NO raise even though I'm considered one of the top programmers by the guys on the floor. (but right now I'm dealing with some long term personal issues at home, so it's just easier to stay here)

Gcode, that doesn't work unless the part is at mastercam X0,Y0,Z0 does it? All the large pieces that I do, I typically leave in car position in case of engineering changes.

Hey Mike, no, I never use solids. I know that others have talked about this bug. I don't know how to send it into CNC though since I can't MAKE the glitch happen. It just kind of starts happening once my files get to a certain size. I always make geometry that I then choose to set my 5 axis toolplanes. I don't know if the glitch happens using the "planes" button with any of the other options.

Does anyone know if they finally fixed the bug that blitzes the toolpaths when you create a new tool workplane for 5 axis? Normally I can get around it by saving my file and exiting mastercam (or if I make all my tool planes first. But I can't always forsee ALL the different toolplanes I'll need to finish a tool). Then when I reopen mastercam I can create a new tool plane, but today it blitzed every toolpath I have in spite of the work around. this is a 181,000KB file, so it's going to take me awhile to regen all the programs. And it seems this bug is the worst as my files get bigger. This bug has been around for quite awhile. Where are the CNC exterminators!

Thanks for the clarification. I think I understand what you all are talking about. I'll give it a try. Hey Dave. Glad to hear from you. I was wondering how things were going for you when I read the thread about how busy people are. We're busy at the moment. Most of the year we've kind of been limping along. Rick got laid off, Ray quit to work somewhere in Mansfield, I think, and Dean got moved into the sales department. So even though we've been slow there's only 5 of us programming, so OT has been decent. They just hired a new guy for cam and one for cad though. I don't know why.