i use electronic edge finders on all machine .400 diameter and works great good with a couple 10ths

thanks guys when i get back to work tommorow i will check all the parameter settings, if all else fails i can always phone fanuc.

hard drive is not large enough and im not sure about using a card, ive never been a big fan of it.

rs232 cable. currently the i/o channel is set to 0.

i finally got our new mill up and running with some major headaches but thats life. i got one problem, i can send and recieve a program and run it as long as it is small enough to fit into the memory of the machine so how do i run a drip feed program? with my fanuc18im control there is a button i push"drip feed" i dont see it on the fanuc 18m control. Do i need to change the i/o address? please help. thanks

thanks guys for the help.

i know that one but what im trying to do is select the entire block and have a way of mastercam telling me the smallest rad it finds, i have far to many surfaces to go thru and check one by one.

seems like to much work but it will have to do for now. You would think under the analyze pull down they (mastercam)would have something to analyze rads or curves. thanks rickster maybe more will respond and we'll all be greatful for it.

is there a function that will list small rads in a suface file so i can figure out what size of ballnose to finish with? im using mx mr2. thanks in advance.

for roughing anything indexable www.dijet.com and for finshing i am using hanita coated solid carbide endmills.

true, the automotive industry is suffering the most. We have had to find work elsewere in other sectors such as body molding and trim, and non automotive parts the money for the jobs is less so it requires us to get more jobs. The autions are in abundance up here and it is good and bad for us. i recently purchases tooling for cat 50 and also some misc. tools for a song

i got a response from "cmfugen" and i was told and i quote "thanks for reply, its a machine shop with 5 cnc machines of haas make, i can provide the salary up to $30/hr, we used to make parts for mold and other industry but not aircraft. The position will be Programmer and we want him to be a leader of the floor,hours will be morning 7-3 and we dont provide any other incentives but regarding health benefit we can think of it like consolidated benefits if we find the candidate good." i want to know how anybody is to program for 5 machines and still find time to run a shop or be a "leader" and all that for maybe $30/hr and 40 hrs/week?

already done waiting for a response. im in canada so hopefully i get a response i will let you guys know!

in machine group properties under tool settings check the box to assign tool numbers sequentially under the tool path configuration.

i was told by the seller up here in canada that it would be late first quater next year 2008. you should phone your mastercam rep. and see if there is trueth to this for the usa.

use open pocket method. in pocketing perameters use pocket type open then click open pocket and select overlap distance and check "use open pocket cutting method". it worked for me

never look back. the newer versions of any software are to make it easier for the users not to hinder them. when you first start out with mastercam x it will be a learning curve for you but you'll manage

thanks for the imput

i know i asked for some opinions on gantry type mills awhile ago and would like to thank you all for the imput. i got the go ahead to seriously start to look for a BIG mill. i have already purchased the tool holders and some tooling from an auction recently [another die shop gone ] i have looked at the quickmill and was happy with the results, but found a used machine that would suit what i need to do, it is an AWEA mill LP4021 that was new in 2000. i went to see it and it was running and in a working shop it seemed great and spoke to their operator and he said he was happy with the mill and from what i saw it didn't have wear and tear on it. the distributer is local and the have a good track record. so i quess my question to you has anyone else heard or seen this brand of mill, and any imput good or bad would be appreciated. i have includes a link to the manufactures home page www.awea.com/html/products/lp4021.htm

no problems here. cut method is zig zag and it allows you to select linear moves between cuts.

thanks for the info. do you use hss or carbide cutters?

i am looking for a supplier in the toronto area of canada who can supply me with renshape board,any body know of one? i would like to make some prototypes and check fixtures from it i did a search and found some usefull info on the machining characteristics of this but no mention of suppliers. thanks for the help. p.s is anybody using this that can offer some other useful tips,ie cutters,drilling and reaming, etc.........

use contour with cutter comp set to off. select all chains

i currently use dijet cutters and inserts, also have some sandvik ball cutters. i have had no problems running over night just don't think you can have a large amount to remove overnight.i usually have only about .005-.008 to finish with a step over of about .003-.005 depending on finish.

if this is something you do ofter, machining hardened tool steels ,i suggest that you go to indexable ballnose cutters. they have a varity o fdifferent grades for hard milling plus no regrinding and worring about cutter geometry. if this is not an option i also use hanita coated endmills. hope this helps.