This week my IT guys installed Windows 7 on my computer. everything was going great until we installed Mastercam X. when i opened the program i kept getting the error 15 "Can't find hasp". Well after talking to the Hasp manufacturer, my mastercam dealer (said it was to old to work with Windows7 and needed to upgraded) and trying everyhting my IT guy knew (drivers,64 bit win7, 32bit win7, etc) we finally got it figured out. as a last ditch effort i told my IT guy to try installing the maintenance release that we had for ver. X. BINGO that's all it took and i'm up and running. so if there is anyone else out there that has fought this problem just install mastercam X MR1 and you should be OK>

ok Ron's right. the cplane is probably the right way to do it but if your thickheaded like me you like to see the part the actual way it will be positioned on the machine. i can visualize it easier that way so i rotate the ucs and keep the cplane = to the wcs. maybe not the "right way" but it works for me.

If i understand what you're wanting correctly. you can set up your rough toolpath, rotate your ucs 180° and then set up the toolpath for the other side. then do the same thing for your finish passes. obviously you'll have to create a manual entry for the rotation from 0° to 180° but that is quick and easy. hope this helps

can you save that to the ftp site as a mastercam x file i don't have x2 and my IT boys stopped your e-mail with the file.

oops. in a hurry i sent you wrong file. i should have sent twist2.mcx i did machine the part out by flipping in vice. that is what that file is set up for. i knew 4th axis needed x to be at 0. and it is in the right file. sorry

I'm trying to teach myself how to use my 4th axis. I have a solid (created surfaces from solid) I've just drawn for testing purposes. I'm attempting to rough the part out with several depth passes. I can program the part in the 4th axis,but there is no where that I've found to make the depth cuts work. I tried using 5th axis multisurface toolpath, but get the error message "flowline surface conflict found". what am I doing wrong, and what does this message mean. I tried posting the file to the ftp but can't. I think my IT guys have me blocked out.

try this page too. has lots of good parts. http://www.ohyeahcad.com/catalog/webparts.php

never thought of doing it that way but does make sense and would be fairly quick and easy. thanx

flat boundary is quick and easy thanks for the info.

i tried the dummy surface and that workede good. i just took my internal containement boundary and made it into a ruled surface and brought it above the part and it did what i was wanting. one more question is there a way to use one containment boundary and make the tool stay outside of it, inside of inside?

Is there a way to use more than one containment boundary. I'm using "multi-surface rough pocket" and I'm trying to keep my tool contained inside one boundary, but outside of another. I keep getting an error message that says "boundaries may not intersect, overlap,collapse,or be nested for z machining. (try analyze chain)". is there a way to do this. thanks for any help.

depending on what i'm doing (pockets or contouring)and availability, i'll either use 2 or 4 flute mills. after seeing everyone's suggestions i think i'm gonna try to build a splash cabinet for my mill and use coolant all the time. feed & speed formulas? yea i saw them once back in air force machinist tech school. i've not really had to use them much until now, i've just went by feel and experience in the past, so they are a good thing to refresh my memory. thanks again.

i guess i should have stated my machines limitations. it is a vertical 9 x 48 bridgeport style with a 3 hp motor and limit of 4000 rpm i'm not a production programer just little jobs for special f-16 tools so i'm not pressured for speed. i have run with cooloant but without cabinet it makes such a mess. maybe i should consider making a splash cabinet? all the help is greatly appreciated and i think i may be able to work the machine a little more than what i am. thanks again everybody.

mostly doing pockets and contours in 6061 alum. i've been doing .015 depth cuts and running about 40 ipm with .250 cutter dry.( i run dry because i don'thave a containment cabinet and the mess would not be tolerated. military has to be clean and shiny you know) it seems to go good but, would like to go deeper if possible but don't want to go too deep and gall aluminum to tool.

I'm kinda slow sometimes so let me make sure i got this straight. if we use the example i gave i should be able to cut .25 deep with .5 in. 4 flute cutter at 2300rpm and 27 ipm.