Ouch! I'm with pip on this one. I like eMastercam just because they seem to be a cut above all the rest.

+1000 on what Brad said. ^^^^^^ Also get the best inserts money can buy. I've had good results with the titanium nitride coating on 316L but so much depends on the carbon content of the specific 316SS you are cutting. Ask your insert supplier for suggestions. Cheap inserts will doom the job to failure.

I believe the update post function is only going to work correctly on the posts that came with your Mastercam version. All the 5 axis posts that I have used have been custom written for the machine control because of all the different mechanical methods manufacturers use to move the tool and the part. No one that I know of has been able to produce a generic post for all the different 5 axis machine configurations. Unless you have a degree in math and computer science you are probably going to find it quite a challenge to write your own 5 axis post using the V9 post as a template. The math involved for vector coordinate posting is complex. Once you step out of the 3 and 4 axis world of post processors the complexity will test your skills in every way imaginable and then some. You probably won't get too much help just because of the aforementioned reasons. 3 and 4 axis posts are easier and you will get help from this forum all day long on those kinds of questions but 5 axis..........don't hold your breath.

If your management has little or no experience on CNC machines and CAD/CAM systems you are on a mission impossible. The only thing management understands is money. If you want to get your point across you got to show them in actual dollars how much it will cost when an accident happens to an inexperienced person. Include workman's compensation and lost time for machine repairs and the ordering of new material to replace the scrap that will be produced by an inexperienced person. Only those of us who have witnessed inexperienced people destroy spindles, rip parts out of vises,blow up thousand dollar face mills and remove various body parts can appreciate just how much trouble they could possibly be in for. Youtube has a few videos of 4 and 5 axis machine crashes. Maybe if management took some time to watch a few of them they might understand your concern. Try to find out from Mastercam what they charge to get someone started on 4 and 5 axis work so management can compare that to a catastrophic crash. HTH.

+1 Neurosis. Always check to see that MC didn't renumber the tools, especially in lathe.

I'm not sure what the industry standard is but where ever I have worked in the past it would be considered 1 1/8-4TPI double lead and the drawings always documented as that. Nice job. I think everyone in this thread learned something. Thanks for the update.

Thanks for checking back in and giving us an update waymon1998. I was wrong in assuming it was a manual lathe but it sounds like the basic idea is the same in that you are moving the tool a specified amount to act like an indexer. Hope you tell us what you did to finally get a good part.

There seems to be a difference of opinion. Lead = Pitch x # of starts. #Starts = Lead/Pitch Pitch = Lead/#Starts The Pitch is 4TPI or .25. #Starts is 2 Lead = .25 x 2 which = .5. He set his machine to cut 2TPI which is a Lead of .5. The 1st thread will have a pitch and lead of .5 leaving enough space to cut the 2nd thread between the crests of the 1st thread with a result of a pitch of .25 between the crests of all the threads. One turn of the chuck will advance the tool .5. 2 turns will advance the tool 1.0 If 1 turn (360 degrees) will advance the tool .5 then 1/2 turn (180 degrees) will advance the tool .25. Therefore I'm gonna have to side with bob flat. For the 2nd thread the tool needs to be moved .25 from the start of the 1st thread. I could be wrong because I've never used this method but unless I missed something the logic appears to be valid. And yes I am prepared to eat crow if someone shows there is an error in my logic. Always willing to learn. I always used the indexer or counter to cut multi lead threads (I'm assuming this is a manual lathe) but as the saying goes there is always more than one way to skin a cat and if this method worked for waymon1998 I say good for him. Hope logs in and let's us know what worked.

Found this: http://www.aggsoft.com/cnc-dnc/fanuc-0m.htm It's the setup for Precision DNC software. Might work across different DNC platforms. HTH

Had a similar problem last year burning a copper alloy. Contacted the POCO rep (www.poco.com). He suggested going to a ten micron grade(EDM- C200)graphite and using negative polarity. Also gave me on/off times specific to our machine where the off time was about double the on time. Worked great. Really increased removal rate. The C200 grade was a bit more expensive but worth the saving in burn time. Give them a call. There is no charge.

I've had that alarm before on a Hurco when somehow, and I never figured out how, the work coordinate sign got changed from negative to positive. Just do a quick check of all your WC signs to eliminate that as a problem and all the tool length comp signs.

Don't believe you are running enough RPM's. Most grinding wheel manufactures recommend a general range of 6000 to 7000 surface feet per minute. Based on the hole sizes you gave a 3/8 wheel would need to run at 66000 RPM and a 7/8 wheel at 28000 to obtain optimal metal removal. RPM = (SFM x 3.82) divided by DIAMETER Could explain the long cycle time to get it out to size and the bell mouth condition. The 6K to 7K is only a general recommendation. You need to find out from your wheel supplier what they recommend for SFM. Also borazon wheels are hard on your dressing diamond. Dressing diamonds ain't cheap. You can certainly grind at 400 RPM but I believe you will experience excessive wheel wear.

Could not agree more with your opening statement. My work experience at several large companies over the past 25 years as a machinist/programmer has been that all the items on your check list are for the most part ignored until the truck backs up to the factory dock and drops its load of material which may or may not be the right size, specification, heat treat etc.... I have experienced my share of "efficiency audits" and "time studies" which always fail to produce the desired results. I have seen companies lose hundreds of thousands of dollars on jobs just because they ignore many of the items on your list. I can assure you that you do not live in vacuum because I see everyday that the, "magic button solution" as you described it, is becoming the industry standard. Nice check list. Should be required reading for all involved the the production process. Especially like #2c. It seems that management always get bit by that one.

+100 Odell. Don't change anything Jeff.

My advice is to stay where you are at. In today's economy sick leave,vacation,medical and retirement programs are pure gold. Private sector companies will cut you loose in a heartbeat if they think they can get it made cheaper overseas. Our government gives tax breaks to companies that want to set up overseas and American banks make loans to Chinese companies to buy new buildings and equipment while we over here in the US struggle to keep up in old worn out buildings with out dated equipment. I got laid off about 6 months ago and it is just depressing to go around at the different shops and see how they are struggling to compete with people overseas who are getting paid about $200 a month. If you have the opportunity take programming classes at a local community college and on line courses for 5 axis machining. Manufacturing in the US is at a critical crossroads and no one knows which path it will take. Best of luck to you on whatever choice you make.