All, I've uploaded a file to the FTP called "rotor drawing." the solid for the part I am making is on lvl 50 and the geometry to drive it is on lvl 12. I created two operations. I cannot seem to get the 2d sweep to cover the entire pocket. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions on a better way to do it would be great. Also, I cannot figure out why one operations starting rapid move are from the correct orientation while the second start from inside the part even though all the parameters are the same. Please help. I will probably need to add more roughing steps but I don't want to add more ops until I figure out how to make this work. Chris

Mike, As you know we are almost strictly in the copper family. Here is the stuff we use. Clover compound various grits-Mcmaster (for a closer to mirror finish) lapping compound GK-7 roughing GK-10 finishing United States Products. comes in 6oz jars fast shipping. Everything else we use our hones first then hand lap. all our parts are lapped in after honing using either of the first two products with great results. take care as to make sure the product you choose says "non embedding". If it's not, you will never clean it off. You doing it by hand? What kind of part? HTH, Chris

Sorry, No I didn't assume, I ran it. That's why I added my second post. "This code works fine..." It's the feeds I pointed out that are a problem. They work fine in what I wrote above. However, later in the code that feed .66 gets put with a z motion from lets say -1.1 to -1.2. The code is 40000k. I just grabbed the first few lines, and did not search for the exact line, but I can see it on the controller when its running and watch it inch along while running. Rick what kind of feeds in the control defs. should I be looking at. Mine is set to feed in minutes not feed in seconds. Or am I in the wrong spot. It's a fanuc 18i controller. Ty for any suggestions. Chris

Sorry let me add something. This code works. But the feed I pointed out will show up on a -Z move of like .1". Which is not the feed I entered and at the controller takes forever. Is this a machine definition for min feed or something. It only seems to happen in C axis contour paths. Ty, Chris

Not sure why this is happening. When I post my C axis contour here is the code I get. Some of the feeds are way off. not sure why. Any ideas? code: G30 U0. V0. W0. G00 T1200 T1212 G97 S5000 M33 G18 G98 M290 M90 C0. G00 G56 X.975 Z-2.896 X.785 G01 X.755 F4. Z-2.866 C2.946 F412.3 Z-2.896 C5.893 G00 X.785 Z-2.8832 C8.824 G01 X.755 F4. Z-2.8719 C8.454 F159.92 Z-2.8602 C8.453 F.66 <---too slow Z-2.8489 C8.823 F159.34 Z-2.8422 C9.361 F355.64 Z-2.8376 C10.259 F600.4 Z-2.836 C11.358 F740.57 Z-2.8376 C12.456 Z-2.8422 C13.353 F599.68 Z-2.8489 C13.885 F351.87 Z-2.8602 C14.268 F165.32 Z-2.8719 C14.267 F.66 <----too slow Z-2.8832 C13.894 F160.62 Z-2.8899 C13.364 F349.12 Z-2.8945 C12.462 F599.68 Z-2.8962 C11.358 F740.31 Z-2.8946 C10.253 Z-2.89 C9.35 F600.4 Z-2.8832 C8.814 F352.89 G00 X.785

Thanks to an older John Paris post I can import my tools with the correct offsets that I want. Ty JP. Here is my question. If I import a tool that is always working on my sub spindle can I force that tool to always generate a g56 rather than a g54 when imported? Ty, Chris

vicd, I have had the same problem with the exact same controller. I will try changing the parameter tom. as I need to do some engraving in the next few weeks. Do you know what parameter 1008 refers to and what exactly the change means? Will else will it affect? Ty, Chris

bump any takers

Thank you all, very handy links. The dosman convertor will go in my cool ad ons. Now my next question is: How can I "uncomp" the geometry that is drawn. I have the code from my first post drawn but it is comped for a .01 nose cutter. How can I get the actual part dimensions through MC, without doing it by hand? TY, Chris

Thanks for the replies all. run tubing that comes in at 10-14' random. Cut it up and have never had a problem with some lengths being 4' or some being 3'7".(maybe I am overlooking something) What problems should I be looking for? Also, Ron you are right I didn't mean literally the smallest remnant possible, I am looking for the most # of parts, my bad. let's say my total length of part+cutoff+yada yada is 3.67. 4' and 3' lengths do not maximize the number of parts I can get. 4' 48/3.67=13.07 so 13*3.67=47.9+2.00 (negative remnant) just tells you, you can only get 12 parts/4' or 36 parts/12' 3' 36/3.67=9.80 so 9*3.67=35.9+2.00 still only gets me 36 parts/12' Cut at 38.75" At 38.75/3.67=10.55 gets me 30 parts for the first 116.25" the last bar left comes out 27.75" at 27.75/3.67=7.56 7 more parts for a total of 37. one extra part! I know this doesn't account for the saw blade, but I can shorten my chucking length by .01-.02 if I can get another part. My point is-does anyone know the formula I am referring to. I recall maybe the topic Maxima and minima from calc. I looked on the web but didn't find anything. Not afraid to be the biggest newb, Chris

Probably another newb question. I have a part that is: 4" long .161" for cutoff .02" face 2" minimum chucking length at end of bar I have a 4' LNS. The part is out of 2" round stock. I am trying to minimize my remnant, as material is expensive. I am having 12' bars cut to any length I want. So... what length should I cut them? (I know, get a longer feeder...) I remember in Calculus class there was an equation to exactly this. It had two parts x+something something=0 y+ something something=0 you solved at the same time for both X and Y and it gave you the maximized number of parts based on the "something something" information along with the optimal bar length. It's been 12yrs since college calc. and all I remember was it was perfect for determining maximine part usage out of a given amount of material. Any math wiz's?

I hope all are well. Newb question. I have been given compd programed geometry (internal bore) and asked to make a print. I know the boring bar used had a .01 nose (thanks to a well organized program). Without having to go to each point/curve and working trig mojo, is it possible to have MC translate the drawn programmed path into the original part geometry? The newb in me wonders if I'm missing sometihng really simple. Here is the shortest example. I've got one that is 30 lines long and do not want to hand edit. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. TY, Chris code: G0 T0505 G97 S3200 M03 G0 X.808 Z.1 M8 G99 G1 Z0. F.001 G2 X.661 Z-.047 R.08 X.623 Z-.095 R.6 G3 X.374 Z-.24 R.335 G2 X.17 Z-.426 R.21 G3 X.142 Z-.5 R.8 G1 X.1349 Z-.4965 G0 Z.03

RTcat, Got it. TY very much. Chris

Rickster, I fixed the fonts. See if this helps. go to your c drive-Mcamx2-common folder-fonts folder-box folder. Organize by files by type. Grap the uppercase zipped file and make a copy of it on your desktop. Open it and drag/drop the missing characters into the "box" folder and replace the old characters. All my characters in box font worked after this. Hope that helps. Chris

Rickster, You know I remember having a crash once when I tried to use a font that was from my PC and not from Mastercam. In fact, I don't think I was able to import fonts successfully. Hmmmm. Wonder what the dealio is. Let me know how reinstallation goes. I will continue messing with it and let you know if I figure anything out. Anyone else have missing characters before? Ty, Chris

drexen16, Ok I uploaded a MCX2 file to the FTP site I created that sort of looks like a "top" as you described(instructions for the FTP site are at the top of every page on this forum). It is in the MCX2 folder and the name of the file is drexen16. Download it and use it as a reference. I created 3 operations. The first is a facing op. This is probably what you would want to do before roughing. Order of operations afer drawing part- I set up the stock parameters(which are accesible from the "files" folder directly under your machine type in the operations manager). Select the stock setup tab and the "parameters" button under "stock" for left spindle. On the geometry tab select your OD,ID, etc. This will help MC determine how much to face, how to rough, and how to exit the part without a crash. When done, click ok. I then selected a toolpath- "rough" to create a tool operation. If you look at the roughing op folder I made, select "parameters"- you can see all the parameters that must be set(DepthOfCut, min DOC, stock to leave, etc.) To create this op you select "rough"(not canned rough though) just regular rough toolpath. I selected the geometry from the origin to where I would like to rough to.If you click the rough folder I made and select "geometry-1 chain" you will see on the screen the geometry I selected, direction, and correct side of the part I would like to rough.(this will take some practice as direction, side of part and a complete chain are critical). After you do this click OK and MC will prompt you for all the parameters by which you would like the part roughed as I explained earlier. The finish op is pretty straight forward, if you get this far. I will be logged multiple times tom. if you need help. Hope this helps and was described simply. Let me know how it goes. Chris

Kannon, I did. most don't work a few do like drafting(roman). But I have done all my other parts using the box font so I can't switch now. Our customers would flip. That font when machined is the closest cosmetically to what my company has been using on their logo for over 50 yrs. That would be a fun one to try to explain to the owner. Any help would be much appreciated. TY, Chris

Jparis, K I did an experiment and typed in the entire alphabet and all numbers. I get the entire alphabet except letters A, L and M, and no numbers. Weirdest thing I've heard of. You ever see that? TY in advance, Chris

Jparis, I can't even get that far. When I simply try to put text in flat I have this problem. I don't want to try rolling the letters or creating any tool ops until I can get a complete word to type out in mastercam. I literally am missing letters out of words before I can even use them. TY, Chris

I am trying to engrave lettering around a Diameter. I have done this a bunch of times but all before updating to X2 mr2 sp1. When I use the create letters function I type in a random word like "lollipop 328." When I place it in the display window, none of the l's or numbers are present all i get is " o ipop" just like that. I am using the Mx true type box font(default i think). Any ideas on why this is happening.

malibu, be careful is this a lathe or mill? I don't know about the mill but we have 2 sl-10's. If you use the index on the fly command g200 be very careful. Our old SL-10(6yrs old) when starting in the middle of a program will move to where the g200 command left it and then continue. So you don't want to be close to the chuck when it decides to index to the prior tool reference to the g200 and then try to index to the current tool(the one you want) and continue. The newer one(2yrs old) will start at the commanded spot regardless of the index on the fly command. It is probably a parameter setting, but I have not looked into it. Hope that helps. Chris

Greg, I downloaded your file from the MCX2 folder as you originally posted. So it's there. Just FYI Chris

Chris, LOL Clamping a sign in the machine. I like it, that's the funniest thing I've heard all week. I got another one. When he opens the door and sees the sign, G04 a sec or two and turn on the coolant. That will keep him awake. Ty for the laugh. Chris

any ideas on a drill brand for the .0595 drill? Don't normally buy them that small for SS. Would the orientation problems using a broaching tool come from trying to orientate the spindle correctly with the broach, or from the broaching operation not being able to be a true square? I have watched some broaching videos since posting and I understand a visual on how it works, but why do you not get a true polygon shape? TY, Chris

All, I posted a part in the X2 folder called "stop pivot arm sub." Any ideas on how to mill the square hole without broaching? If broaching is the only way, is that a difficult procedure as I have never done it and would need to get tooling. Also, this part will be in 304 ss but feeds don't represent it yet. Any suggestions on speeds/feeds/doc for the .0595 drill? Brand of drill? What kind of tap would you use? Feel free to give any feedback on the op process, I am open to doing it differently. Don't have any CNC mills though, only lathes. TY in advance, Chris