Roger, Thank you very much for the help. I will give it a try.

When run the Script Linker from X6, I get an error message "Unknown file type". The date/time of my ScriptLinker.dll is 1/17/2006 10:39 AM. Do I need a newer version? I have admin. rights on this computer, any suggestions? Thanks.

Using "SetActiveMachine" and "RunPostAll" you can change the active machine and post out the N.C. code. When I change the active machine it reads in the associated control file which sets the "Toolpath directory" on the "Machine Group Properties" window to the control file default value. Is there any way after changing the active machine to set the value of the "Toolpath directory" to something else? Using "SetNciNameFromOperationID" changes the file name but the path comes from the "Toolpath directory" value. Thanks for the help.

Do a warm boot on the nethasp server. I have seen this 2 times when the nethasp was holding seats open even when M/C seats had logged off (probably the person powered the computer down with M/C still running).

I have noticed it also. I believe the problem is when you copy (or add) a new machine group and then copy existing toolpaths to the new machine group. I have also seen it with converting files from V9. This appears to solve the problem most of the time. I go back to the toolpath machine group property, files tab, select the “Replace” button and reselect the current machine definition file and click “Open”. This reloads the machine definition files and solves the problem. I have noticed some of the machine definition information is missing or wrong and appears like the machine definition information gets corrupted by copying machine groups.

Pete, I agree with Colin (above). Also if you have an existing note and you move the note using Smart Dimension, Mastercam will change the color of the note to the system color automatically. This requires you to go back and change the color of the note back to what ever it was to begin with.

I have modified a couple posts to perform canned inspect cycles and record the values after machining the part. You could use the Mastercam point as the center point (XY) of the pocket and the drill parameter for passing the length, width, depth, stock to leave and so on to the post. Another option that I have used is the misc. real and integers’ to pass information off to the post, thou I do not think this would be a good option for your pocket problem.

If using dual monitors, your graphics card probably has settings on how to handle dialog boxes. Like, same as application, monitor 1, monitor 2, last used or default.

The larger the vacuum surface area of the part, the greater the holding. So for small parts, I start with a larger piece of material just so I can have enough vacuum surface area to hold the part. If I need to rough the O.D. profile, I keep the cutter up about .020-.030 from the bottom of the part and therefore do not losing vacuum and holding power. The last thing I do is finish the O.D. profile. If I’m afraid the part will move on the finish O.D. pass, I add tabs between the part and the excess material. By adding indexing pins and pusher blocks to your vacuum table you can hold the material from moving side ways and the vacuum only has to hold (suck) the part down. B_daddy “wht kind of machining can you do without moving the part?” We machine heat treat 15-5 stainless steel using high speed machining techniques with rough and finish feed rates over 100 IPM. The key is getting enough vacuum surface area and blocking the material if needed.

We use a square cross section O-ring material sold by Vac-u-lok. (vaculok.com) and had good success with it. The square cross section allows for more surface area for a smaller groove width in the table. The foam material compresses easy and comes in different thickness. There is a grade for coolant applications and a non coolant. I would suggest installing a vacuum gauge that the operator can see or a vacuum safety buzzer that will warn you if you’re losing vacuum. We normally have 28” hg vacuum and try to stay above 15 when cutting through the material exposing the air vacuum holes.

DXF, DWG or IGS all work about the same. If your EZ file has text, I found DXF or DWG to work better than IGS. You will loose your toolpaths in the conversion and will have duplicate entities anywhere a contour toolpath was chained in EZ. I found it easier to delete the toolpaths before converting in order to void the duplicate geometry problem.

Using Mastercam VB script, is it possible to modify an existing 2d contour toolpath operation’s “top of stock” or “depth of cut”? If so, could you give an example.

When you suppress a process in the solid manager, you are modifying the solid. Since you have modified the solid, the toolpaths that are associated to the solid will be changed a dirty toolpath.

I noticed when Instant Messager was loaded onto our computers, Mastercam’s "file get" slowed down. By removing Instant Messager, Mastercam went back to normal. We were able repeat this slow down on other computers with Mastercam loaded.

Drill cycles, Is there a way to control the names of the drop down box with the listings of drill cycles. In other words, “Misc 1” does not tell you very much. Could the names in the drop down listings be changed to something else more meaning. The post txt file does not seem to alter this drop down box. V9.1 SP2 Level 3

After bring in your pattern, click on "Group" from the secondary menu. From the Group window, select your pattern's name and then click the "Colors" button. Check the box "Use Entity Colors" and then click "Ok". Your pattern should change back to it original colors.

In your "chooks" sub directory, do you have the files rp.dll and rp.txt?

In your config file, is OpenGL set to "Yes"? If so, change it to "No". Can you now see them? If yes, turn OpenGL back on and then lower your computer display setting (color or screen size) until entities can be seen.

You can also take your vise jaws and raw material, convert it into a solid or put surfaces on them and then convert (save) them as a STL file. When you "Verify" your toolpaths use the saved STL file instead of the jobsetup. This way you will see your vise jaws and material and how the toolpaths interact with them.

Thad, No I cannot do it consistently, but most of the time. If the remachined's stock is computed against the previous toolpath and previous toolpath held the toolpath down, it generally will also hold it down in the remachine toolpath if set to hold the tool down in the parameters. If the rougher does not stay down then I have never been able to hold the remachine down. I have tricked the system by writing a dummy toolpath with the tool held down and then write the remachine toolpath against the dummy toolpath. Then delete the dummy toolpath and reattach the remachine contour to some other operation. Once the remachine toolpath comes up, it is pretty hard to get it down without deleting the remachine operation and starting again fresh. Mastercam must be hanging onto to the last toolpath defaults and over writing the remachine toolpath hold down feature. I like remachine, it saves me a lot of time, but I wish I could hit it right the first and every time I use it.

I have written a remachine toolpath that would not stay down and at other times I have seen it when it would stay down. I believe if the last toolpath written that had the option to "Stay down" and you exercise that option, then remachine will let you keep the toolpath down. If you did not exercise that option in the earlier toolpath, remachine will not stay down. If my last toolpath kept the tool up (example finishing a pocket), I have be able to write a dummy toolpath that held the toolpath down and then wrote the remachine toolpath in order to hold it down. After I get the remachine to work I delete the dummy toolpath. I agree that this is a software problem.

There is an easier way. Create a "curve" at the intersection of the two surfaces (Create, curve, intersect). Since the two surfaces are flat, the curve will be a line. You will need to rotate your part on the rotary table so that the line you just created to be parallel with the centerline of the B-axis.

I've got to admit that I struggled with it at the start, but then the light came on and I think WCS is great. It is so much easier to have multiple media/setups with only one geometry file then before. I remember jobs when the second media was on the bottom of the part and being forced to either look through the part or rotate the graphic's view so that I could see my toolpaths. Now I can quickly create a new WCS for the second media, name it, and have construction view be TOP just like if I had rotated the geometry. Nice job Mastercam, I just wish there could have been more documentation for WCS during the beta test phase.

Hopefully you have a print driver loaded for a color printer. You can print in color or black/white using "Screen", "Next menu", "Plot" and "File", "Next menu", "Hardcopy". Hardcopy you can not control the scale where as Plot you can.

Our digitizing tables have all worked with all the different versions of Mastercam until Mill V9.0SP1. Mill V9.0 works, Mill V9.0SP1 does not. I do not know what the problem is and have sent the question to Mastercam. For our Summagraphics Mircogrid III we use the settings of Model = UIOF/Ascii Resolution = 1.0 lines/inch Calibrate = default Com port = com1 baud rate = 2400 parity = Even Data bits = 7 Stop bits = 2 Also in our windows, control panel, com1 port, settings, we have "Flow control" set to "Xon/Xoff". Good luck