Holy %^&*!! Almost ruined some parts. I've got a peel mill toolpath that I'm checking by taking a 0.010" deep test cut. On the Linking Parameters page, the settings are: 1.5" retract (absolute); 0.02" feed plane (incremental); 1.15" top of stock (absolute); and 1.14" depth (absolute). For some reason, the operation posts as 1.5" retract, 1.18 feed plane, and 1.25" depth. What's wrong here?

My feeds and speeds keep changing whenever I edit an operation or re-open a file. This is really annoying!! How can I prevent this from happening? Please be specific - I'm not the sharpest. Thanks!

Are you guys saying to use "Wear" comp in MC, or "Control" comp with wear adjustments in the offsets in the machine's control?

I use MC to generate toolpaths for my Haas Mini Mill. Up until now I've always selected "Computer" as the compensation type for my contour cuts. Most of my projects have a tolerance of +/- 0.005", so as long as the actual cutter sizes are close to what I've specified in MC, the parts are within tolerance. Now I'm working on a part whose tolerance is tighter and I thought that using "Control" comp would be better plan, so that I could adjust the wear comp in the control to fine tune the cut and get the exact size I'm looking for. This idea turned put to be 20 miles of bad road! Paths that worked fine with "Computer" comp generate alarms when I try to convert them to "Control" comp, usually because of the size of the arcs in the lead in/lead out moves. What's really frustrating is that the toolpaths verify fine in MC, and it's only when I get them in the machine that things don't work right. So here's the question: With the Haas control, what's the best programming strategy for a project where you've got to sneak up on a critical dimension?

Thanks, gcode, the Transition Guide had just what I was looking for!

I've just installed X5. How can I use all of the tools I defined in X4?

The help menu talks about getting a tool list with a setup sheet, but I can't figure out how to do it. Can anyone help me out here? I was going to include a screenshot of the help page, but X4 crashed (again!!) before I could get one. I'm getting five or six of these a day, but now I'm starting to rant.

Yes, they're complex solids. I used to go the STL route, but had nothing but problems - that's why I started verifying to solid. The files I'm working on when the lock up happens are all ones that verified properly to solid before I installed MU1 and the new .dll file.

gcode: Thanks, but I already had 'stock' as the default. I've now found that the lock up happens only when I'm trying to verify to a solid. Any other suggestions?

Downloaded MU1 and the new .dll file. Now MC locks whenever I try to verify. Tried going back to the original .dll file, but MC still locks. Help!

Thanks for the help, everyone! I think I've got a much better understanding now.

gcode: My stl resolution was already set at 0.001, so I didn't mess with it. The tool resolution setting was at 0.008, so I tried changing it to 0.001. That didn't make any difference, so I went to 0.0001. Still no difference.

FP1: My card is an nvidia quadro FX 570. Disabling hardware acceleration didn't make any difference.

Maybe my expectations aren't realistic. Is what you see in verify supposed to be like watching the part actually get cut? I've got an operation where an 8 mm endmill is cutting a 0.50" diameter counterbore that's about 0.25" deep. In verify, there's no X-Y movement at all; the tool just advances along Z and the counterbore magically appears. Is this normal?

EazyE: I've already got both of these values set to 1. Any other ideas?

gcode: I presume you're talking about the quality and speed sliders. I've got the quality slider all the way to the right (max quality) and the spped slider all the way to the left (slowest). Speeding things up just makes it even harder to see what's happening.

I'm using X4 and am not satisfied with the quality of the graphics when verifying operations. The graphics are very 'jerky' and you can't really tell what's happening. The tool barely moves, but chunks of stock disappear. I've got the quality slider all the way up and the speed slider all the way down. What other settings can I change to improve this? X4 is running on a Dell 5400 workstation with an nVidia 760 (I think that's the number) card.

I'm trying to use the High Speed Pocket toolpath to cut some obround pockets, but its really got me baffled! First, I can't get either the helix or ramp entries to work - the tool just plunges regardless of the settings. Also, I can't get the finishing lead in/out motions to work properly with "Control" cutter comp. What am I doing wrong?

I notice that, like X3, there's no cutter compensation available in X4 for the blend mill 2D high speed toolpath. Wasn't this one of the things that CNC was going to correct before the release?

Joe788 and gcode: This is brilliant and works like a champ! Thanks very much!!!

Thanks for the replies, folks, but since I'm not really proficient with Mastercam yet I've got a few follow-up questions and comments.

First, I don't have the solids package. I'm doing all of my modeling work in SolidWorks.

I've tried using the STL X-form command, but there doesn't seem to be a way to snap to a point on the model, so getting it properly aligned is pure guesswork. Also, I don't understand how to rotate the STL model so its coordinate system works with my part.

Please elaborate on using WCS. Is the idea to not mess around with the STL model, but instead create another coordinate system on the part that aligns with the stock model?

I want to use an .stl file for my stock. What's the best way to align it with the toolpaths I've created?