4 hours ago, Colin Gilchrist said:

Yes, this is 100% Possible. Create 2 lines, 90 degrees apart. One for the X Axis of your Plane, one for the Y Axis of your Plane. Do this for each Plane you create, put the Axis Lines on a separate level. (so you don't accidentally delete them.)

Now, when you create your new Plane, from the Planes Manager, use the 'from Geometry' option.

Pick the X Axis line first, then the Y Axis line.

In the dialog box that Pops up, there is an "Associative" checkbox. <- That checkbox is the "key". It is what "associates" the Plane you are creating, to the Lines you selected to generate the Plane the 1st time.

Now, when you Transform your part/stock, all the Planes that are Associated to the Geometry move with the Geometry.

Mr. Fish,

I think Stevieboy wants the Plane to travel with the part. The wording was a little hard to understand, but that's what I understood the request to be...

 

Well there you go then, I thought I had read somewhere that you could turn on associative but as I use the dynamic plane creation for pretty much everything now that isn't available as an option so I guess Id never learnt about it. learn something most days  

Sorry Stevieboy gave you a bum steer, you can do it 

Sometimes after deleting geometry there are ghost entities that show up in the levels manager that aren't actually there. 

Not as such. You can translate to a plane, or use dynamic transform to move geo to an already created plane. But as far as I know you can't move geo that is created on a plane with that plane.

Roll form ?

11 hours ago, huskermcdoogle said:

I always start a file with thee best intentions, I even have a number convention.....  But as I get under the gun, it always goes to crap in some way shape or form such that the next time I open the file there are always WTF moments trying to find some geometry for something...

I find the same, something that made a huge difference for me, especially with multi axis work is using viewsheets, awesome how they display and switch everything you need on depending on what you saved to each viewsheet, real time saver and very helpful when you go back to a file months later.

geirsj, Thanks for this, I sorted it after someone else gave me the code but your post was helpful in teaching me how to find the code. Learning all the time ;-)

Hi

Is there a specific opcode or tool_op id for the Lathe Cutoff operation ?

I am helping a mate modify his MPLmaster post and we want to be able to advance the parts catcher along with the change to the slower rpm and feed rate at the specified diameter in the operation.

Ok Thanks,  going to be interesting !

no one ?

Anyone have any experience they can share with machining subject material. Is a high Cobalt material that is very ductile and used in magnet applications. We have to turn it and drill a 4mm hole 30*d deep !!

Thanks

really need to see the next page in your rotate parameters too.

Not what you're asking for but I just turn the filter to all on and you get the same thing.

just started using one about a year ago love it . the post and the sim works great, first timer here and I was able to get the 3+2 going on pretty quickly first time operator/machinist also was able to get his head around it fairly fast ,another great thing is that it runs all the other has programs fine, a great addition to the shop IMOP, I attached the set up I designed to make setups a bit quicker for what its worth an idea or two you all may or may not like

What post are you running ?

and the free Verisurf add-on HAS done it for years

 

Been actually "part of" Mastercam going on I believe 3 releases now

Yes we use this a lot as we have to pick coned holes a lot which Mastercam hole axis can't do, but it doesn't quite work how I would like it as it creates the point and start of the axis at the centre (in the axis) of the surface/face you have selected not the top edge which is ideally what I want for spotting and drilling holes. We are using this function on complex 3d formed medical parts so the holes are never just a nice cylindrical bore with a flat top and bottom, they are always truncated to the surface.

Model Prep/Hole Axis does this  

and the free Verisurf add-on HAS done it for years

 

Been actually "part of" Mastercam going on I believe 3 releases now

Incorrect!  Hole Axis does NOT do what he wants.  (And what I want)  He wants a point at the TOP of the hole which is easy.  But he wants a line ABOVE the hole that terminates at the TOP of the hole.  This would be useful for Spot Drilling and Spot Facing using drill 5 axis and circlemill 5 axis.

 

Currently this is done in several steps:

1. use Hole Axis to create a point at the top of the hole

2. next use Hole Axis to create a line that extends above the hole

3. and finally trim the line to the point.  (Break at points works well, but you still need to delete the part of each line you do not want to keep)

 

 

That's the kicker you have to manually trim the line to each point, not a big deal for ten holes, but if you are doing 500, 1000, or more  holes that's a lot of trimming.

there are a lot of workarounds that work in different scenarios but sooner or later you want a line above the hole and a point at the top of the hole (I usually create both the point and the arc at the top of the hole for spot facing purposes - see below)

 

For example your suggestion of shifting the depth up a positive value works very well as long as all the holes have the same "length of engagement". 

 

Sometimes what hole axis creates needs to be adjusted, if I need to spot face a number of holes and some of the holes are at an acute angle to the model I may need slide the geometry graphically up and down along the tool axis, this really requires having a point, line, and arc at the top of the hole.

Thanks for explaining it for me Roger.

In some ways if the Hole axis function worked as it is labelled we would be in business as it says "extend axis", not "extend axis and place circle and point at top of extension" !

Wasn't too hard.  Two circles, one surface.  I tried to have it then transition into spiral motion to create a cylinder, but couldn't get a clean transision.  Will need to two tool-paths for that, but no big deal.

 

Parting_Motion_Sample.mcam

 

Spiral_In.JPG

Well done

I haven't used "materials" for decades.  I calculate the feed and speed for every toolpath with HSMAdvisor or Helical Milling Advisor.  If you're not adjusting for each different cut you're wasting machine time and probably cutter life.  Take a .005" stepover finish pass with the same F/S as your .125" stepover and you're rubbing your flutes.

+1000

I did manage to unlock a hidden feature though.....drilling from both sides...

 

 

 

 

 

Capture.JPG

We work like you in some instances and window select points with an axis for 5 axis drilling, these are usually created to a separate level for easy selection.

Now my biggest bug bear and something I have requested a few times is a function that would create a point at the centre top of a cylindrical hole , now this is the crux,  "with" an axis line that extends "above or away" from this point. Why, because this is exactly what 5 axis drill or circle mill requires and it is unbelievably frustrating to have to create an axis and point, extend the axis and trim them back to the point on a lot of holes to achieve a correct drill orientation. I really can't see it being very hard to add the option to create an axis above the feature to the current "create hole axis" function in MC but after numerous requests and a lot of support from other users, I have decided it must be because CNC software aren't listening !

Reko's process would cut the best part on a 4 Axis Machine. I was just giving you different ways to cut it in one shot.

Hi Ron, Your tool path actually violates the inside corner of the slot. There would need to be extra geometry created to swarf the modelled slot due to the way the walls taper to a point above the lower rail at that inside corner. So yet again we wish all designers were machinists !!

in MC 2017 the Toolholder boxes are not populating, we just get Default holder in both the "holder new" and "holder old" columns is anyone else seeing this ?

scrap that, I have just realised that Mastercam has dumped all my holders linked to the ops for some reason !!

in MC 2017 the Toolholder boxes are not populating, we just get Default holder in both the "holder new" and "holder old" columns is anyone else seeing this ?

I've translated the new "X+ Fixture Chook" for Mastercam 2017.

You can use the link from my first post for downloading.

 

If you have previously installed the german version, make sure that you re-customize your QAT or ribbon bar in order to see the english text. This is necessary in MC2017!!!

Can't find your original link !

Just a little functionality I stumbled across today that can help with the cumbersome 2017 tabs functionality - if you hold your cursor over the tabs bar the scroll wheel of your mouse can be used to scroll along the tabs, pretty quick.

Has it fixed the +D+Z issue, or is that still fritzed?

 

You'd laugh if I told you where I was posting this from....

I know !!!

On a side note I came across a bug yesterday in MC2017 that won't allow you to use 90% stepover with area mill toolpaths, just wont process. 89.9% or 90.1%  works.

Has been logged.