whew....it wasn't just me NOPE.... The only thing I really understand is that he effed up the tool name and is looking for a safety to catch it. name the tool right and it's fixed , right ? Hard to say without knowing your "process"

This isn't quite clear...... Are you saying you picked the facemill when you wanted to pick the ball? If you pick the ball it shouldn't come up named as a facemill unless you named it as a facemill. it's only going to post out what you tell it to. So if you picked the facemill, why would it error ? or Do you mean you named the same tool # as the facemill ? If thats the case , before it posts you should get the question about multiple tools using the same tool #. then it will ask you if you want a tool change in the NCI....it won't post unless you answer yes or no. So if you posted and ran code at the machine, then you answered the question and it's doing what you told it to do. In other words that question prompts a tool change or no tool change . Dunno if that's what your looking for.....

or this

Here ya go.... stock origin.doc

email screenshot to me and I will provide a screen shot

Thanks! Not solid yet. Just discussed lightly. I have it pretty damn good where I'm at but getting a little bored. I don't think I would be bored there!

aircraft and defense.....3~5 axis. Alot of larger stuff http://futuramic.com/

Im between Lapeer and Imlay City, about 4 miles west of M53 and 2 miles north of 69. I drive to Auburn Hills now.....I'm in a rural area so ya go where the work is .... I've heard that about Surfcam. From what I understand, HyperMill and Tebis would be my main tools.

At some point in the near future, I may have an opportunity to change jobs. A really cool place called Futuramic in Mi. They run Tebis, Hypermill, and SurfCam. None of which I have used. Any insight to these softwares compared to MCam or if any of the Mi. metal cutters here have heard of this place, any info would be appreciated.

lol. oops!......a pictures worth a 1000 words

Never saw this before. Just a 4 axis index prgrm. Posts out fine and runs fine.......:shrug:

That did it ! Thank you sir ! Now....do I need to disable relays evry time to unhook or can I just change parameter 12 and 1005 back to 1. It appears the relays are for clamp and unclamp...? thats the mnessage i got.

Thanks Dan , i will try it first thing in the morning !

no description......least not that i can find. Yeah, probably have to get on the horn....

Have an XV 710 and just found a 4th axis up on a shelf. I have the first page of 9 page control config manual for initial set up . But I don't have the info for enable/disable. Anyone have it? It's an official Hardinge booklet for XV710 and XV1000. Says Document # T-397 on the one and only page I have. This thing is from 2007 and it's never been hooked up. Still bolted down to the shipping pallet! Sweet find tho ! Been 5-6 yrs since i ran 4th on fanuc and that was a 16i. If I remember correctly parameter was 9900 set at 4 and the KEEPRL was K05 and #7 set to 1 ?? Then just power down, hook up cables and power up, turn off write protect and good to go. Any one have info ? Don't really want to get service out here cuz I just spent 2000.00 on another issue with this machine.......

Duh.....just noticed it's in X7...i'm in 6

Still can't open......dang, kinda interested to see it. Used to do a ton of structural protoypes with lots of pockets and ribs with draft that sounds like kinda this job.

Nice Ninja......wish I had that kinda free time ! your a saint for donating your own time on this site

You can orientate (what I assume you are calling fixturing) a part to any face, plane, or line you want by creating it if it doesn't exist in your 6 basic front , back ,side, etc. I'm not sure if your asking how to orientate the part or if your asking how to cut an angle with MasterCam.....or both. The part geometry is what drives how you cut, so without it, the answers are infinite.... Do you have a square block you are trying to cut angles on ? Do you have a part with no square sides and you want to fixture it so you can cut more angles ? If you have a block with a 45 deg angle and have features that are perpendicular to that angle ,but not to the table then you will still have to tilt the part with only 3 axis. If you need to rotate the part in X5 to match a set up like this then read up on construction planes and xform . Also read up on WCS use. I assume you are brand new to X5 ? Having a pic of the part is helpful......

Wow....this is just getting cooler and cooler. Thanks Webby!

If it was production I definately would have done more 2d programming. The edge rads in the pockets would remain surfaced , but the bosses and the chamfers all would have been 2d as well as the boss to face rads. Then surface the small rads in on the edges and gusset. But this again depends on aesthetics profile tolerancing, etc. If you have enough pieces you can afford to get an imperfect one or two and fine tune to get 2d and 3d cuts to blend nicely. While it would be more work in toolpaths, tool set up, and geometry creation, it would definately run faster.... enough to justify and amortize over the whole run. It's kinda funny , too, because it depends where you're working as well. If your just programming or if you have a workstation at a machine and it's your only machine. At one place, I would plan a one or two off job in my head and get it roughing while I programmed the rest. It wouldn't necessarily be the best method, but it would be one that saved more time in programming than in machining. Especially the gotta have it NOW jobs Now I am doing mostly one offs with high tolerance forms and hardmilling and very fine micro. Like Minion said.....more planning , fine tuning, less room for error and expensive tooling to consider.

Oh yeah...not debating it at all bro. I'm a single Dad with 3 kids...pffffffttttt....what free time ?! lol I throw something out there and read thru while I'm at my desk at work......inbetween working or processing a toolpath as lots of guys do . No time at home to sign on.....lucky if I can even get on a computer ! lol I guess i like the challenge of fine tuning to spec too......just can't always. I find myself getting caught up in ways to make a path work where it might not otherwise......natural curiousity:)

Agreed Kevin and MCM....that's why I asked about what we were trying to accomplish. Too many variables missing to program the part properly. How you approach something s directly related to what the customer specifically needs. But throwing down toolpaths and seeing other ways is a great way to add to the toolbox. IMO there is no ONE way to do anything. Everything is part specific, time specific, material specific, machine specific,aesthetics, tolerancing......

Befor I discovered this stuff......it was bondo

Vacuum first, but if not.... I would back fill with a version of 3M ScotchWeld. 2 part plastic epoxy that mixes as you apply.10 minutes and your good to go. Machine final pass(es) and it will hold it in place. It's more brittle and stiff than the PET so you flex the part a bit and it cracks and breaks right off easily without damaging or scuffing part surface. If any sticks on it scrapes right off with a razor. Great for break off tabs instead of machine off tabs. I have used this alot on plastics with great success on prototypes from 1" to 60" Do it in a sheet with a version of Ninjas program and then use 3m to back fill outer rad or tabs . Go back and cut them off all at once.......course I would make 105 cuz sh!t happens Obviously , depending on customers specs, you may have to epoxy, flip sheet and machine bottom rad, then break off. Customer sounds like pretty wide open specs.... Of course your nads will suck up into your body for the first 10 parts til you see it works at least mine did first time I used it......