quote: Thanks JohnA. Stand tall. We are with you and proud of you. Thank you for your service. And thanks for stopping in at the forum. It is good to hear from you. +100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Here is to you and your buddies Kind regards, Mark

quote: I'm not thrilled about dragging the tool back up on the retract. Agreed, this could be a problem especially on deep plunges (3 x dia +) but there are now many different plungers that can eliminate this. Seco Carboloy does rub on retract because it has a negative angle at a bottom but it is a real hammer(better have chip conv. running, otherwise you gonna be swimming in chips). If rubbing on retract is a problem try using iscar (6 inserts). It has a positive angle at the bottom which makes cutter bite into a wall on plunge so there is no rubbing on retract... Kind regards, Mark

quote: I've already thought of using a G81 and stepping over but im sure there is an easier way to do it Not really if you want efficient tool path. You can try rough surface but it really SUCKS (sorry Mastercam... ) I use it a lot to face parts, especially ones with bosses on them. It involves creating a lot of geometry (circles lines ) dividing them to get desired stepover, creating points and then it is just a simple G81 toolpath (no coolant). It's a pain but plunging kicks a$$ Time saving on a particular part in 17-4 ph was 90+%. I like using plungers where applicable. About 4 years back I had to mill a slot 8" deep by 1.75" wide and 25" long in 4340(the whole thing weighted about 500 pounds). Try doing this with a rougher... That's when we started using plungers. I use it on a cat 50 mori vmc, but it will do great on 40 taper also. Somebody said it is much easier on the machine than aggresive roughing and I agree. Just wish MC would have a little better options in utilizing this great tool... Kind regards, Mark

Sorry it took me so long to answer, had to drop somebody at DIA. As far as fanuc 21 it shouldn't be much different that 16 that I'm quite familiar with. Drop me an e-mail with what you need to know. By the way, did you call Triad? Regards, Mark [email protected]

I can't believe the place that sold you the machine can't help you It wouldn't happen if you bought it at Triad Machine Tool. They are right next to you, have great support and I bet thay can help with what you need. Person to talk to is Mark at 303-424-0268 Regards, Mark

Hi GreggT I'm local. If it's not a lot of work maybe I can squeze some programming for you after work. Just wondering what kind of machine and control you have. Regards, Mark

There is a shortcut for Dell on emastercam.com that will take to recommened system for Mastercam. I think it's a Canadian version but it will give you a great start. That is a lot of pc's... Regards, Mark

The key is a good cable. Among good ones is Predator Grizzly Cable from Predator Software Inc... Regards, Mark

Thanks very much for the info James. It's going on my wish list. Now it's up to the owner Kind Regards, Mark

How does a Dataserver work, James ? Can you give me an approximate range for a "few grand" ? Regards, Mark

Any tips like that for fanuc 16 C series ?? Recently tried to do away with special tooling for a particular job by means of surface toolpath, but the code barely fit in the Mori's memory (only 126k)... Regards, Mark

Could it be that somebody is about to get banned??? Kind Regards, Mark

quote: I don't get it??? Neither do I. Hope it's not about first 3 letters of an 8 letter last name... Kind Regards, Mark

"Can't we all get along ? " Guess not: On a serious note: FYI Mr. dkintzel James Mayette helped hundreds of people on this forum including myself. And NOT ONCE have I seen him acting as a "know it all" kind of person. Visiting quite regularly this forum, I can tell that no matter how advanced someone is in MC, there is alway something new to be learned almost every day from members of this forum. So how about going back to the original topic of this thread? Anyone willing to share some thoughts??? Anyone Anyone... Peace Kind Regards, Mark

We are a small shop too, 5 guys, 7 cnc's plus a bunch of other stuff... I'm beggining to treat mc just as I treat any other tool. That means looking for something better, faster, more efficient, more user friendly, whether it's a drill, mill, plunger cutter, insert or... software I talked recently to one of the tool reps that stops by our place frequently and he told me that a lot of shops are hesitant to try a new tool because that means editing or tottaly reworking g code on cnc's which they say is a lot of work. It is a lot of work, but without willingness to try new "stuff" we still would be throwing rocks at the moon... Just my 2 cents Regards, Mark

quote: Thanks Mark for teasing us!!!!!!!!!! You are welcome JAMMAN. I really liked what I saw. No wonder they named it X and not 10, It looks so different (read: modern, better...) Regards, Mark

Really liked what I saw. The new interface looks pretty good. You can customize it any way you like it. What seems a little weird is that it shows last used function in construction. For ex. if you construct a circle using polar function it will show it on a create circle with this option visible. If you construct a circle using endpoints function, it will show it on top ... so a visible toolbar thumnails constantly change... I thought the MRU (most recently used) toolbar was for this. No visible changes to toolpaths (still looking for facing using plungers in addition to cutters without creating a surface ) Like the interface a lot, like machine definitions and totally unexpected control definition Looks very modern and will be a pleasure to work with. Bad news is I don't think it'll be released for months Still looking forward to it. Regards, Mark

quote: Mark Casella is a classy guy. I knew him from my days at Mori. +1000 Regards, Mark

quote: Mark, are you connected with Triad? I'm not sure what you mean... They sell and support our Moris and of course Mastercam. Never had any problems with them, quite the opposite. We are Very happy with them. If the problem arises they call us back within an hour and if there is major problem they are here within hours... Been like that for at least 15+ years. They have a very nice group of people there, and they know their stuff Regards, Mark

quote: look for this in the post: stagetool : 1 #0 = Do not pre-stage tools, 1 = Stage tools by Chris M Been covered several times before... Regards, Mark Ooops double post

quote: look for this in the post: stagetool : 1 #0 = Do not pre-stage tools, 1 = Stage tools by Chris M Been covered several times before... Regards, Mark

4 to 6 Call 303-424-0268 to register Regards, Mark

Triad has user group meeting today. Might want to stop by... Topic: Mastercam X Regards, Mark

quote: I am trying to access the milling toolpaths but am unable. Isn't it available in Lathe level 2 and up only??? Regards, Mark

Who is your reseller carriopaul. If you feel you have been wronged I sure it can be worked out. Regards, Mark