We ended up going with Lakeshore Carbide simply because of pricing until we get this process figured out. Its been a long time since I messed with threadmill programming. I have some questions about threadmilling with mastercam. I used to know how to write these out by hand and I thought the process was to roll into the thread, it looks to me like mastercam wants to feed straight to the wall of the thread then start the loop. What feeds and speeds would you run for a 1/4-20? Our spindle maxes out at 10000 but we try not to go that high as we've had spindle issues in the past on this machine. Below is the program from Mastercam. Does anyone have a proven 1/4-20 threadmill program? We need .254" of full thread. Thanks % O0011 N100 G20 N102 G0 G17 G40 G49 G80 G90 N104 T27 M6 N106 G0 G90 G54 X0. Y0. A0. S8800 M3 N108 G43 H27 Z.25 M51 N110 Z.1 N112 G1 Z-.25 F10. N114 G41 D27 Y-.1185 F23. N116 G3 X.1185 Y0. Z-.2375 I0. J.1185 N118 Z-.1875 I-.1185 J0. N120 X0. Y.1185 Z-.175 I-.1185 J0. N122 G1 G40 Y0. N124 Z-.25 F10. N126 G41 D27 Y-.1235 F23. N128 G3 X.1235 Y0. Z-.2375 I0. J.1235 N130 Z-.1875 I-.1235 J0. N132 X0. Y.1235 Z-.175 I-.1235 J0. N134 G1 G40 Y0. N136 Z-.25 F10. N138 G41 D1 Y-.125 F23. N140 G3 X.125 Y0. Z-.2375 I0. J.125 N142 Z-.1875 I-.125 J0. N144 X0. Y.125 Z-.175 I-.125 J0. N146 G1 G40 Y0. N148 G0 Z.1 N150 Z.25 N152 M5 N154 G91 G28 Z0. M9 N156 G28 X0. Y0. A0. N158 M30 %

Yeah. I can only find them in 1/2" LOC there. I'd like to go as short as possible. These are for a specific job and .254" is the max depth they'll ever be used for. Seems like 1/2" is the standard Thanks

Im looking for a stubby thread mill. Not a single point. Im doing a 1/4-20 x .254" deep in mild steel. Any recommendations? Thanks

Thanks. That was a big help. Now my only concern is turning on cutter comp. Its been a while since I've messed with programming so please be patient. I thought typically you have to move 1/2 the cutter diameter to turn on cutter comp. but my tool is .180 diameter in a .201 hole...see the issue? When I try to backplot my toolpath it looks good except for the lead in and out Thanks

Im trying to program a 1/4-20 threadmill .250" deep with a form cutter, not a single point. MasterCam is posting a program with a line for each .001" it comes up in "Z". Is there a way to get MasterCam to post a condensed code? I know a threadmill program written by hand is only a few lines. Thanks

I need help finding a cutter to reach the bottom of a pocket. Diameter can range from 1-1.500" and has to reach 8". I'd prefer to stay as small on the diameter as I can so it will be more usable on other parts. This is part of a weldment and the pocket will be roughed pre weld when its only 3" deep but after weld it will have gussets around the pocket that will require 8" to reach the bottom of the pocket. Tolerances aren't critical and surface finish doesn't have to be perfect so I don't really want to spend the money on anti-vibration tooling if I don't have to. Sandvik has 1" and 1-1/4" diameter cutters but the overall is only 9", with my current tool holders that doesn't give me room to get even 1 set screw on it. Thanks

I don't know if this really belongs in this forum but I need some help. I work at a shop with machinists scattered across 3 shifts. For the (3) years I've worked here we have never recycled a piece of carbide. I have my suspicions about where its been going but that's another matter. I was wondering if I could get some input on how other shops have set up recycling programs. Any feedback on how to manage or enforce it would be greatly appreciated. I know vendor managed would be the easiest but I've been down that road trying to convince the higher powers here and Im done with that headache for a bit. Thanks

here are some pics

Sorry. I don't think I did a good job at describing them. Think of the triangle an angle plate makes when you look at it from the side. One leg is roughly 2' and the other is roughly 3'. And we are selling as a matched set. They used to be used on a large horizontal mill. I am working on getting them out of storage to get some pics. I will also try to do an inspection on them with our Romer CMM arm to see how true they are. Thanks

Where do you guys list your used tooling for sale? We have (3) large matched angle plates we made years ago. The faces are roughly 2' and 3' and 22" wide. Thanks

What type of coolant lines is everone using. We have (2) Mazak 250's. We've been using copper tube but I'd like to find something flexible and easier to setup. Thanks

So the parts didn't work for the customer and we have to remake them. It is an issue with the small holes. Apparently they are going to have to be reamed. Im not sure if its going to be a press or slip but either way, what size reamer should I get in comparison to the hole I need? On size, over sized, or under? And by how much?

What about sawing it? Any tips? It started to break apart on us.

We use it with PDF's. We had a project that was a 30 page print with over 1600 bubbles. Paid for itself with one use as far as Im concerned. Very user friendly and easy to make edits. Would have taken me weeks to do it by hand. It basically won us a new client when we were the only company able to complete their FAI yet.

Does anyone have much experience machining G10/FR 4 plastic material? I know carbide is pretty much the only way to go but I was wondering about feeds and speeds. I basically need to first square up the material, cut some pockets with 1/8", 1/4", and 1/2" endmills. I also have to drill (15) .067" dia holes thru almost 1" of material. I have ordered some circuit board drills for them but I have no idea about feeds and speeds for anything (drills or endmills). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

X5. Thats the version on the production floor. I saved it and re-opened it in X6 and it worked fine.

I got this alarm today, or something worded like it. Does anyone have any idea what it is? It happened after I tried to generate a toolpath. I selected the geometry, edited the parameters, and when I clicked ok it gave me this alarm. Thanks

We've got an Iron worker but not the tooling. The holes go down the side of the channel and I don't have the right punch and die. Also, after talking to a couple of my machinists and welders they believe it would be hard to hold the location required.

Im getting ready to start a job and I need a drill recommendation. I have to drill a total of (3,636) 9mm holes and (2,432) 6.6mm holes through some structural channel. Each part only gets 6-8 holes. Im using some older machines so my rapid movements are hindering my cycle times. Its just structural channel so Im limited on improvements I can make in my setups to improve cycle time. Could I benefit from a high performance drill? Im only punching a hole through about 3/16" of material. Would it be worth it? Thanks

Im just finishing with it. Parts will be roughed (drilled) within .015-.025 per side, welded into a flange, and then finished. And yes, $650 quoted is a bit but when I watched a guy polishing a bore for 2 min longer than quoted I don't think its hard to justify. Especially when Im going to be running over 1000 of these hubs every month. I have 12 different size bores and this bar should do 11 of them. It should never leave the machine as far as Im concerned.

A36 Mild steel by the way.

We are needing to bore some thru holes on a lathe 6" deep. Will a 1" solid carbide work? We are using a 1-1/2" steel boring bar and we are getting a lot of chatter. I think a 1" carbide bar extended 6" with 4" held in the turret should be no problem. Anyone agree?

We have a product line we are starting to machine and I need some tooling help. We have to drill a hole through about 4" of A36 in a cnc lathe. Diameters will vary from 1.00" to 2.25". Id like to find something to speed things up as much as possible. Interchangable heads, indexing inserts...I don't really care. Id like to avoid buying multiple tools but if its justifiable then Im all for it. We are looking at 1100 of these every month. Thanks

I am having trouble with cutters plunging into material when trying to surface. My issues are only at the beginning when starting the surface. Is there a way to control the cutter so that it starts off of the part and works its way in? The only solution I find is to extend my surfaces but then I end up cutting air. Any suggestion? I can usually get my toolpaths to cut right except for the entrances and exits. I have attached something I am working on. Thanks 50-0136_REV-0.MCX-5

I am going to try to upload a file I am working on. It contains a surface and a model of the part I am working on. I would like some advice on a toolpath to use. I would like to machine the slope and chamfers in one setup. Any input is appreciated. Also, this is a plastic part. 50-0136 REV-0 MACHINED DEVIATION.MCX-5