Are you selecting the point as your geometry?

I tried that but it keeps unchecking it like it doesn't recognize it. I tried the rest dynamic and selected the drill operation before it and it seems to work. Still like to know how to tell it where to enter without having a drill op posted before it.

Can someone tell me how to make my cutter enter a pre drilled hole with the dynamic tool path? Basically I want to drill a hole, rapid my endmill to depth, and then start the trochoidal motion.

Anyone using inserted cutters with a dynamic toolpath? We have a bunch left and the boss won't let me get any Hanitas till theyre gone. I need to rough a pocket three inches deep in 316 SS. One inch with Sandvik inserts. Step over, entry, depth of cut...? any advice would be appreciated.

You can run as fast as your machine can go, BUT it all depends on how good you're holding onto the part, because it will want to squirt out of the vise.

It's very easy to cut.

It's like Delrin, in that regard, but like nylon in the way that it doesn't like to break a chip,just not as "hard" as nylon.

For a starting point, run it at the same speeds as you would run a 6061-T6 aluminum part, then go up from there.

Im going to be holding on to over an inch of the thickness in two vises.

Its a pretty good size part. 3-1/2" x 5-1/4" x 24". I mainly need advice on depth of cut and feeds and speeds.If its as hard to hold as you say can I take full depth and width. What kind of feed rates am I looking at?

Im about to mill some UHMW. Any advice would be appreciated. Milling a couple bosses 1.25 tall. Using a 1" 2 flute HSS end mill for most of the operation.

I have a pretty simple but pretty stupid question. I need to circle mill some holes in 1" plywood and Ive never milled a piece of wood let alone a piece of plywood, any tips? I don't have any special tools or any special approach. I was just gonna take a 3/4" high speed 2 flute and circle mill. My mill is limited on rpm's so Im kinda afraid its going to want to tear.

In a shop like mine. How fast you make the part isn't that important, but trying to save cutters does have some major value to it. Just changing up my programming style to dynamic milling, my cutters are lasting so much longer than without. I took that Modern Art of Milling class from Sandvik and next thing you know my parts are coming out better and spending less on cutters. In my mind all good things.

Did you say a Modern Art of Milling class? Two sandvik reps came to my university last year and did a pretty intensive demo on the modern art of milling but if they offer some kind of class that would be even better. Am I understanding you correctly?

I am about to tackle some 316 stainless parts and I was wondering if anyone had any advice for tooling and cutting parameters. I will be doing some pockets ranging from 1" to 2" deep. We just got mastercam and before we had done everything with inserted cutters but I would like to get away from that and go with dynamic. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

This iPad is killing me with the triple posts!

Ha. Thanks. I found the page to use the G54 and I found the tool length offset page (soft key from the tool data page) but I think my sequence of operations is off. I start by bringing all of my tools down to the 123 block and touch the top. Teach zero on the tool offset page (the haas i used to run had a tool length offset button to push)and put an incremental value of -2 in the offset to bring the offset down to the actual table. This should set all of the tools to one reference point which is the table. Where I go from here is where I think I am doing something wrong. I would like to be able to put an offset in the G54 to tell it the Z offset is set at the table. This way all I have to do is measure the height of my setups and put that value in the z offset shift. I am trying to eliminate touching the top of parts during setups. Eventually I would even like to have a fixture plate that will repeat my vises so I don't have to edge find either. What step am I doing wrong. Im concerned because Im not actually doing the setups and I need to be able to give clear instructions to the operators.

Can someone give me the run down on setting tool and work offsets for mastercam programs on mazak mills? We just got mastercam last week and I can't get my tool length offsets or my WPC for my Z right. All of my mastercam experience has been on Haas machines. Its been a year since I've done a setup but before on the Haas I would set the tools off a 1-2-3 block on the table and use a Z offset for my Z zero. I don't like setting tools to the top of the workpiece because if I machine a surface on the part I no longer have my reference to reset tools. If anyone could give me their step by step process it would be greatly appreciated.

I have some questions regaurding surfacing. Is it better to use a big tool or small tool? What guidelines do you follow for step over and down for roughing and finishing? Do you use a certain percentage of the tool? And what guidelines do you follow for surfacing plastic.

Not sure if it fits in this forumn anywhere but I have a question about shrink fitting. I need to fit a shaft into a ring. The shaft is too long to freeze so I am relying entirely on heating the ring. The hole is just under 3" and the O.D. is 3-15/16" diameter in 1045 steel. I found the thermal expansion coefficients but Im concerned that since there is a hole thru that it may expand more. Anyone with any experience in this area would be a big help. I plan on heating the ring to between 300° and 400° and expect around .004' to .005" expansion as it is with the standard formula but again I wonder if it will grow more since it has a larg hole thru it. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

We are using an SMW ACcu-Smart 60 indexer and we are having some issues with it. It doesn't seem to index to the correct position. When trying to index it 90° we a have to program it somewhere around 89.85°. Doesn't seem like a lot but if we don't compensate this little bit it will scrap the part every time. And its the same every time we set up the indexer. I want to just contact the manufacturer but I can't find any info on them and this is the only indexer I have used so I'm not that familiar with it. Has anyone experienced problems of this sort or has anyone heard of this brand and model?

I would start in the 250 sfm range and .001-.002 chipload and then run one at HEM factor of about 1.1 and see how it goes. If it cuts good, re-post it sped up on the HEM factor until you are comfortable with the performance and what your machine can do. Don't change the FPT or SFM after you start changing the HEM factor. The feed rates and RPM's it gives you vary based on a lot of factors. If you decide to change the chip load or base SFM you will need to slow the HEM factor down and make sure it works.

 

I don't remember any 17-4 job part numbers off the top of my head so I can't look back at what I used, but really its more based on what your machine can do. I notice some machines run it faster than others, even the same machine model. I run most of my steel dry.

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How would you recommend finding our machines range? Start with manufacturers recommended feeds and speeds and a HEM factor of 1 and keep bumpin it up?

They only list their newer tools, but you can use it with almost any tool, just choose one that's similar to what you will actually use.

 

As far as the feed factor goes, that is based more on what your machinery will actually do and the limits you place in the machine definition. HEM is really more for steels than aluminum. When you choose the Iscar HEM option, the maximum step over is 10%. That is nothing for aluminum, but its designed for steels where you want to limit the time in cut to not overheat the tool and take faster feed cuts. The relation between RPM and chip load is all based off calculations that Iscar provided to CNC when they designed the toolpath. Iscar spent many years tuning these ratios for maximum production and tool life.

 

I have a 1/2" 5 flute chatterfree endmill that I have been using for almost 3 years. It has done so many jobs that I have lost track. Its done jobs in 303, 304, 1018, and some 17-4. I recently took it out of service, but not because of wear, but because some idiot threw it on the table against another tool and put a chip in a flute. The coating is not even worn on the flutes and if it was clean, you would think it was new or hardly used.

 

HEM is really an amazing setup once you take a little bit of time and figure out what your machine can do. Its really easy on the machinery too. There are really no high load cuts with it, and engagement into and out of the cut is always smooth.

Three years? Thats amazing

Keep em together, do both at once. Like you said in the beginning, just use contour ramp (a helix) instead of plunging... maybe I'm missing something....

Oh. Well its a .220 radius and Im using a 7/16" cutter. Not much to helix. Its the only tool I could find with the right LOC, 2 flute, HSS, and in my price range. (which isn't much )That is my plan for the other bigger radii though. thanks

I don't do plastic but why not Contour Ramp?

Harvey tool has some 2 fluters for plastic, 1/4" tool 2" LOC & lots & lots of coolant.

harvey tool

Not much to hole on to. Plus this way two parts will be done at once.

I would just drill it to size. If you want to use an endmill that will work but with that tolerance a drill would work. With a drill you you could be within .005 without a problem. Like I said keep the RPM lower and feed it about .003-.005.

The reason I didn't want to just drill it is because it is actually two pieces of plastic clamped in a vise and I will be drilling on the seam and I didn't know if my drill would walk. I am actually creating a radius on the side of a part. The part is symetrical so I am doing two at a time. Thats also why the tolerance is so big. It is a .22 radius with a plus or minus .030".

You should be just fine with that just don't go too fast on your RPM.

What do you mean by just fine? Id like to hold that dimension as close as I can obviously. How much of the tolerance do you think I would use? I wasn't sure how big to pre drill either. Thought of using the endmill almost like a reamer, just take out a little but I wasn't sure how consistent I could expect to hold the pre drill size.

I have to put a hole thru 2" of polyethylene and Ive never worked with it before. It calls for a hole to be .440" but it has a plus or minus .060" tolerance. Can I just plunge a two flute HSS 7/16" endmill thru it? I would probly pre drill it and try some different sizes but I would think .060" shouldn't be a problem.

Whats the best carbide drill you have used for the price? I am drilling about an inch deep in 316 stainless. Holes are around .390" diameter. Ive been just using TiN coated HSS but I'd like to find something faster and with longer life. Or do you suggest something besides carbide for my situation? Oh yeah, I need to hold a couple thousandths tolerance too.

I havent used it but seems all of Iscars HEM tools are in a pre installed tool library in X5 with all your variables already saved to the library. The tools are the tool part numbers used by Iscars catalougue. Change your tool library to Iscar HEM and you will see what I mean

I've done that but I just thought Iscar would have more tools. Im not at work right now but I believe there are either 36 or 38 tools listed total. Thats not many when you consider all of the different sizes and types. I mean between endmills just for specific materials such as aluminum and stainless should constitute a bigger tool list I would think.

Can someone give me the rundown on how to use the Iscar HEM feature on X5? How do I know how much to factor? And some info on the tool library that comes with it and editing? Can you get tool files directly from Iscar?

Anyone know where I can get an after market oil mister for a mazak vertical mill? We have an air hose that we rigged up ourselves so something as simple as a dripper that we could attach in front of the air hose would work.