Paul, quote: 07/11 /05 - 40 year aniversarry of the slurpie! Now I know where the 7-11 stores got their name. quote: I want to know where 'X2' is now. Now you've got to be kiddin', right? "Give 'em a taste of something good and they want more." Sheesh

DavidB, Use Modify-Join if the arcs have the same radius and center pt. This will give you a full arc without having to mess with converting to IGES("I Guess" it's right) and dealing with another software. If the arcs don't have the same radius and center point than you could delete one arc and Trim-Close arc on the remaining half. If you need to delete the half arcs, use Delete-Window-Polygon and also set a Mask function to only delete arcs of a particular size. This will allow you to window select arcs without deleting any other form of geometry. BTW, even if your solid was imported from another source and it doesn't have a history, you can generate a limited history in Mcam with Solids-Next menu-Find features. This detects holes and fillets on any solid body brought into Mcam. Not only will it detect them and produce a feature in the history of the solid, you can also generate new geometry from the detected hole. This new geometry is always a full arc for a full 360 deg. hole. HTH

+1000 Jimmy! Thanks Steve B. @ CNC!

MayDay, quote: have you used edit common parameters latley ?? just to name 1 creepy crawler What exactly is the problem with it? I mean other than the WCS selection not changing for all the operations selected. If you change anything else like Clearance, Retract, Depth, Tool Plane or CPlane, those things will change for all the ops selected that are similar. Is there something else I'm missing? Seriously though, for a CEO to ask their employee, a general user instead of the developer "where's the software", that's just idiocy. That's like asking the grocery store cashier where the distribution center is located.

All, Mick from Axsys CNC says it best: quote: In terms of bang for buck in regards to Maintenance. Since Maintenance has been released, there has been several service packs, plus the free step translator, and X, when it is released. I've used UG. I waited longer with UG, for less, and paid more. I think Mastercams maintenance is good value for money. And it doesn't stop at X. X is going to be developed further, as most software is, and it can only get better. With the exception that "service packs" should be replaced with Maintenance Releases. Service packs are fixes, or patches, for the software and will be released for every user. Maintenance Releases are improvements to the software and will only be available to those who have enrolled in Maintenance. These will continue after the release of Mcam X. This is how software is developed and continually updated. The most complaints I see or hear from users refer to a feeling like they've been "swindled" into paying an annual fee to the software developer for providing a quality product that is continually updated. The product has been updated and improved upon since the inception of the Maintenance program. That's what was promised and that's what has been delivered. For those who feel misled and thought that Maintenance was ONLY for the release of Mcam X, you are unfortunately mistaken. Mcam X will be released whether you're enrolled in Maintenance or not. Those who have Maintenance will simply get it before others and will also receive improvements via Maintenance Releases. Those who simply want to update to Mcam X will have to wait longer than those on Maintenance and they will not receive any improvements. They will also pay more for their product update to Mcam X than the Maintenance customer payed for their maintenance fee. Maintenance for the software is optional, as opposed to many other packages which require it. It is also a budgetable line item that will no longer initiate an argument with purchasing to "squeeze in" the cost of updating to the latest release of the software every couple of years. It truly has been a monumental task of the developer to build Mcam X. It is an ongoing project. Even after X is released for general use, their job is not done. They will need to respond to users comments and found issues that were not discovered during the Beta testing stage. That's because no one can think of everything. There will be fewer issues than previous major version releases in the past. Of this I'm certain. This is a direct result of the developer incorporating more Beta testers than in the history of the product. When all is said and done, I personally believe Mcam X will place all those who use it competently, far, far ahead of their competition for many years to come. Peace to All.

Mike Mathis, quote: I'm putting a pin machined to a point into the cnc and using the hand wheel to move it along the edges of the part picking points as I go. Welcome to the forum. A CNC machine has much better accuracy than the human eye can see. It would be much easier using a Renishaw probe, microscribe, or Faro arm as Jimmy suggested. Even a dial indicator would be better because your movements are magnified and clearly read on the dial. CMM machines are specifically designed to perform this kind of work. It may be worth the investment to farm out the part to someone who has a CMM or request your customer get the data from someone who has the capabilities to do it. You'd be wasting your time and any possible way to accurately make the part to critical dimensions. Especially if you need multi-axis output. HTH

John, quote: I spent the day Friday at work just getting a swarfing tool path to cut this I agree with Jay. Although I may not have used a Swarf toolpath as he did, essentially the resulting toolpath would take a couple minutes to set up and process. I'm thinking a 4-axis Rotary or 5-axis Curve with 4-axis output would also accomplish the slot cuts very easily. The edge curves are easy to generate and then it's just picking the toolpath and chaining the geometry correctly. Call us if you ever need more convincing power for your bosses. Also, if you're going to upgrade to Mill 3, I strongly suggest doing it before Mcam X is released. Our sales guy Doug, can set up a demo or write a quote for you. Sorry you had such difficulty on Friday. Don't hesitate to call us or e-mail me the file if you ever come across something like this again. HTH

jeff, quote: I just want to rough a hole out and finish with a different tool. If this is what you want to do, you'll have to do it with two operations. Whether they are two Circle Mill ops or one Circle Mill and a Contour, it will have to be done with two operations. If that's the case, follow Metal's advice for Finish cuts in the Circle Mill when using Roughing. The Roughing in a circle mill will do exactly as you ask it to do, rough entry and rough material for each depth of cut. The "finish" pass that you see is the single circle mill pass that would occur normally if you had nothing else (roughing, multi-passes) activated. If you have specified to leave material on the wall, let's say 0.030", this material would remain even after your roughing and single circle mill pass was complete. Then follow up your Circle Mill with another Circle Mill to finish and take the remaining material off the wall, or use a Contour to accomplish the same thing. HTH

ktd, Go to this website Cimco Integration to download a 30-day trial version of the latest DNC software they have to offer. They can also inform you who your local distributor is. DNC Max is capable of communication for up to 256 machines at the same time. The software will recognize multiple types of connections such as I/O ports, network, RS-232 links, USB interface devices, etc... Wireless communications with high reliability is another option. The software bundled with high quality hardware truly makes DNC fast, easy and unbeatable. You can't go wrong with Cimco. HTH Chris, quote: DNCMax is the cat's a$$. As a representative of a distributor for the software, I take offense at your crude statement. While I appreciate your enthusiasm and praise for a phenomenal product, I can't help but wonder what the developer would think upon seeing their fine software equated to the excrement producing posterior region on a feline. J/K Only you could make that statement actually sound good.

ToolMan184, These "crashes" can usually be traced to a video problem with the hardware. I just finished speaking with a client of ours about this same issue where the Verify would work but then Mcam shut down after he Verified the toolpath. Turns out the computer he is using doesn't even have a dedicated video card. The video output is very important for Mcam. Having a dedicated video card with mature OpenGL drivers will eliminate the majority of technical problems in using the software to its fullest potential. Perform a search from the link above and list "video card" as a keyword. I'm sure you will find dozens of topics that refer to video issues and solutions to your problem. HTH

El Roy_23, Temperature is important for any computer and CNC equipment. Many processors and other electrical components, both in your computer and the control of the CNC machine, don't work properly at higher temps. Other than that, there is a little thing known as "thermal expansion" which can affect tolerances on CNC equipment and parts that are made when there are large changes in temperature throughout the day. Assuming your room isn't at a constant temperature, there could be as much as a 0.005-0.010" change or more in the machine as well as the stock. Making a part in hotter temps without adjustments may be worthless as it would be out of tolerance from the same part made at cooler temps. Many companies have found that to minimize scrap rates and other problems, temperature control is essential. Especially to maintain quality with tight tolerances. The optimum temperature for everything seems to be average room temp, around 72-75 F. Whether you're used to the heat or not is of little consequence when your computer and CNC equipment is not running right. If your company doesn't see a need to minimize scrap or even be able to utilize the equipment with less wear and tear over time, the minor investment in A/C won't make much sense to them. You have to put it in terms they understand. Tell them the heat generated in the room you're in is costing them more money than investing in an A/C unit to keep the temperature regulated. Good luck, Dan.

The model shop Inc., Besides checking the actual origin for the part, you may also want to look at the T/C Plane button on the tool parameters page of the operation. It seems as if you may be working on a different tool plane or construction plane as the X's and Y's don't change that much in your posted code, while the Z's change the most. It may be helpful if you can upload the file in question to cadcam's FTP site. That way one, or several, of us may be able to download and take a look at your actual parameters and compare it with the geometry. This would go a long way to finding out what the issue is. HTH

stevieboy, quote: Also what if I need the tool to plunge at both ends of the C, and just go back and forth along the chain plunging at the ends. Another option is to offset your "C" contour by the radius of the tool. Chain this new offset contour and turn your compensation type to "Off". Then select a Ramp style contour but use the Plunge radio button in the Ramp parameters. The "Ramp depth" field is where you set your depth of cut. This will have the centerline of the cutter follow the contour and plunge at both ends of the "C" shape. If you need to, pre-drill the ends of the "C" so the cutter will plunge down the holes. HTH

Mr. Deepak-R, Jack Mitchell expresses it best with this quote: quote: Even this much will take quite an effort. Mastercam is a great tool for programming CNC equipment. As with any other tool, one has to be formally trained in its use. It is a complex tool however so it cannot be learned in a "fast-track" style classroom. The industrial reseller network is setup to provide each purchaser of a Mcam license the opportunity to attend formal training. I am an instructor with a VAR of Mastercam. It is my job to produce and maintain written tutorials to be given to those who attend our training. Even this is something which takes much time. Many who respond on this forum are working full time to produce parts. They don't have the time to write tutorials. Get formal training from your reseller. Hopefully you will be instructed by someone such as myself, one who has actual work experience setting up, operating, and programming CNC equipment. Good luck.

Scott, Ask the boeing engineers what they're using to design the files with. Chances are there's a converter to bring their native file format into Mcam. Are you still using V8? Gotta get up to date if that's the case. Ask your reseller what your options are. HTH

Bruce, gcode is correct on this one: quote: The 2 PC's have different versions of the file HASP.EXE. Older versions did not support maintenance. Check the release date at the top right of the title bar on the HASP utility dialog. The latest one from October or November of 2003, is the first one which allowed for maintennace codes to be used. However I still feel that this may be more video card or driver related than codes not allowing for Mcam to launch. Mcam should launch whether you have maintenance or not. Try turning the Hardware Acceleration down and see if Mcam will launch in the new pc.

Longbow, This sounds like a video card issue. Perform a "search" in this forum for all topics with the words "video card" or "ATI video" and you will see many previous discussions about this issue. Another trick is to disable the Open GL drawing in Mcam. This can be found on the Screen tab of the System Configuration dialog. This can only be done if the Shading is not active. HTH

Good luck to you Rick. quote: My new position will be Secret so I can't say anything more on it. Those Secret positions can be rewarding. Sometimes they can be a little annoying when everyone comes to you to open or close the file cabinet because you're the only one with the Clearance. J/K Rick. Have fun. Come back and share what you can. Even if it's only on the O/T forum.

Edgerr, You could try to save the verified image of the toolpaths before the stock flip as an STL file. Than X-form the STL file using the File-Converters-STL menu and overwrite the original STL from Verify. This can be done to show the part after the first set of operations but just before the stock flip occurs. Then just verify the ops after the stock flip but use the STL of the front side ops. HTH Hey Brendan, quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How's the eyeball? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Still sucky!! Does this mean you still aren't able to come in for Solids training? I noticed you've been posting here on the forum for a little while now. Are you having any difficulty running Mcam? Are you able to drive for longer distances? Let me know as we have the Solids class coming up at the end of next week.

DavidB, The last reply gcode made is correct. In essence, you must have Mill licensed with the Lathe module to be able to produce any true milling (y-axis) output. With a Lathe only seat, no true Mill toolpaths are available. The selection for Y-axis should be "greyed-out" if you only have Lathe and not Mill with Lathe bundled to it. Is your lathe machine capable of Y-axis motion? If so, you may want to speak with your reseller and get Mill on the same seat with Lathe. The level of Mill that Lathe is bundled to will determine the type of toolpaths you're capable of outputting from Lathe. HTH

dougm, quote: I need this only for program edits The simplest, least expensive solution I believe would be take an old office computer, one with a network card, comm port and decent HD, place it next to the machine, intall a single seat of Cimco Edit Professional on it, and use it to send your programs over to the control via the RS232 connector that every control should have if its worth anything. Program with Mastercam in the quiet confines of the programming office. Transfer the program via network to the dedicated computer sitting next to the machine. Send the program from said computer to machine using Cimco Edit Professional, which has 3D and 2D Backplot of Generic ISO code as well as many other useful NC functions. Mastercam is a graphically intense application which requires a dedicated video card with mature OpenGL drivers. Just being able to see the cursor on the screen makes a world of difference to how effective your operators will be able to utilize Mcam. If all you really need is to edit the code, not the program, at the machine, Cimco Edit is more than capable of that. Keep the intricate, sophisticated programming task out of the not so pc-friendly environment of the manufacturing floor.

CAREYL, Welcome to the forum. Mastercam's official stance is that the software will only be supported on regular O/S's. Server O/S's are impractical to run regular applications on and dual processors are also not supported. There are some however who have been able to run Mastercam on a server O/S. Others have been able to run Mastercam on a dual processor system. So, even if the official word is that its not supposed to work, there's usually a way to do it. I would follow Leandro's advice although you won't find much help from anyone familiar with regular O/S's due to the fact that Win Server 2003 is such a different animal. We're mostly programmers here, not IT or network admins.

Threept82, That's right. I remember now. Has dive season started up yet? We have a Solids class we're offering in June if you'd be interested. Solids is a lot of fun. A lot easier than dealing with surfaces. Let me know if you'd like to come in for class.

Threept82, Take a close look at the geometry for the cut extrusion. I eliminated the radius in the base chain by trimming the two straight lines together. Upon regenerating the solid extrusion, all the walls are straight. I then applied a 3/4" fillet to the vertical corners. Next I applied a fillet to the bottom edge of the angled face. Did you ever take our Solids class? I thought you had but I may be mistaken. Anyway, I'm glad that worked for you. My b-day weekend was probably the best I've ever had. I had a great time with my wife and family and wasn't in need of anything. Thanks for asking. Oh and thanks for the link to the smiley page.

Threept82, Check out the file in the FTP, your same name just with an "_sfa" at the end. I modified your geometry for the cavity cut a little and applied fillets to the corners first so the fillet at the bottom edge could be propagated through the tangency of the corners. Let me know if that's what you are looking for. HTH