Not quite sure what you are asking, but if you have an arc tangent to an entity, you can trim it.

I started this topic in response to "bonehead's" statements the other day, trying to get everybody back on a positive note. Now I know for sure there are a bunch of great people in here by the replies that have been posted. I think I will have a "sausage" bisciut for breakfast!

I have been using MC going on eight years now, and have been using the forum for about a year. I just wanted to say that all my questions have been answered professionally with alot of thought and research in each and every topic. I want to thank all of the forum/mc users for all the help. I have learned alot of tips and tricks to go along with my previous training. I will continue to use the forum whenever I need answers and possibaly help anyone I can with their questions. Once again, thanks to everyone, especially the webmaster and all people involved in making this a great place to help each other.

Do you have a coordinate measuring machine? If not, we sometimes set the mold up on a cnc machine, indicate it straight, tram your x0y0 g54 in where you want the programs to come from. We then use a 3d-taster probe to find as many points as you want on the surface. You then can use Mastercam to enter the points and draw your surface. It works really well and the surface "usally" matches right up. If you want any info on the type of probe we use, let me know and I will get it for you. I know they are costly, but we bought our first one and liked it so well, we now have seven. One for each cnc machine.

Nevermind last reply James. I changed metacut file type to NCI file type like you said and it worked. Thanks alot.

Hey James, First, thanks for the reply. I am running Windows NT 4.0 I got to where you said to go, (I tried that before I posted the topic) but it doesn't say "nci files" anywhere. It does say "metacut view document" though. Should I try to change that file type somehow? I also looked on another user's pc that never downloaded metacut view and his didn't have "nci file" in there either.

I downloaded a trial version of MetaCut view and never really had time to try it out. Now when I write toolpaths, all of my nci files are listed as "MetaCut View Document" types, instead of "NCI file" types. It even changed all my nci files that were written before I downloaded the MetaCut. Does anyone know how to change them all back to "nci file" types. I have already deleted all of the MetaCut files from my system. I got the download from www.fastech.com Thanks in advance.

I have been running MC for about eight years now, and I have just encountered something that I've never seen before. I brought in a new iges file and went to shade it. After I turned the shading on, it went thru the surfaces (turning them a white color) like normal and then "poof" the screen was blank. I then turned the shading off, and they came back. Could this be the iges file?

Charlie, I created a thelix using the parameters you gave. I used a 1.000 dia. cutter (just for the hay of it) and it cut the taper on the helix like it should. If you are going to use a thelix to do it, make sure in your parameters that you have cutter compensation set to "off" on both controls. I would recommend you using the "thread mill" toolpath instead of the c-hook "thelix". I think you will have better luck.

We just did a bunch of thread milling and found several ways to do it. If your using a thread milling insert, you might want to try: Toolpaths, next menu, circ tlpths, thread mill. Set up your tool parameters, then under thread mill parameters you can set your depth, pitch, etc. The pitch on a 1.5-11.5 is (.08696) You might have to play with your settings a bit to achieve what you want, but it seemed to work pretty well for me. I use a thread mill cutter made by Advent. You might want to check them out. www.advent-threadmill.com You really need to know all the specs of the tool your using, and pick the min. diameter of your hole to be threaded. It really makes a difference on how the toolpath will be generated. Play around with it and you will see how much changing parameters affects the toolpath. Good luck!

Hey Charlie, what did you do to fix the problem with your cursor? I am having the same problem with another computer and v8.1

Hey thanks alot everybody for the replies. I will check all of them out..... Jamman, I will get back with you on that list, I am going to get started on it today. (I have nothing else to do) Thanks again guys.

Thanks cadcam, I realized that after I sent message. I'll fix it. Well I'm out of stuff to write programs for, so I guess I will head out to the floor and run some machines. Have a great day!

Yeah, we have three seats of Mastercam. We are very, very slow right now.

I don't know if I am supposed to do this, but...If anyone knows of a company in South Carolina looking for a mastercam user, I would be interested. [email protected]

We use alot of Dura-mill brand end mills and I was wanting to get the correct feeds and speeds for them. (Normally we just use what we think is best) I was at there website and they have combined with Mastercam on a deal with the tool library. How does it work and is it in V8.1? Thanks in advance.

Should I run the c-hook "Uptxt8" when I install any new versions of mastercam. I am running V8 now, and I was wondering if updating this would benefit me in any way. I've been running V8 for some time now, and I haven't had any trouble with the post. What does the update actually do anyway?

When regenerating a 2D Sweep program it seems to run the path fine, until the last move and it wants to take 1 pass at depth on the opposite side of the geometry. Is this a known bug?

Sometimes when I do a file/get in version 8.1 or browse my files, Dr. Watson comes up and mastercam crashes. This has happened several times to me and another user here. And it is not consistant with any certian file, it seems to happen on several different files leading me to believe it's not the file. Is this a bug?

Hey Charles, Do I need the Enable OpenGL®drawing box checked? How much of a difference would that make?

Thanks Charles.

I have been having trouble with my shading. I shade my part and it looks fine, but if I try to analyze, delete, or just about any function to the part while shaded, my system completly locks down, not just mastercam. I am running a Diamond Savage 4 AGP Video card with S3 SDAC and 8MB SGRAM with the latest video driver. I am set at 1024x768 75Hertz 65536 colors.

warning- file contains xxx entities in the graphics screen background color. what causes this?

I am an expierenced machinist, now programming for about 7 years. I am currently working in a large mold builing company in Easley, SC.