Do you know what "base post" you are using? If you are using MPMASTER from this site there are switches at the top of the post (General Output Settings). tseqno : 1 #Output sequence number at toolchanges when omitseq = yes #0=off, 1=seq numbers match toolchange number, 2=seq numbers match tool number There is also a switch (check box) in the NC Output tab of the CD tree. This needs to be unchecked .

Pretty sure if you output manual entry "as code" you will get line numbers if you have line number generation enabled. If you have line numbers at tool change option you will not. Is there a specific reason you want to output line numbers on every line (many people do not as it eats up a lot of memory in the control).

You should be able to get it from your reseller, you might have to insist. Not sure if you can download from the Mastercam site if you have a link. Some resellers are reticent because they make money selling posts, not giving away the DIY info. Open a new file and load the machine in question. Open the MD through the Settings Tab. On the top bar there is a general settings icon, double click and several Tabs will appear, one is coolant commands. Edit the text to your desired code, remember to save.

To make a flat cut it is a simple 2D toolpath. (cutter moves in X and Y only) To make a domed surface requires a 3D surface toolpath. (Cutter moves in X,Y and Z)

Not sure this is the cause in all cases. Never run machine sim and I see it fairly often. As Jim says this is usually a blanked entity(s) which get created during some process with a "blank original entity" option. This is often a button on the parameter bar and is easily overlooked and so the geometry gets copied and original gets blanked.

You need to add text in the MD/CD. Have you got the MP documentation? Should be a thread, actually several as I recall.

You can change the version number in the header. This will normally be OK if you are only moving one version, but there is a risk that the info required for the 2020 post is not yet fully defined in 2019. Just need to be aware and be prepared for (probably) minor glitches.

You will need to do a zip2go and include the .pst file if you want someone to find the problem. Could be many things, often I have seen people do something like "force" an output (bypass the modality) for whatever reason. Easiest way to figure it out will be to run it through the debugger, should be able to see what's happening pretty easily.

Yeah, time to get away from that. Axis sub has it's uses but general 4 axis programming isn't one of them. First you need to decide where / what your WCS will be. Then which axis you will be rotating around. So typically a 4 axis vertical with the head on the right will be rotating about the X axis (normally). Horizontals rotating around Y axis (normally) You can establish this by creating your own WCS using geometry or you can arrange your part around Mastercams system origin (even in this case I will make a copy of top and rename it WCS A0.). It used to be that using Mastercams origin was far more stable, so that is what I use, and it is the only way to go if you want to use multiaxis toolpaths and not lose some functionality. Not sure what the present state of play is about the stability of constructed WCSs. Use "Rotate Planes" function to create your views. Remember when you are doing this you are rotating the plane, not designating the angle output here. Angle output for the cutter is relative motion to the plane so to drive an A60 move you will rotate your plane -60 degrees. This is where most people come adrift. As you use the "Rotate Planes" function a dialog box will pop up to label your new view.

You can also use trim function here. It is important to pay attention to the small icons that appear next to the cursor. It tells you what the system is seeing as your selection, endpoint or midpoint for instance. When drawing line tangent to an arc, the arc should highlight but without an icon. The system is looking at the arc, click and drag the line past the next arc and drop the line onto the arc so again arc is highlighted with no additional icon, and voila. Nothing like practice and experience with this sort of thing.

Agreed, and they all have their foibles, so given that it is just tough to beat the market penetration that Mastercam has with the advantages that brings with it.

Yep, I have all my posts based on MPMASTER but for my Haas posts I went into the CNC HAAS generics and carefully moved Haas specific stuff to my custom post ,HAAS Peck Drill is another that comes to mind.

I know, the question is what kind of user base and support is available. I guess not much as the Mastercam forum is being used. It looks like very interesting software indeed, very intuitive for a good machinist and I have had great reports from accomplished programmers who have run it. However as we all know that is not necessarily enough, good luck finding a good programmer if you need one, or start your own training college, or pay outrageous wages for not much execution. The UG programmers I mentioned above were making $45.00 / hr. and couldn't get clean code to 4 axis verticals, that's a pretty sad state of affairs And yet as we know UG is excellent and highly regarded software.

That's quite the bite of the apple you have taken . A relatively new programming system with not much experience out there, and a machine to match. People talk a lot about programming systems and what's "better" or "worse" but for all it's foibles Mastercam has huge market penetration which means there is relatively more experience out there wit the system, compared to virtually all the others. Which is why you are here, right? Unigraphics support around here is poor compared to Mastercam so shops that run it have a tough row to hoe trying to find programmers that can even get clean 4 axis mill code to the machines, let alone something really complicated. And I am pretty confident there are more shops in the area running UG than Topsolid, don't worry I know enough about Topsolid to be very interested in it. If I had my druthers I would program in NCL, but I would never in a million years advise any shop I know of to even consider it as a programming system, despite its power.

These are really the most complicated machines to get going well. There is just so much going on from an operation and programming (including posting) point of view. We are really in the same place with these machines we were in back in the early 90s with multiaxis mills, all these new toys, now what...not too many people out there with a real handle on it. And as with everything machining there just is no substitute for experience. We have the same problem here (Doosan MT). We have nobody with hands on operations experience coupled with the kind of fundamental understanding of the system as a whole. As a result it has never been run close to optimally. This was all history by the time I got here. The machine had been hard crashed multiple times, god only knows what was done with the parameters. We don't even have ANY parts which require the B axis head (I think they got it because it was "sexy"). I have advised to sell the MT and the TT (similar state of play) and once we regroup get a couple of Twin Turrets and get Mastercam and the Machine Supplier right from the get go to get MT worked up, BEFORE we make our first part. Which of course leaves us with the problem of finding a good machinist to run the thing. I can read Mill code and converse passably with a single turret machine, but I just don't have enough 2 turret live tooling experience to handle the operations side of these more complicated machines and codes. If you don't want to open the MT (MP.NET) can of worms and stick with MP then, speaking from experience, Postability will give you the best 3rd party support I am aware of, for sure.

The main problem I have found is that they come in with multiple geometry chains. Try Unblank and you should see an additional tool outline appear "off origin". Delete and you should be good to go. Sometimes I will create an MC file to do the work and then merge this into my main program "pre cleaned". Sometimes "dummy" levels are created which hold this geometry. I have talked with Harvey about this and they say they are looking into it...haven't had to download a tool for a while so I don't know what the current state of play is. I usually use a very high level number to keep the tool geometry separate from the rest for clarity sake.

If you look at option 2 above you get the tool number as the sequence number. I believe there was a thread that added a trailing number to indicate which toolchange for that tool you are on. So N202 would be the second time T2 was called. Anything but the 3 options listed above (plus numbers on ALL lines in CD switch) will require post editing.

I use Harvey's Sim files (.dxf) as custom tools and they work great. Another toolpath worth trying is Blend. It has the added advantage that you can cut in say "TOP" tool plane and project your control surfaces from a different construction plane, say "LEFT" depending on your requirements. Same rules apply as for normal Blend, you are driving the center of the ball with your blend curves.

There have been a couple of threads on variations in line number output. It will require moderate to extensive post editing depending on what you want to do. All lines is easy, it is one of the options in mpmaster. Look in the general output settings in the post : tseqno : 1 #Output sequence number at toolchanges when omitseq = yes #0=off, 1=seq numbers match toolchange number, 2=seq numbers match tool number There is also a switch in the CD to omit sequence numbers (read above notes for this variable)

I save an .stl and use that as my rest material source. Seems to work well. It recognizes slopes and geometry which clearly are affecting the toolpath .

You can't think of these B axis head machines as 50/50 combo mill and lathe. I have yet to see or heard a machinist say anything other than "I wish the B axis head was more rigid." Think of it as a lathe with SOME 5 axis milling capability and you are less likely to be disappointed. If you have the right parts they can be a timesaver, but along with that comes one of the most complicated machining systems out there. Post processers and getting the thing set up properly and talking nicely with the programming system are definite challenges. All those rotating axis components have to jive....

If it is an MPMaster he doesn't need to edit anything. Should have Code Expert. What OS? If it is Windows 8 or 10 look on your apps list under Mastercam.

What version of Mastercam are you running? Most post files are .pst files, so when you are searching you should be looking for "all files" or Text (.txt) files. If you have Mastercam X8 (sic?) or later Code Expert comes installed and has a .pst filter in the drop down, but you can also show them by selecting .txt option. Code expert is also useful looking at posts because it has in built knowledge of the MP language that the post is written in, like auto complete.

Sorry but YIKES! I would definitely be getting some help here, that is a big jump.

MPMaster is the base post available at the top of this forum. I think you are referring to Mastercam Code Expert editor. Use this editor to open the post you are using and you will be able to see where the Post originated from. If you look at the files tab at the top of the operations manager (Properties) it will tell you what post you are using. Generic posts originating from Mastercam are usually initialed CNC in the revision log at the top of the post. If you see IHS initials here it is an In House Solutions (our sponsors) post. If you can't see anything (in whole or part) it is a binned (encrypted) post and you will have to call your reseller You will need to know what you have under the hood before you can be helped properly.