Those modifications shouldn't be too hard. The coolant codes are set in your Machine Definition, and once you set them they should work as expected. The Y axis home option you might have to explain more (I don't know Haas) As for asking your reseller, if you want to learn how the MP post language works, as them for the MP documentation portfolio. It has a ton of useful information.

Glad to help!

Why don't you just use "renumber tools..." once your program is the way you want it? Then it starts with 1, goes up sequentially, and if you have a tool you use on more than one operation, it goes back to it. Unless I'm missing something?

His last post in February was great: Very succinct, ohdanny79.

Obvious sarcasm was obvious. You must either be new to the world of machining or you don't venture out very much if you think "need help roughing large thread" is any way to ask for help. The sheer number of variables involved make it impossible to answer. You still haven't said whether it will be on a mill, or lathe, or mill/turn; what material, how deep is the thread, and on and on.

You need to define it in your tool parameters, and then in your job setup page, make sure you select "use tool step, peck, coolant"

Control mode was good when we were writing programs by hand as we just had to put in part dimensions. However now that it's almost all written on a computer, wear is the way to go. We use wear exclusively here.

Prod.+ only works with Renishaw, it's their software and just uses a plug-in for Mastercam. (we actually use the stand-alone version)

I would've believed marble would be easier. After all, artists have been carving marble for thousands of years. Granite, no so much.

If I merge an *.mcx-9 file into another *.mcx-9 file, the level names overwrite. It's been like this for as long as I can remember, and I have never seen levels automatically go to open levels without overwriting.

Easy as pie in Productivity+, but if he makes you write it by hand you have my condolences

Blowtorch.

Anytime I import anything that has level names, they overwrite the level names, doesn't matter what type of file I import. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Geez, I'll take one too!

The STL would be an external file. In your stock setup tab in the machine group properties, select "file" then navigate to your STL. As for your stock model, make sure you have the correct plane selected as your stock plane. That's the thing that gets me all the time.

What's the error? You can run the program through verify, save the model as an stl, then import it back into your program as a stock shape.

Different controls use different work offset numbers. For example, Okuma's use G15 Hxx Ahaslam, anything in " " is output exactly the way you type in. If you change it to G59, it will output G59. If you change it to "Woo!Alright!" that's how it will come out. If you're looking for some logic to try to determine which code to output, you're going to have to 1) create a variable to hold what code you want, 2) decide how you want to determine, whether it be machine definition or mi$.

ahaslam, do you have a designated tool crib area (I assume you do) and if so, was it already there before you started the managing, or did your shop have to create it?

You should be able to use your existing geometry (I'm assuming, since I don't know what your part looks like.) If I need to add a clearance cut, I will either 1) chain the chamfer and back face, and the use the "shorten start/end of contour" in the lead-out page, or 2) chain just the chamfer, then use the "add line" box in the lead out page. It most situations you shouldn't have to add extra geometry.

What kind of tool are you using? Back chamfering tool or ID groove tool? Select your ID chamfer geometry, make sure the comp is set to the appropriate side, change your plunge parameters to allow full plunge, and make sure your lead-in/lead-out moves don't gouge or crash, and voila, done. Really no different than chaining any other turning toolpath.

Using non-polar, c-axis output we sometimes break up the movement using "fixed segment length" in the arc filter page. This will make the surface finish much, much better at the expense of a really long program. However your best option would be to use coordinate conversion, if your post and machine support it.

Thanks for your insight. I feel like I should have a million more questions, but I can't think of what to ask. As the old saying goes, "you don't know what you don't know." Everybody who has a working or semi-working management system: how many employees do you have at your shop?

It's important to know the difference between a solid and surfaces. The part you have up there is not a solid, but instead is a bunch of surfaces. In order to drive toolpaths from it, you'll want to use the SOLIDS dropdown and select "from surfaces." You'd also have to convert it to a solid in order to make a mold cavity from it.

Generally the reason you see broken, straight-line moves like that is because the geometry you chained is broken into segments. If you have a straight line that is made from three, individual entities, Mastercam will post a point at each entity end. In Mastercam Lathe, there is a filter that will see that this is one line and join it. However, I do not think there is a filter like that in Mill. The arc filter will not join the line together. I agree with Ron that trying to modify your post to skip these lines is asking for disaster, as it may end up skipping things you did not intend for it to skip. If possible, modify your geometry so it is a single entity.

That's one of the things that has the managers and I nervous. We know that culture is not there; our shop still has the mindset of how it was in the 80's when there were only a few people here. However we also know something has to be done so we're doing it, no matter how much it chafes the employees. The good thing is that the grumbling won't last long--we're an employee-owned shop, so when they start to see that extra money in their bonus checks, I think they'll agree it was worth doing. It's my job right now to come up with the plan to implement it, and make sure we have a strict schedule to follow when we decide to say "go."