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When you are trying to select a chain, in your chain select dialog box you have the option of "C-Plane" or "3D"
Make sure "3D" is the one selected.
The other one limits your ability to chain only parallel to your construction plane (2D).
We use M02 at the end of our programs (although we don't use DNC to run the program.) If you put an M331 before the program end code, that will stop the buffer from reading beyond that block, so it won't alarm out until the code actually gets read.
I do broaching by drawing a line for the toolpath with a line for retract off the bottom. Then I chain it and do multi-passes. Works every time. Easy as pie. A whopping two pieces of geometry.
That's not that bad considering your cutter is about half the size I was using. I just dug up another part I did in A36 steel using a .250" diameter insert. I ran that at .025" DOC and .035" feed, but that was a narrow, deep groove. The stainless one I mentioned earlier was a very long groove, about 10" and 1.5" deep.
You can get aggressive with the feed rate as long as you are sure you have great coolant supply and chip evacuation. I'd try pushing your feedrate up to .03-.035 ipr, and if you think the machine can get more aggresive I'd keep the feed the same while bumping up the DOC.
That really depends on your whole setup. Rigidity, between centers, etc. I've used it several time on steel (17-4 and 316). On the 316, I used an Iscar .472" dia button tool at .06" DOC and .025" feed and it ran great. If it were aluminum, I would probably only have bumped the DOC up a bit more, but cranked the feed way higher.
Make sure you use a lead in/ lead out. Make sure you have a number in the "entry amount" field. If this is set to 0, and you don't have a lead in, the toolpath will try to start at right at the edge of the stock. If you're using a multi-spindle or multi-turret, make sure you have the right axis combination, and the tool is set up for the correct spindle.
The purpose of a variable flute is to reduce chatter caused by harmonic vibration. Other than that it's the same as any other endmill. The differences you have to keep in mind is that some are have a variable distance between the flutes, and some have a variable helix angle. You won't see any advantage from the variable helix unless you have a deep enough DOC to engage the angle variation, so that would be pointless in shallow paths. However, variable spacing might give you an advantage over a standard endmill, especially in nickel and stainless.
Nine times out of ten when this problem occurs it is because your graphics driver is either out of date, or your graphics card is too old. Try updating your driver first, and double check on www.mastercam.com for the minimum/recommended specs for your computer.
Are you talking about the stock display, or actual code output? I use X9 lathe, and it works and displays as it should. However, in X9 Mill/Turn, the stock display always shows a little tet from the tool not passing center. In the actual code output, it comes out correctly and compensates for the tool nose radius. So I just ignore it.
Thank you for confirming I'm not hallucinating. Every time I trim a solid I think to myself, "Wasn't I able to offset this before..." but I thought I was just making it up.
Lathe? It was a problem that got chased around and finally nailed down in of the the latest X8 updates. It is triggered when you post. So, if you post a program and then exit, when you come back they will all be dirty. If you can't get the update, the only thing you can do is force a regen after you post and then save before exiting.
It's not happening for me at all. Everything appears as it should. My solids are solid and my tools behave, so it may be a graphics card issue for you; however the technical aspects of Mastercam are beyond my scope of experience. So hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in.
I do know that hitting things with a hammer will always result in one of two outcomes: 1) it will make things better, 2) it will make things worse.
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