Yes, few things worked well in those DOS-days. One was serial transmit. You will face problems with most Windows "revisions". Cimco tries to overhelm them by suprisingly several swithces but it still leaves things to understand for customer too. If you can get someone who is really aware about these and has suitable equipment like RS-"traffic controller/automatic cable" -device he can solve your DNC-problem. Our postguy made small C-program some 10 years ago to transmit some 900 blocks to Dyna-Myte machine which after machining those rose up, sent request for more and waited (some 5 minutes) next "shipment" and continued. Hope you survive, otherwise I must try to find those floppies... In that case, write to me: [email protected]

Besides: That "Camaster" is name of our company in Finland and I demand anyone using that name to behave decent. Everybody at office or field over here denied having sent that first message - as I first thought. Yours: Ilkka Heinaho, Camaster Oy

Well... that nai´ve message was sent just to see reactions. Our post/math guy has explained me some facts about 5-axis postprocessing. And I very well know posts several roles to calculate the final smooth 5-axis paths without overlimits to each machine and application. The other role of this question was to rise discussion about 5-axis machining in reality. No just trimming. 9.1 has good steps towards really useful 5-axis machining - when used together with Camaix-5axMsurf C-hook good results are possible. That new Impell C-hook surely was born from real example. But as so many times before: We get one thing solved - so two new needs arise. Our customers DO 5-axis machining and posts come from Germany (Camaix) or Denmark (Cimco) and are very reasonably priced and well supported. I´ve been with Mastercam some 13 years now, as a dealer. Our customers have 16 5-axis machines running with Mastercam, from wood to steel. Doing 5-axis toolpaths "offline" may sound good idea but "don´t try it home" if parts are f.ex. big steel-cast propeller-blades (one casted raw can be worth 17.000 USD) - leave it to customers and support them as good as you can. But when it comes to sophisticated 5-axis postprocessor - at least we are helpless. Maybe we once see graphical interfaced postwizard inside our Babe?