I have used Solidcam for the most part on 4th and 5th axis programming, but am now using MCam. We also use Gibbs here. Question we are having... When you setup your part initially in MCAM do you position it from machine center? i.e. 6" in z? or position the part as you would typically in a vice per se.. center center top for instance? If you do that the second way (which is how Solidcam and gibbscam does)when you go to post you tell it what the machine zero distance is and the code comes out adjusted. This way makes it easier in case you need to repost to a differnet machine that may have a different value. If the second way is a good way to do it where would I put in the values in Mcam for the machine center? On our Mori's at the place I used to work we used #701 and variables so the operator could adjust the offset at the machine as needed.... but that was manually edited code after after post on my part. Which way is the most common? Thanks for any input.

I am a dope. The spline flattened should be shorter because of the shape of the original elbow. Hopefully it is correct.

Solidworks won't flatten the sheet. For one it is an import dummy. The sheet metal feature is choking on the complexity of the shape. I will try it again, but not much hair left...now. Thanks

I have some nasty inner elbow sheet metal that I am trying to unwrap. Solidworks fails miserably. I have tried flattensurf c hook but it isn't correct. when I analyze the spline lengths before and after I find the flatten to be considerably shorter. Is there a c-hook that may unwrap a spline? Problem I get with solidworks is... the first edge is a partial ellipse on one plane with the transition on various axis thru to the end which is cylindrical on a different plane. LH INNER ELBOW INLET SIDE.MCX-6

I have the active report customized as follows setup sheet (mill).rpx –setup sheet (man-ent-data).rpx –setup sheet (mill-file).rpx ii. –setup sheet (mill_operation).rpx iii. –setup sheet (mill-tools).rpx 1.–toollist(detailed).rpx from msc folder Each has been somewhat modified , but the one that seems to give me issues is the detailed tool. I basically modified the way it looks. Removed some info I didn’t want like sfm, retract rate etc… What seems to happen is the OAL which I changed the label text to say LOP (length of protrusion) and linked the output to OAL under fields/setup sheet/ncfile/tools… is every once and a while the first tool OAL will get repeated into the second tool. For instance, T1 has OAL of 3” and T2 says the same thing but in reality is only 1.50”. I am wondering if whether or not the type of operation is the culprit. I noticed it when I didn’t have the option of adding a tool holder on one of the older operations. Anyone else see this? I can upload my setup sheet if it helps. Although not sure where to put it. Thanks test.pdf

Thanks Chris for your help.

Hi Chris, That is what I did. It works. I am trying to get the G43 to come up before the H offset callout... M0 (CHANGE CLAMPS) ( 1/2 BALL 2 FLT. ENDMILL TOOL - 1 DIA. OFF. - 1 LEN. - 1 DIA - 0.5 ) T1 M6 G0 G90 S8000 M3 E1 X6.9183 Y3.2239 ( I would lilke the G43 here)H1 Z5.5 Thanks again.

Another thing... I went to the control def and unchecked the sequence number output but it still posts out with N blocks. Do I have to strip the n$ from the post? There are a ton of them. Forget it. I guess I never saved the control definiton. They are gone now. Sheesh.

I am trying to add a G43 to the H callout line. Can someone direct me as to where to put this? I hard coded the G49 on the G28 end of toolpath line ...even though it is called on the toolchange line. Our operators get spooked I guess. Thanks for any help.

Ok. I will give that a shot. Thank you. At first I didn't like the active reports, but once I started messing with the way they look.... I like it.

So simple I feel foolish for asking. I changed my reports to portrait and the window (page length) is well short of 8 inches of the 11. Is there a setting in setup that needs to be changed and would this be on my top report file or all sub reports as well? thanks for the help.

Is there a way to change the dialog when you first start active reports? Note1 , 2 & 3 are dialog #'s that I am using for specific instructions (datum) (clamping) etc... Where is this naming format controlled when the report dialog opens? I have modified my reports and I also keep getting one extra blank page at the bottom of the report. have no idea where I am getting this from. Thanks for any input.

Thank you.

How can I get an N Block to be posted only on operations and not every line? Going to use the mpmaster Thanks for any help.

I found it on another topic. Thanks. I have to find the mpmaster.... right now I butchered a haas 4x post (new name of course) I like the mpmaster. We have sooo many different oddball machines here and each seems to want something different on the code side. we are trying to standardize our headers easiest enough to start with.

I found this searching for something similar. Its been quite a few a years since I messed with the post. where would I put the fq8 for example? I need to have programmer: (could be hard coded in which i have now) date : (open for operator input) customer: machine: I tried to put that as a group comment but it repeats the customer at every op. Also... Nblocks at only operation. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I have had a similar issue in the past. My way of tracking the bad surface... window select and do it in quadrants.... so you can narrow down the culprit. Kind of like one of those NCIS shows when they search for clues in the fields.

I just tried yesterday to put my 5000 on this system at work. It is about 8 years old and the Windows 7 doesn't recognize it. 3d doesn't support the driver for Win7 from what I can tell. Kind of a bummer.

Found an easy way if anyone ever needs it. I am currently working with sheet metal. The feature is out in some crazy plane so the spreadsheet driven curve was a pain. Here is what I did. A helix is by all means a sine wave in three dimensions...so I created my circle in the plane I needed tangent to my cut out and exited the sketch. Then I created a helix from that circle with the circumference x PI for my pitch. Picked the plane intersecting my cylinder and projected the helix onto it. Done. Came out perfectly on the unrolled sheet.

Thank you all. Got it.

Does anyone know how to create a sine wave spline in Solidworks... or at least how to apply the equation? Thanks for any input.

We use Discus.

I found this searching for an answer... We have an assortment of machining centers and scheduling dictates where a job (rejob) gets placed. How we are setup now... we post out to one machine operator runs it edits as he needs and saves the program back up to server under proven programs...(sometimes with machine name). I would like a list of changes he makes so the program can be modified on my end... Anyhow... if a job gets released under a new rev level there is a lot of file management work to get all outdated proven files archived. Does anyone know how Predator handles anything like this? Or is there a system that you may use? It is aerospace and Boeing etc... know how that is. Thanks for any suggestions.

And...the print calls out MS33....I look that up....Superceded by MS33... rev ewhich I find is cancelled and rolled intoAS5202....which shows dimensional tolerances on everything except....minor dia. so they....reference AS 8879when on the DOD site has that document with just a reference to ...SAE AS8879now... 60 dollars later...find it is the same spec as the mil S....which was referenced in the original...MS33!!!!Good grief.

Right. Now, out of the blue, they (QA) is saying they need the callouts on Port minor dia. and helicoil for First Articles in my dimensional documents. Ugh!