FYI you cna put the G98 or G99 in between point in a drilling cycle. Go to edit on the toolpath and the can text. Then insert the code where you want. I think you need to look at the machine and see if it need the Z.1 if is does not then you can look at your post and see fi you want ot try to remove it. As with anything make copies of the post before you start playing with it. I thing you wil see something like Zplane in the drilling cycle of the post Just put a # in that line and try to run the post if it does what you want good if not then you are problay going to have to deal with it good luck. Crazy Millman

See helps to put it out there for the helix. I think i remember now have not needed it yet so wasn't sure thanks for the info Roger. Kevin I will take a look. Can you check the link asking for a user and password? [ 08-01-2003, 10:11 AM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

You made perfect sense to me. I would do a couple thing frist. I would set up layers and create a couple copies of my part information(if you want to name views to remember where everything is ok I do). The next things is create all of your 2d information in the top view or side or front what ever you want to work from. The next thing you want to do is create all you other gomentry in the other view for reference of such that you feel you need. When you have all of this you will then want to copy to other layers. I would then creat my solids for each part in other layers. Then make copies of those solids. If you want to get really fancy you can go into your solids manager and name the solids also up to you. Then use the chook thehelix or something close to that if you have 8.1.1 cause i just looked and dont see it in 9.1 sp1 that is another topic i can see. Then you have several options on how you do the remove. You can go back and do a solid sweep path and do remove. You can create the solid along the path the same way execpt create the body. At that point you can use boolean remove in solid. That should take care of removable parts. I think you will have to play with the helix to get start, end, radius, increment angle and the other things right but that is a powerful Chook for doing those types fo things. They have a word Doc explaining what everything is in the Chook Folder good luck. [ 08-01-2003, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

BerTau Quote____________________________________ Acad in - garbage out ____________________________________ I am sorry to hear you rip Autocad. I broke my teeth in on Autocad doing all of my 3d surface machining the long way for years before I was able to show people that the 80 to 90 hours I was spending making programs was not good not good at all. Autocad is not easy for complex 3d parts but like anything once you understand how it works it work great for what it was made to do. Crazy Millman _________________________________________________ I seen a trash barge going down the river is was full of trash to be dumped into the ocean. I seen a guy standing there saying glad to see them go. I just had to ask him why are you dumping 50 2003 porshe's in the ocean. He looked over at me and said I didn't like them so they are trash. _________________________________________________ [ 07-31-2003, 10:57 PM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

I think I understnad what you are trying to do. If you are making a round cone for topic sake. You need to have to concave on the cone facing up on the bottom die. When you go to make the top you want the same shape to be on the top die but you need the differnce of that shape to be .05 bigger to allow for a difference in the mat. You should but dont have to creat yourself diffent layer or files to creat the top and bottom surface. Take the original surface and the go in your construction view and either front or side view then rotate the part. You select your surface and rotate picking a control point you decide what is best for you. I try to use the origin but every thing may change depending on the part geometry shape planes working in etc,etc,......... Then is will give you options move, copy, join depending how you do you choose the option. Then go to creat surface, then go offset and then choose amount and the offest. Now here come the problem it will make this bigger than your origianl so you then need to creat your shape and trim to it. You can make a draft surface to trim to. I would also offer this piece of advice. If you are not using solids get it!!! I would have had all of the done in about 5 clicks of the mouse using solids. I hope I helped If not Good Luck maybe put your part on the FTP and we can all take a look and see if we are just way off base on this one. Crazy Millman _________________________________________________ To go from 2 planes to 3 planes is as easy as getting off the 2nd plane and getting on the 3 plane and flying away. [ 07-31-2003, 10:40 PM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

Yes I have used their tools and had good luck doing my milling. I did not use alot of their coated tools so can not commnet but was a good tool for things I need. Did alot of Stainless and Allow metals when I used them before TiAln became the had to have coating for milling such things. I would talk to my local tool vendor and see if you can get some on a test I always do that for anything I am intrested in doesn't do what you like then dont have to pay for it does then you that much ahead of the game. Good luck

When you do not have your z plane below Z 0 does it put the feed in right place. If it doesn't, then this is a post issue. Go look at your post and compare the command for feed and see if it is the same for your x,y move or other z moves as the same as what you want, play a little and see if you can tweak it the way you like. Just a little word of advice. I always make 3 backup copies of my posts and put One on the sever if on a network. One on my computer in another folder and another on a disk or CD. Good luck. [ 07-31-2003, 10:09 PM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

Next time create a line and trim both arc to that and the analze the end points to like 8 places and make aure they are the same. I have seen a difference of .000005 not allow them to intersect. I would also look at the tolerance on my chaning options depending on how you have that set it also can give you some trouble. Good luck Crazy Millman _________________________________________________ As with anything we see it looks the same until we step back and look at from the left or right and then see it is really different at that point

Well I am not as learned as the rest of them. I learned all of my post changes, rewrites of post and c-hook deveoplmet by trail and error and error and error and error if you get my point. I spent 4 weeks working on a fix for my 5 axis Thremwood at one place. It take time which is what most of us dont have in this day and age. I would suggest thinking about what you really want and need and spend the money having one of the pro's do it for you unless you like the challege of doing it. Good luck Crazy Millman

ynto watch talking bad about dealers around here it will get your head rolled. Glad you got your problem fixed. Good luck with the onslot about to come your way.

I did take your part and do A circle toolpath using entites instead on manual and it did retract on me. It may have worked before but if that does what you want for now it could help cut your cycle time and do the chip clearence that you want. Just a thought good luck and full understand the time crunch thing good luck. Crazy Millman

I am gald to be ripped and responed to as for I put it out there. I am sorry my spelling sucks a little dislexie dont think i spelled that right either oh well. I appercaite the responses to the question and yes it did fix the problem. I wise man once said those who make no mistakes are to be god like and all that do are human. As to be human is to make mistakes it takes a humble human to admit his mistakes and learn from them. It is with the mistakes like anything that we all grow as persons. To answer Scott 1:No it doesn't 2:Yes I was doing something wrong 3:I did just missed a (1)

sorry for not zipping so use to cable.

sorry it is the 50 th time i have had this certain problem and i did not mean anything personal about my dealer if it came across that way very averagted by this particalar problem and apolgize for that. And I can see the difference in the paths with the 9 to 9.1 sorry i didnt catch that. I am sorry to came across ripping the dealer he has been very helpful with other problems in the past and i am person enough to admit my mistake. But did not realize since i had blocked all perosnal data i was making my certian location avaible to everyone like you just did. [ 07-31-2003, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

Look at the file the NCI name are all the same and all going to same place.

Has anyone seen mastercam not allow you to add to the operations after you have closed a part. I have seen this about 50 times now and usaully just cut and paste my programs but I have had enough. I post out a program with an addition to it and it will post the original program. Then it will open up another window and post the rest. I have found happens alot if I move opertaions around. If anyone can give me a better idea than the old song and dance I would apperciate it. Just wondering is all. I am also putting this on the ftp File Is (Brass Hex) [ 07-31-2003, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

Have you tired wordpad it works like note but better for larger files and may not do the mulit thing you say also go to window and see whta your file options for txt, nc extenstions and others are if they are all using the same default that will sometimes make windows override mastercam and open windows. I would also do an update on my windows and make sure you got all the latest and greats service packs for windows. good luck

Hello mazak user. I think it might help if you let everyone know you are doing a post for a lathe or a mill. That the T 0 you need is for the offset. If it is a lathe you will need to have your lathe post switch for that turnned on without know for what machine I would be guessing at this point. If you are using a mill then please be spefic about which machine you are using I have ran over 14 different models of mazaks from the T2 controller to the PC Fusion and never had to use a M6 in the tool change. Good luck

If you are doing holes you need to not do manual pick items you need to go to the entities and pick the item from there. If you are doing contours then you need to go to a retract distance that is atleast .100 higher than your strat plane. good luck.

I would like to see it automatically clear the screen of the colors after you have offset something rather than having to always do it for it.

I am not sure where you created your infomation but you have a bad solid face. I did and an analyze of the solid at it show 4 bad contious face and you might want to go look at your setting in your tolerances in the setting and make sure it is set tight enough to reflect your machining and system tolerances. If you are using an outside modle program make sure it is set to the same as you are doing in Mastercam. And yes it will radial toolpaths with a ball tool no problem I would also set my gap settings to 1 percent and make sure the check for gouge is checked. I would also follow the surface in this type of part. I have found it works best in complex parts and flat parts you have the other choices that work well. Good luck and hello from the world up here. [ 07-30-2003, 01:12 AM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

Well the mother of all video cards of course is the Oxygen Wildcat V990 Pro at 512 mb. Here is the link..................... http://www.3dlabs.com/product/wildcatvp/vppro/index.htm I have been in the position you are and got talked down. Like others have said what is your budget. I have asked several computer people I know and they Say Dual Processors with Hyper threading is about the best you can do. I put this same question to Techinal at Mastercam and they told me no need to go to that extreme. I will let you decide but we do multisurfaced parts and some of our Parts files are well over 120Mb time we do a .0005 scallop on presation quality finish on them we have some monster NC files 2 million lines of code no problem. I am running a 3.06 Pentuim 4 with 1 gig or memory, 40 gig hard drive which is almost full in 4 months, a 256 Nivida video card and it can still take 30 to 45 minutes to create some of the tool paths. You look at it this way. We get $75 an hour and I have seen over $4000 in time go by just waiting to have programs make tool paths. What is more important in your company time gained in the long run or the expense of a good computer now. Good luck and god speed.

I have not seen this problem with my version of 9.1 sp1 you need to check out which version you are using. You may need to get all of the patches and fixes and see if that help frist. Second you can try to customize your operational defaults. You need to go to your NC Settings. Then go to your operational Defaults. Click on it that says save. It will then bring you up the toolpath dialog box. This is where you can be very selective of how each operation and how it works for u. I have 8 different ones saved right now. I have one for doing my Z where Z 0 is the top of the part. I have another where Z 0 is in the middle part the bottom and when i am doing tall parts and so forth. It may be setting clearance and retact to absolute or incremental. Allow certain operations to have no clearance etc,etc,...... I also have one for dry machining certain plastics. These of course can be set in materials but I just like the very precise control I can get this way. It will take some time to get them all like you want but when you are in a hurry it sure helps. One little trick go to the folder using windows and copy the origianl and put in a safe place. Next thing is to copy the Defaluts to the names you want each one to be. it makes it alot quicker t omodify than trying to create each on their own. Good Luck and and you do miss it that one time then your human just like all the rest of us.

+1 to the radius, the postive rake, and the ceremnt. Take a bunch of rubber bands and put as many as you can on the bar itself. I mean a box if it will not get in the way also it the parts is thin walled get some bondo and incase the outside making sure to mix it cool. Then good luck from there. Everyone has put you on the right path young luke. Have good luck with that one dont like doing those jobs but we dont what we must to get by. ...........................One other thing to think about not sure of your equipment but if you have a horizontal boring mill and center in the end of the bar use a small live center to support the end of the bar. Most machines have a back support to goes to the bed. You can also make a tapered plastic sleeve to go on the bar the acts like a support to allow the bar the be supported as it get deep and will act like a damper also. [ 07-28-2003, 04:26 PM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]

Well let me see if I get you right. I cant see the back side but looking at the part it can be done in a 3 axis mill. I could also recommend that you contact any one in your area with a CMM and get all of your root geometry to make it from. If you are worried about the diamond pattern have an engraving tool ground to the angle you want and do 3d contours to follow the surface. If you think you will have a problem with draft can always split the bottom half to allow for removale of part. You can get this done 5th axis but having done that I would do a majority of it 3axis and maybe do a finish with the 5th axis but problay not. Good luck ........One other thing you could also make this in an 4th axis not as easy with an indexer. [ 07-28-2003, 03:32 PM: Message edited by: Millman^crazy ]