Bougs, does the "Create Boundary" C-hook work??

This is a hard one to explain. It basically controls where the penicil trace fades off (it has to due with the angle of surfaces) If you have a pencil toolpath that skips a small section the this you can try to increase the bitangency angle. Keep in mind that pencil doesn't like the radius of the tool mathching the radius of the part. If you have this, set the "over thickness" to a small number (.005 english value)

All I can say is that Lathe has been getting a lot of attension. CNC is taking every step to improve the product. The machine shop addition has made room for a swiss machine (which is currently up and running) and currently looking for an Intergrex style Mill Turn (Intergrex, puma, Mori Seiki,)

quote: it would get as much attention as FBM, ART, and Router are getting. I hate to dissappoint you folks (since you like to beatup on art so much) but there was only one CNC employee that was devoted to Art and he came from the educational office. I can assure you that MMT is getting more attension than FBM, Router and Art.

quote: it dosnt work on taper endmills either. It should. If it doesn't send it to Qc. I ran a simple pocket with a tapered endmill and it left the stock on the vertical walls.

Well, I even hate to suggust it but the "Rib Cut" feature in Flow line might be what you're looking for. It's designed to take one pass in the center of the surface. I've never been really happy with it but you're geometry might work well with it.

Campo, I'm not sure what is going on at your end but the Engrave Toolpath needs to have "Closed" pocket geometry for it to work. So something is either wrong with the geometry (gaps so it doesn't chain all the way around) or you're chainng isn't going all the way around (duplicate entities perhaps?). Try usings some simple geometry (try a rectangle) to see if you can get the engrave toolpath to get you a toolpath and work and then work you're way up from there.

Campo, I'm not sure what is going on at your end but the Engrave Toolpath needs to have "Closed" pocket geometry for it to work. So something is either wrong with the geometry (gaps so it doesn't chain all the way around) or you're chainng isn't going all the way around (duplicate entities perhaps?). Try usings some simple geometry (try a rectangle) to see if you can get the engrave toolpath to get you a toolpath and work and then work you're way up from there.

Leando, the way 5x engrave works is that you have you're geometry in the flat and either select two drive curves (the shape of the surface) or select a surface. It works pretty well, getting the toolpath to start in the correct spot might take a try or two (as I recall). Its been a while since I've cut a 5x Engrave toolpath. I don't check the forum on a regular basis so if you have a question for me, send me an e-mail.

You can do 4 and 5 axis machining with the Engrave Toolpath. You have to go to the "Wrapping" option and choose between using "Two Curves" or "On Surfaces".

Robert, do you have a bug number?

quote: Anything more you want to tell us? Nope, I've already said to much.

quote: I think the lack of tool libraries from tool manufacturers may lie in the way MC programs tools using RPM and IPM Hmm....Have you ever tried to get feeds and speeds from a tool rep? Now imagine if you tried if you try it with a thousand tools! The problem lies in the format of the info from the tool manufacture. The format is different for every tool manufacture and even within the same company they can change formats for different types of cutters. This is something that we've been working on but its slow going. The question you should be asking is "why doesn't mastercam have this" not blaming it on the way we're currently set up. quote: Sign of things to come?Hmm.....stay tuned.

The problem isn't having software to use, its getting the settings to match in the toolpath is where the trouble starts. I've gotten files where "Mastercam runs to slow" and when I get the file things aren't the same. Either the stepover is set different, the filter is set on one and not the other, different toolpath tolerances. Not to mention that some softwares split up the "raw passes" and "linking" steps so the raw cuts come up 40% faster with not having to link the passes together. So by me getting a "problem" file that runs good in another software, then I can match Mastercam's toolpath settings up to mathc the "fast" toolpath and compare times.

quote: A huge improvement in processing speed. If you can get me a native cam file (delcam, surfcam, ect) then I'll run some time test. We have a hard time comparing "apples to apples" unless we can get a native file to test against. quote: 2D corner rounding ( filleting of toolpath ) just like you have in the highspeed toolpaths. Hmm....this may come sooner than you think quote: Improve the highspeed toolpaths so that a toolpath like pencil will climb mill the part with no exceptions. We don't try to have our toolpaths conventional cut so if you have an example of this send us the file and we'll log it as a bug. quote: Allow "Q" values for feedrate. This can be done with a post edit quote: 2.Allow automatic feedrate adjustment dependent on amount of material being cut This is the "high feed" option. High feed does two things it slows down in corners so the servos don't overtravel and adjust the feedrate for the amount of material being removed. quote: 3.Be able to movetranslate a solid around after import even if you dont have solids option.... You can use "WCS" to set the plane you want so there isn't a need to move the part. code: I would love to be able to set my speed and feeds like the cutting tool manufactures present it. ie SFM and IPT vs RPM and FPM We currently have the SFM and IPT in the HST toolpaths and are seeing about working it in our other toolpaths. quote: I'd like to see a 'lock speed and feed' switch. So that tweeked operations don't get reset when adjusting a tool definition. In your "Tool Settings" use "User Defined" will lock your feedrates so making a change to the tool(or tool number) won't change the feedrate. quote: In restmill toolpath (hsm or standard)it would be good to add additional option to use only previous operations that I manually select (not only one previous operation, all previous operations...) You can do that now by verifing the operation (or operations) and saving it off as an STL file and Use the "CAD File" option and select the saved stl file. quote: It would be good to stop or pause regenerating operations or even better to regen in backgroud and allow to creating new operations at the same time. Hmm...me to. Has been looked into.

you need to use the stl file out of verify. If you use the part model then "high feed" won't see the tool removing any material and you'll get a very fast toolpath.

You can run into trouble using "R" when using the toolpath filter. I've seen a few examples where the R value didn't have enough decimal places (needed more than 4) and was causing the toolpath to gouge.

Waterline, Raster, Spiral and Radial now support check surfaces.

Mig, are you using Toolpath Groups? I've seen a problem with selecting operations with the "shift" key when some of the toolpath groups are closed (collapsed).

I didn't have any problems regening with X2 MR2, running XP Pro

Dave, you are correct, it seems to have broken in MR2? I'll log it as a bug and see about getting it fixed.

The tangental line extension does work for small increments (.010 to .020)if you try to extend to far the toolpath will have trouble. If a larger extension is needed, you may need to create an extended surface. Using a .020 extension does work on this toolpath.

There is a bug with High Feed (depending on the toolpath type) where the air cut parameter is switched with the max feedrate. Try switching these settings and the toolpath should work correctly. I believe that the surface toolpaths are working correctly with High Feed.

The high Feed option does work on the HST toolpaths. What you need to do is program your feedrates at the worst condition and then when you get into High Feed edit the tool to match your depth of cut.

James, if your trying to cut a pocket "inside Out" then you should be using Area Clearance. The toolpath motion will be the same as Core Roughing but it will have a faster calcualation time. Core Roughing is designed to cut "outside in" but will switch stratagies based on the geometry. Areal Clearance if for cuttiong "inside out" Mark B