Where I work we usually create a solid from the customer's print, create wire frames on as many levels as we need and go from there. I asked why the shop does not just import solids from the customers. It seems that the customers that can provide a solid are more than likely to have a really messed up solid. So we create a solid from the customer's print and then let the engineering dept call and get an answer on that stuff. Needless to say I'm getting better every day at creating solids in MC. I could not do my job without the solids package.

Back in the early '80's I worked for a shop that did a lot of forging as well as machining. The programming system they had was "I-APT" or Interactive APT. It was pretty much a 2-d system but you could make macros with trig functions, counters, if and then condiditional statements and so on. we were able to machine forging dies and trim dies with this system but trust me, it was no picnic. All we had to verify was a HP hard bed plotter. I would not care to go back to that sort of programming.

What ever of these fine brands you decide on. Stick to them exclusively. Bad idea to be in a shop where one brand adjusts out clockwise and the other brand adjusts out counterclockwise. Please, save youself this headache.

No offense Supercar. I believe you have very good skills. I understand English is a tough language to learn. For what it's worth my wife is Asian and I work and deal with lots of hardworking Vietnamese Americans. I am sure you will find a good fitting position at some point. Best of luck.

With all due respect "Supercar". I think you need a refund from: 2000 ESL College . Sunnyvale, Ca Perhaps a free refresher course would do the trick.

Bak at the dawn of time, ( I remember, I was there), Applicon Bravo and Compact II handled it very nicely. I'll admit MasterCam and other systems are way more powerfull than the old text based stuff but it would be a nice feature and it cannot be that hard to provide one would think. Bravo had some very nice lathe roughing routines as well. Say you were roughing a part that had a good number of step diameters on it. You described the stock and finish boundaries as usual and had the option to specify a range of depth of cuts. The system would then optimize the cutting within that range so you would not be taking say a .040" depth of cut for a span while most of your other depths were say .140" to .185" or so. I really liked that one. Sorry to ramble but I used that system for quite a few years and am sometimes amazed the new systems don't have a lot of these user friendly features.

I thought X2 had the HS core milling but I could be and am probably wrong. What features go with what versions are just becoming a blur to me. Sorry bout dat. Daily I have to offset lines to make facing tool path geo because I cannot get MC to start at the upper right hand corner of the part which is a must for what I am doing. Some day perhaps.

I've heard that the MasterCam center drills you call from the library are not exactly correct. Therefore what you see on verify might not be what you will get on the part. I agree. Creating a standard centerdrill into a custom tool is a pain in the toe workaround. I feel your pain Matt.

Q1 - Sounds like 2d High speed core milling might give you what you are looking for. Q2 - Can't help with that one. I'm sure someone else will.

Thanks Charlie. I used to have that formula when I was learning to program many years ago with pencil cam. Then with compactII and Applicon Bravo I did not need it anymore. Now in 2010 with MasterCam it will come in handy once again.

Applicon Bravo, the desendent of the old CompactII of the late 70's, let you pick any size centerdrill you wanted, tell it what dia. chamfer you were were looking for and bang, the Z depth was calculated for you. No problem unless some bozo had been grinding on the centerdrill. I loved that feature.

If you are going to drill this stuff low helix twist drills help a lot with breaking this gummy material.

If the part allows it, Z axis plunge cutters just rain blue chips with all the cutting force going up into the spindle. Easy on the machine and super material removal. Of course, many times this style of cutter is not an option. Just say'in.

Amen to starting out manually programming. Pencil Cam. Makes me appriciate the technology.

Definately black backround. Any other colors are grammers choice.