Spaceball - Gooood! I have one bitch about it. It will screw up your mcam file if you do this: 1) Use the SB to rotate your part into some oddball angle. 2) Right click the mouse to get the drop down menu. 3) Press T for top view. 4) Nudge the SB and watch your part do a funky like jump. 5)Notice that your WCS is at some wackoid compound angle. 6)Save file. 7)Exit mcam 8)Re-open file. 7)Notice that random arc entities (and only arc entities are effected...go figure) are scewed out to a oddball compound angle. 8) Cuss. So..to fix. Remember not to get click happy with the mouse and never EVER click any view ID while the SB is in effect. ...my $.02 MF

I have a long cutter that is sucking into the mat'l when surface-rough-contour ramps down to the next z-level. Is there a way to get it to ramp while its off the part? I am using the highspeed radius off the part so the cutter is where it needs to be, just that the ramp happens when the cutter is back on the part. Many thanks for any help!! MF

J. Rod Rood, Folder on the FTP = MC9 File name = SURF-RUF ERR.MC9 Thanks!!

I tried the fndovlp.dll c-hook ---No luck. No duplicate entities.. ..Here, give it a go PLEASE!! Its on the FTP MC( folder: SURF-RUF ERR.MC9 Many thanks!!! MF

Getting a chain error on a containment boundry for a Rough-Pocket toolpath. Looks like this: ....The chain looks fine to me. Its continous and everything. I got rid of any splines and squashed it, & got rid of any real small entities. I also made 1 arc where there were three back to back arcs. What gives? MF

This is in MasterCAM help: For examples on how to use the Highfeed machining, see the HFAPP_V9.DOC file in the MCAM9CHOOKS folder. This Microsoft Word file contains practical examples of highfeed machining. I looked and nada! Any ideas? Many Thanks, MF

All.... well, looks like this one's not gonna budge. I did have a bit of a break however. Looks like Vericut will read just fine the STL that Mcam doesn't like. So I can verify against the model that way. Thanks to all for thier efforts!! MF

Mike..no luck here. I went all over the place with combinations of that parameter tolerance and the tolerance when convering the solid to STL. Bummer. Oh....we'll git r done. Thanks again!! MF

Chip...I tried to email but your profile won't lewt me see your address and I cant attach files thru this site. Care to email me your address? You can send to [email protected] Thanks for the help!! MF

I have uploaded a file to the FTP in the MC9 folder. It's called SURF2STL PLEASE.MC9 I can't get this thing to read into verify without giving me the 'not water tight' error and subsequent approximation of the model. I've been able to get a decent Parasolid out of it by opening up the tolerance but still cant make verify happy. I'm hoping that one of you SolidWorks jockies can help me out as I heard that Solidworks can produce better results. Or if someone knows how to tweek Mastercam to do this, please have at it and let me know what you did!! Heres what the model looks like: ...Many thanks for any help!!! MF

Verrry nice! I'm dreaming of a Mo-Fo dialed in Cinci post!! Thanks Man!! MF BTW: I saw that American Machinist zine printed one of your comments in the 'Letters to the Editor' section. You made some excellent points concerning manufacturing in the country. We definately gotta get smarter or we'll be regretting not doing it and some already are.

...How bout just emailing it to me? (not going too far am I)? MF

It's been a while...maybe even 6mo the way the weekends just seem to be blending together.

Thanks James but I think I already got that one from you. You sent it to the reseller in Gig Harbor, WA...guy by the name of Steve Kidd. Unless.....that post is different than the one I got. If thats the case, sure! Send it on down to [email protected] ATTN: Steve Kidd. He can forward it to my boss at [email protected] Thanks!! MF

I need to be able to force a rapid and Z-clear line after G80's. Many thanks!! MF

I like my R plane to be right above the hole like .10". I cant get the 'jump' to work correctly to output a W that is incremental from the R plane AND only on that particular hole. If there is a rib between holes BAM! So for a quick fix I just do each operation for holes that dont have any obstructions. Hence the G80 gets plugged in at the end of each set of holes BUT if there is no G0 before the Z-clear the f-ing control will skip right past the Z-clear line like it wasn't even there..BAM! I snapped a .531 cobalt drill, Worse..the operators are getting tired of the problems I'm giving them with the drill cycle issues. I've been programming with Mastercam for almost 10years and this crap is really wearing on me. *@%&$@!@^@*%$& MF

I need to force a rapid z out after every G80 in drill cycles. Needs to look like this: (MSG, .562 [17/32] X 3.0 DRILL 135DEG TIP) (MSG, MAX - Z6.) (MSG, MIN - Z1.79) G0 G90 X12.5975 Y-23.845 Z6. S1850 M13 D1 Z6. M8 Z3.44 G83 X12.5975 Y-23.845 Z-1.65 R3.44 K.25 J1 F12. X10.0025 Y-21.93 X6.33 Y-14.82 X10.0025 X12.5975 Y-11.92 G80 G0 Z6. (MSG, DRILL CLRNC HOLES 7PL) X19.1 Y-10.4625 Z3.44 . . . Right now I have this: (MSG, .562 [17/32] X 3.0 DRILL 135DEG TIP) (MSG, MAX - Z6.) (MSG, MIN - Z1.79) G0 G90 X12.5975 Y-23.845 Z6. S1850 M13 D1 Z6. M8 Z3.44 G83 X12.5975 Y-23.845 Z-1.65 R3.44 K.25 J1 F12. X10.0025 Y-21.93 X6.33 Y-14.82 X10.0025 X12.5975 Y-11.92 G80 G0 Z6. (MSG, DRILL CLRNC HOLES 7PL) X19.1 Y-10.4625 Z3.44 . . . Heres that section of my post: pcanceldc #Cancel canned drill cycle result = newfs (three, zinc) z = initht if cuttype = one, prv_zia = initht + (rotdia/two) else, prv_zia = initht pxyzcout !zabs, !zinc prv_gcode = zero pbld, n, "G80", e "G0", e if tapping, [ tapping = no # Clear the 'IN' tapping flag if tap_ipr, [ prv_ipr_type = c9k # pbld, n, sgfeed, e # Reset the Feed mode #REM TO GET RID OF THE G94 4-31-04 DEM ] ] ...Such a simple tweek it seems. I'm stumped. Many thanks!! MF

I'm getting into some live 4th action finally. I need some help understanding what all the primary commands are that relate to getting 4th axis code. Swarf5ax, Rotary4ax, Roll, Unroll are the only ones that I can figure that I will ever be using. Is this correct? Also what are the most popular (functional/friendly) of the 4th commands that you guys like to use. Which ones should I not use and are likely to trip me up at this stage in the learning game? Any good c-hooks that I can look at? Many thanks. MF

Thanks!!!

I'm guessing a certain amount of fund$ are required to get it back? Is this the case?? MF

"Using the auto dim, I rebuild the print exactly, putting in all the dims where the ones on the print are." Is autodim a mastercam feature?

I can't figure out how to get my W value to be incremental from my R plane. Right now it's absolute and is always the same value as the R plane. Here's that section of my post: prdrlout #R drill position if cuttype = one, refht_a = refht + (rotdia / two)) else, refht_a = refht refht_i = refht - initht if cuttype = three, refht_a = w #if absinc = zero, refht_a, !refht_i #else, refht_i, !refht_a #'R' is ALWAYS considered to be an ABSOLUTE position #regardless of the Absolute/Incremental (G90/G91) mode setting! # Per CINC docs (pg 8-3) refht_a, !refht_i # Output the 'R' word #W drill position if cuttype = one, initht_a = initht + (rotdia / two)) else, initht_a = initht initht_i = initht - refht if cuttype = three, initht_a = w if absinc = zero, initht_a, !initht_i else, initht_i, !initht_a #'W' is ALWAYS considered to be an INCREMENTAL distance from the #'R' plane regardless of the Absolute/Incremental (G90/G91) setting! # Per CINC docs (pg 8-2, 8-6, 8-11) initht_i, initht_a # Output the 'W' word DEM Many thanks for any help!! MF

Any good goop out there that is coolant friendly and can be machined. Some kind of epoxy maybe?I'm making a vacuum fixture that will be used for several different parts. I'll need to fill old gasket grooves and re-cut new ones as well as reliefs etc. Bondo would be fine except that it doesn't like to gt wet. Many thanks!! MF

This place rocks! I like it, it worked great! Thanks again!! MF

Having a memory lapse here. Anyone, anyone... Thanks!! MF