Would it be possible to use transform rotate instead of creating multiple planes?

Seeing as how I get just about every technique that has helped me advance in my programming career from this forum; I figured I might be able to add a little something to help others just starting out. Besides utilizing levels, groups/subgroups, and view sheets to help keep my approach organized and traceable I started making a copy of my solid and then changing the color of the finished feature as I work through the part. Often times in more complex parts I'm not able to work simply from the top down and have to rough/ semi finish and then come back to finish before moving on to the next section. By modifying the surface color it makes it very easy to see what has been done and what still needs to be finished at a glance. My apologies if this was mentioned before in an older post and I just missed it. Also, if anyone else has any techniques or tricks for tracking finished features that has helped them along the way please share. I hope you all are gearing up for a great memorial day weekend

It's so wild to me that this topic was brought up this week; literally two days ago I had the typical know it all type criticize the way I approach my programming by utilizing the dynamic and the new toolpaths in Mastercam. I did my best to defend myself, making similar arguments that were brought up here. But perhaps because of my age or only having 5 years experience he was blinded to my rebuts.. So it feels really good to know that I'm not off base in my thinking. I'll probably even print this thread out and hang it on the wall for the next "back in my day" micromanaging meeting

Well said, one of the best changes I made in my programming was utilizing the levels and groups/sub groups for organization. Being able to see my thought process and approach makes it so much easier for me to pick up where I left off in the event that I get pulled off of what I'm working on. Which unfortunately happens more than I care to admit.

this is exactly the direction I'm looking to go in, Thank you!

Well hey there gang, I'm currently working on a part for our Haas 5-axis (a square with a dovetailed bottom) and I'd like to be able to have my work offset change for each plane (top=g54 front=g55 right=g56 left =g57). I tried setting my plane offsets to manual with top at 0 front=1 right=2 etc.. But something strange happens when I go to post the code. If I do the individual toolpaths they will have the altered work offsets but when I go to post them all at the same time it sets them all the same. This part is more for training than anything else. I'll add that it is the same tool facing each side, if that makes a difference. If anyone has had this issue in the past and has figured out the proper way to get the results I'm looking for your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Glad to know I'm not the only one.

Man, I need to get whatever coffee you guys are drinking.. I'll be catching up on some S.k. SINHA and then get back to this one

Ok, I'll give that a shot in the morning. Thank you!

It is a NGC machine.

For reasons unknown to me even after changing those values it still presented a continuous revolution of the C-axis. I was pretty certain that would do the trick but no luck. I'm also using transform rotate in the program so that could have some influence as well. I'll keep these things in mind though and mess around more when things slow down a bit. Thank you for the input. Thanks Chally, I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to editing the .pst files but will hopefully be putting some hours into Collins youtube channel to learn more. Once I gain a little confidence there I'll surely be giving that a go.

just came across this.. gunna tinker a bit and see if its what I'm looking for.

Haas ST-20Y

I'm working on a part that has slots machined around the body and due to the size of tool and depth of slot I'm taking multiple depth cuts to achieve a nice finish. Which is working out very well, the only issue is that at one point in the code the C-axis reaches its limits as for as degrees rotated goes and creates an unwind. Besides wasting a few seconds it really doesn't affect anything else... But man are those seconds keeping me up at night. So I started looking through the machine definition and post control settings to see if there was a limit I could set that would keep my c-axis within a 360 degree spread. I've had no luck, perhaps someone here has had a similar headache and could help a fella out before I lose it. Thanks

In a case like this where there are blending issues I'll try to use a smaller tool to reduce the effect that Dylan pointed out above. It doesn't completely solve the issue but it does make enough of a difference to improve the toolpaths overall finish. I changed your tool from a 1/4" to a 3/16" lollipop and I think it made a noticeable difference on that particular corner. I know that may not be an option depending on what tools you have in stock but if so its worth a shot. Deburr_Toolpath .187 lollipop.mcam

My apologies if this is a silly question but when you say it makes the tool move and not the c axis are you confirming that with the post or just going off the display when ran through backplot?

I couldn't agree more, and is one of the reasons I believe strongly in teaching my apprentices how to code by hand long before they jump into Mastercam. Having that understanding from the inside out is so crucial for success especially when you're responsible for another person running your code. In regards to modeling I've always taken it upon myself to model the majority of the parts I make. At first I caught some flack from my fellow programmers who didn't understand why I wasn't solely dependent on the customer provided models. But once I started getting really good and showing the powers of manipulation to get the most out of my toolpaths they were coming to me to make their lives easier. I also hate how most models don't hold true to pre-plate tolerances and other print designated specifications. So topics like these are often my favorite because it helps blend the two worlds for me and allows me to really learn not only better modeling practices but better programming as well. so once again, I tip my hat to you sir and all the other people on this forum who take the time to help.

Perfect! the missing link for me was the "surface extrude" which was exactly what I was trying to recreate through flat boundary and loft. Which eventually did work but that coupled with me having to add wireframe and sweep for the rads' was about 5 steps longer then what you just taught me. Thank you very much for the help. It'll certainly save countless hours and headaches for me in the future.

here's a better view of the surface I created.

I'm currently loving this post because I've been needing more experience in axis substitution for more advanced rotary work. Once again Ron went above and beyond in providing some deep cut experience in doing this type of work. I do have some questions regarding the unrolled surfaces you created for toolpathing this. I gave it my best to recreate the process and I think I'm close but I also feel like I'm taking the extreme long road to get there. There are also differences in my surface compared to yours where as yours is much more comparable to the actual features of the part. If you could spare just a few more moments of your time to explain how you went about creating the surfaces it would be greatly appreciated. I'll include an image of what I did for comparison. Thanks in advance.

I hope one day to find myself in the position here to do just that, until then I'll be doing as much research as I can to ensure a smooth transition for me and the team. There's just so many redundancies, it pains me to put effort into what I know is just an inevitable dead end for my company. I assumed when E2 announced that it was discontinuing updates to move forward as "jobboss" they would take the hint and switch it up.. but alas, here we are.. for now at least.

Currently going through the same thing .. What frustrates me most is when I plead with management about how there are better ways to utilize E2 I am told I'm wrong by people who just don't understand and have never been formally trained to use the product.

You can try setting your lead in/ lead out to Perpendicular entry with 0 radius. This will prevent it posting the g41 line on an arc move which alarms out my Haas controls.

One example is in the cutting direction of your toolpaths. In the pic provided my tool will start at the front and cut from right to left following the chaining direction. Another example is If you're looking to extrude solids in the same direction you'd want to keep the chaining direction the same in order to get the same result for each one.

is this setting located in configuration?