I have access to lathe, mill and multiAxis so this is doable for me. Thank you for the file. This is exactly the type of response I was hoping for. I’m so used to 2D chamfer toolpaths that I stopped adding the chamfers to my Solids because it was easier to toolpath off the sharp edge.

Seeing as how I love a good round of "look what I can do" and do not have access to many other programmers at my company. I figured this would be the best place for such a thing. I know this is probably child's play to most but I'm interested in discovering as many options (Rube Goldberg approaches are welcome) to accomplishing this task. I'm currently programming for the lathe department so the available machines are Haas ST-20y and DS-30Y. I know, I know, here comes the lathe guy (for now).. I used 3D contour and did a little trial+error with the "stock to leave" until it was just right. I'm using a 3/16 lollipop mill for this part and doing the top and bottom of a cross hole. If you have any tips or more efficient options for doing an operation like this I would love to learn more.. you know what they say, Knowledge is power 3D DEBURR.mcam

My apologies in advance for not being able to provide a file for this post. I'm just looking to get some opinions on the best toolpaths suited for machining the 1mm radius around the pockets. So far I have had good results (mastercam verify only) with the Raster toolpath. I'm using a 1/4 ball endmill and the cycle time is around 6min but my step over will probably have to be reduced for quality.

I've been fortunate enough to attend classes at my local reseller (MACDAC in CT) and it definitely makes a big difference in my opinion. Between that, this forum and relentless seat time I've made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. Like everything else in this trade the subject matter is constantly evolving which makes it exciting.

So this may fall under the umbrella of the popular "Pitch in your gems to help make mcam life easier" thread but If you could go back in time and offer yourself some advice at the beginning of your programming career what, if anything, would it be? industry dos and don'ts, successful work routines, morale boosting mantras, any and all answers accepted.

Is there a way to change the preset length value in the lead in / lead out menu? I thought that any option box highlighted in yellow would become modal once set but it seems no matter what the value always reverts back to ".100". It'd be pretty convenient if there were a general setting for this but I'm struggling to find it. ( I prefer to use .05 instead of .100 )

Can you attach the pdf file for this quiz? my company is in dire need of a better filtering process for applicants.

Good afternoon, I'm wondering if it would be possible to alter my 5 axis post to output "C" for the table on the trunion instead of "B"? I've been manually editing my posts to fix this issue but like most of my problems here I'm sure I'm just a few clicks away from saving myself all sorts of time.

I just updated to MC 2020 and so far am enjoying the subtle changes (unpopular opinion I know ). I noticed a new tab labeled "dependencies" in the toolpaths manager. Can anyone explain to me the function of this key and how it can be used to better my programming / experience?

May the powers that be please enlighten me as to how one would go about using a double sided 45 degree chamfer mill to deburr front and backside profiles. I have achieved this by modifying a key cutter to represent the tool geometry (.125 wd cutting edge with 45deg angles front and back) but by doing so I cannot use the "2d chamfer mill" parameter. So I'll adjust my numbers and lie to the program to get the tool to work... Not the most preferred method but it gets it done.. I cant help but feel there is a better way to go about this. I'd love to be able to just select my solid edges and use the chamfer mill parameter and have the control recognize the tool. Unfortunately I can't include a file for this particular part but just imagine you want to edge break the front and backside of a gear using an axial live tool in a C+Y axis lathe.

okay great! thanks guys.

I've been working on creating a tool library for what I have available at my shop. the only problem is MC reverts to its original "lathe inch" library every time I open it. I'm wondering how I would go about setting my custom library as default so it will be active upon startup?

It's a C and Y axis lathe. This was an experiment in trying new toolpaths. I did notice that when I turned the comp off and it went off the center line of the tool the angles lined up. I'm wondering if I could lie to the dimensions in my geometry and add half the diameter of my tool to make it work.... or I should probably just learn how to do it the right way .. anywho, thank you for the input.

Better yet, how would some of you approach doing this part?

So I'm attempting to program a c-axis contour but it appears my tool is not lining up properly causing my angles to be off. I chained my geometry using linked edges from the inside diameter of the tabs. I set my rotary diameter at the diameter of the geometry that I chained (not sure if this is the cause of the problem) it seems to be leaving more material towards the tops of the tabs as if the centerline of the tool is off. I have tried switching between "wear" and "computer" for my tool comp settings and that doesn't seem to make a difference. I unfortunately cannot post the file for inspection but I'll try to upload some pics that might help in the diagnosis. Any suggestions would be much appreciated as I don't have anyone at my shop to reference for info. The red line was created to help show the tool being off. thanks.

Thanks guys, this is already making my life easier.

Time and time again I find myself getting sandbagged by the chaining direction while creating tool paths. Is there any sort of hot key for reversing the chain direction without having to physically click the double sided arrow in the dialogue box ( I know, how terribly lazy of me) .

So it seems my options for mastercam education outside of forums and youtube are A. three day courses for specific subject matter i.e lathe, 2d mill ,3d mill etc. B. professional certification through mastercamU or C. purchasing tutorial books and working through them. In your opinions what did you find to be the most helpful approach for a new guy wanting to rapidly advance his skills?