We had 4 at the company I used to work for. The newer models are a heck of a lot better than the old models were, and easier to calibrate. Proper mounting of the unit is the most important factor in my opinion. These units do work great for lining up flat stock. Look hard at the software, is it over complacaited? Jimmy set me up with some differant software than what came with the unit, and it was much simpler.

Thanks again Steve. BTW what is "Mastercam Help"?

Thanks Steve, I have never noticed it before. I did alt-t those paths. What does the light blue that Murlin sees mean?

What is up with this? Does it mean anything? I have never noticed this before.

If you have a solid you are trying to put edge curves. Be sure and toggle solid or faces. My seat of mcam defaults with both of these toggled on which creates duplicate curves. When I import a solid I change everything to white, then change color to blue, and create curve all edges solids then toggle faces off then pick the solid. There shouldn't be any duplicate blue geometery. If all you need is the blue geometery then delete all color white and you are left with a blue wireframe only. The colors used are strictly user option.

Ron, Volume 3 Chapter 2 page 86 in the post processor pdf. Check out variables common to gcode 11. If you don't have this pdf I will email it to you. I also have the pdf that goes over the mpgen5axfanuc post, let me know what you need. [ 06-21-2005, 10:55 AM: Message edited by: Travis Buchanan ]

Ron, I assume that drill 5-ax also passes through pmx postblock which is bin in the mpgen-5ax post. You might want to try setting a switch in the prapidout section based on the contour flags to position rapid but retract as g01. Or you might try a misc value and a switch for drill. I know there is a way to do this.

Ron, doesn't most machines/controls have an option on Rapid that will allow you to change the machine from dogleg to linear? If it is Fanuc control James could probably tell you what parameter setting. You might also try forcing "GO1" in prapidout.

Ok I put the file up on the ftp in the MC9 folder. S_R_P.mc9 The 1st op is the culprit. Ops 2,3,& 4 have been my solution to the problem for years. Jimmy I am using the cut depths, but they don't work the same as cut depths in surface finish parallel. Be sure to check all my parameter settings in srp & sfp. Notice the differance?

Oops, After verifying the toolpaths I see that all my retracts were trimmed as well. That ain't going to work. Back to the drawing board. Ron, I have also in the past did a surface rough parallel, backplot with save as geometery on, delete all air cuts. Then toolpath contour the backplotted lines, that is a workaround as well. I just hate having to create extra geometery for a toolpath. Surface Rough Parallel needs to be fixed maybe in X.

jctjct, That was cool. That is a neat trick. I have never used that before. I will use that till somebody fixes the depth cuts.

I love this tool path except for one thing. It cuts a lot of air. On the very 1st pass it cuts everything inside the boundary. After the 1st pass everything works as it should. I have been working around this for years by using surface finish parallel and copying the op then changing stock to leave on drive surfs. Am I overlooking something? Why doesn't depth cuts work in Surf Rough Par like they do in Surf Fin Par? I have also experimented with surface rough pocket, but I get plunge cuts sometimes where I dont want them. I generaly program orgin at center, center, top and I see no need to cut anything above Z0.1250. Help.

I don't know what you all are getting so excited about. He is wanting version X. Heck the legit customers and maintanance customers can't even get X. I guess he does want it. We do too.

You are going to get a hundred different answers to those question. You will have to find out what works best for you. It sound like a plan, the only fault is numbers typed in wrong, tools in the wrong pockets, you still have the human factor. Nothing is foolproof.

I had some of those stopper pods on a CMS machine. Worked great for flat panel processing. All I do now is curved or rf plywood. I do cut a small amount of flat plywood but I cut all of it on my 3-axis Shoda. I have a LDF/pegboard jig that I use for cutting flatstock.

Tommy, we have a 5-axis Onsrud with a NEMI table. I do not have any pods, as we are always runing vacuum fixtures on this machine. The aluminum grid works good for positioning fixtures and I like the steel plugs.

Thanks Trevor, This table worked very well for us in the furniture factory. I could process panels off of the pods, or vacuum down a fixture on the grid table and use the manifold for vacuuming the part down. I also used the pods to locate the fixtures. I had a laser projector for locating panel stock. It was a killer set-up. BTW the T-slots in the table are for a rotary device that I used to turn & rope post and do other machining that I could chuck between centers. I will post a picture of the rotaries.

Here for my products, IMHO is the perfect router table. I designed this about 3 years ago. It is a grid table, pod table, and I also have a vacuum manifold on the side of the machine. For the pods I had a machine shop turn me some pvc that would fit in the circular cuts on the table the pods also have on o-ring groove in each end. The yellow plugs remove for vacuum from the bed. Sory I can't find a picture of the actual pod, and I no longer work for this company.

I have made both pods and pod tables. What type of table top do you currently have? Is it ldf, a smooth surface, or a grid type? Do you have a vacuum manifold that you plug lines into?

I also agree with Ron & Matt. I rarely use swarf. Curve 5-ax is great.

I have an Osai control on my 5-axis. It is alot like an Allen Bradley. I really like it but it uses alot of non g&m code. It would take a heck of a "reverse post" to get it to backplot it's nc code. I also use alot of variables and subroutines.

If all looks good in backplot. I would check spindle alignment & tram 1st. Then look at your post. I would love to have a nc code verify, but wouldn't it have to have a "reverse post processor" to interept machine spefic code.

I just emailed you a sample nc file. It is a 3-axis surface program done on a model 67 5-axis.

Hello & welcome.