I have been a machinist/cnc machinst/cncprogrammer/mfg eng for the past 30 years. In my experience the following is a list of what a company wants from a good CNC Programmer: 1. can operate cnc machines with ease and no crashes 2. can setup machines with ease 3. can trouble shoot and solve machining process and tooling problems 4 can trouble shoot and solve machine alignment and breakdown problems because company has no maintenance people 5.quotes cycle times and determines tooling specs and costs 6.speaks with customers/engineers to clairify part specs because the solid files have no datums, tolerances, or hole callouts. "Big Company" policy seems to be who would need a print if we give them a solid drawing? It costs too much, let the other guy create a drawing if he needs it. Many of the college graduate solid designers (with out any machining experience) don't truly understand why these things would be needed anyway. (I could really go on ranting and raving about this one but I'll stop now.) 7. Create blue prints for machinists and inspection department from customer's solid files 8. Is constantly re-ordering cutting tools for production next day air because there is no tool crib or attendant. 9. Always scrambling to keep up with ISO and AS Audit requirements (usually training and or maintenance procedures) 10. Constantly re-drawing the plant layout file 11. Constantly having operators/setup people pull off of one job to run another job that is "hotter" 12. Constantly sending new job routers back to the office to be re-done to the proper machining sequence because they don't ask manufacturing how it should be machined in the first place. 13. Research and justify machinery for new capitol equipment purchases 14. Stay on top of continual improvement projects for everyone in the shop 15. And for the 30 minutes of spare time I have each day I actually do the thing I like the most which is write NC programs 16. Oh yeah, and now I need to learn 5-axis simultaneous milling. (on my own time). YOU BETTER BELIEVE WE ARE WORTH BIG BUCKS! - just wish I could find them and not have to work 60 to 80 hours a week to get them.

Had a Haas with a 40 cat spindle about 10 years ago. Three spindles in less than 6 months. Traded it in for a Mazak/Mori/Okuma. On the other hand I have had to be that service guy replacing spindle bearings multiple times for one customer (not a Haas). Three spindles before the operator showed me how they were rapiding the Z-axis down to press bearings into a part they machined! Then we charged him for all three service calls and parts.

Sorry, didn't see page 2

quote: I'd also like to see the Mastercam Editor recognize .EIA as a file extension. Tools Tab/Options/Editor Tab/ and look for "extensions to recognize as NC code", here you can key in other extensions and also set as a defalult if you wish. Is this what you are looking for?

quote: posted 11-30-2006 03:23 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If MC were parametric..... oh the possibilities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- my dream CAd/Cam software is Mastercam toolpaths running inside SolidWorks. Dear Santa, If I can only have one present this year please make it this one!

Got an email from my reseller this morining. QC at Mastercam says all of the problems I listed above have been fixed in X2/MR1.

quote: This has been logged as cnc00025035. Is this forum the proper place to report things like this? How can I be assured Master Cam will see things like this?

Don't know that machine but once I had a similar problem and it turned out to be too many characters inside the parenthesis (comment lines). Drove me crazy for two days before I found it. Might be worth a try.

Here is some more detail. This is a fresh install of X2 from CD's from my reseller. The tool described below should be in everyones library. I also tried this at a second company last night with the same results. I also tried it on X/MR2 and this problem does not exist. Go to Machine Type, Lathe, Default, then Toolpaths, Lathe Tool Manager, then, Library Lathe_Inch.TOOLS, filter only grooving/parting, look for T2727 R.01 w0.25 odgroove-medium, then RMB and click edit tool, goto holder tab. Now leave the default settings and click "draw tool", the tool appears as a normal RH groove tool on screen. Hit enter to exit the drawing. Now notice the help drawing in the "Holder Geometry" Box. Problem #1 the help drawing is showing a LH tool even though it designated a RH tool. #2 The 'B' dimension is shown as an angle but is actually the OAL of the tool. #3 The 'C' dimension is shown as a neck width but is actually the neck length. #4 The 'D' dimesion is shown as a neck length but is actually the neck width. #5 The 'E' dimension is shown as an OAL tool length but is actually an angle. #6 The'A' dimension is the shank width, but should be shown on the left side of the drawing instead of the right side. Try reversing the 'C' and 'D' values and hit 'draw tool' to see what I am talking about. Try creating this groove tool from scratch when there are no values pre-entered. Folowing the diagram prompts will create a totally messed up tool. Next set of problems is on the 'Inserts' Tab. It shows a single end square insert with a diagram. Change it to a sinle end round insert and watch how it displays both inserts and multiple cluttered dimension lines. Change the insert 5 or 6 times with various inserts and the help diagram gets totally messed up.

When creating new OD Groove Holder the diagram shown on screen is incorrect. Had to move the values around to get the tool to "draw" correctly. Also if you change to a different insert the new diagram and old diagram show on screen simultaneously. Very confusing. Any one else run into this problem? Is Master Cam aware of it?

PWE stands for Parameter Write Enabled. If I remember correctly get into MDI mode, go to "settings" page, change PWE to 0 (zero).

Yep, did the post thing already for now. Still would like to know if I can change defaults on Mcam side to coolant on (easily).

Just got McamX Lathe. Seems like all the tools in the library default to coolant off. How do I globally change all tools to default to coolant on? (don't want to change them one at a time)