I encourage you to take a good look at the commercial successor to ME Consultant - far more capable but still compact and fast. You can use it to create detailed cost estimates while you're calculating feeds and speeds - with virtually no extra effort. Mike http://mrainey.freeservers.com/MEPro.html

I have a free spreadsheet that will do what you want. Send an email.

If you're curious, you can get a free graphical programming system based on a subset of APT here: http://www.cncfocus.com/

We had some Okuma Howas with Fanuc 16M controls that required M29 and the spindle speed in every G84 line.

quote: If you can't find a useful reason for IPM feed then you haven't been machining or doing CNC long enough.Thirty years. Feels like a long time. quote: One right off the bat is for handling programmed spindle speeds that are higher than the maximum attainable by the machine. I try not to do that. When I first started in CNC, the shop I worked at programmed machining centers in IPM and lathes in IPR. That's how I learned, never gave it a second thought. I changed jobs and all the milling was in IPR. I asked why, and got this response: Every tooling catalog lists feed recommendations in IPR or IPT. Why change your frame of reference? If you see an IPM value in a program, you have no idea how hard the tool is working without factoring in the RPM so as to calculate IPR or IPT. When optimizing at the machine in IPM mode, you can't play with the spindle override without also affecting chip load. I thought about that for a few minutes, then bought into it 100% and never looked back. As somebody said, "different strokes".

quote: That's how the tools are sold, All the cutting tools I've seen sold are described in term of IPR (drills, reamers, turning) or IPT (end mills, face mills). IMHO, IPM is an additional calculation that doesn't accomplish anything useful.

Why would you want to use IPM for milling ops?

IPR is more logical and easier to work with for on-the-floor optimizing. The parts come out the same either way. If you've been using IPM for years and that's all the shop people have ever seen, you'd better leave it alone.

quote: I'd say most tool data is expressed as FPT, or chip load. However even programming in IPR your only acheiving that value at engagements over 1/2 radial dia. Agreed, for milling tools.

I can't think of a single good reason to use IPM on a machining center if the control supports IPR. All published tool data is expressed as IPR. IPM, by itself, tells you nothing about how hard a tool is working.

What does the CIMCO program actually calculate?

quote: The thread mill tool will cut the taper of the thread and also the taper of the OD for External and MD of an Internal thread. Will the tool last as long and give as nice a thread this way? I've never tried it myself.

I couldn't find any ready-made a few years ago, had to have some HSS end mills ground.

If you'd like me to see what I could do with UltraEdit, send some sample before/after text. [email protected]

A number of text editors could do something like that (I use UltraEdit), using a macro or script and regular expression searching.