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.

quote: The minor diameter on a standard 60 deg. OD thread is a maximum diameter. His problem is that the customer won't accept that interpretation, right or wrong.

Yes, but no tolerance for the minor diameter. I guess you could lay the thread out in CAD and figure out what combination of root radius and pitch diameter will get you closest to 1.3353 on the minor, then hope you can find an insert that gives you what you need. It's interesting that on a 1.4375-12 UNJ thread you get .0095 total tolerance on the minor diameter, but only .0044 on the pitch. You're going to have to hold both to the closer tolerance.

What tolerance does the customer give you? I can't find one for a UN thread. It's really supposed to be a reference dimension, I believe.

Just for backplotting, you can use Discriminator from www.cncedit.com It's a trial, but doesn't time out and is only crippled in an unimportant way. I haven't seen an update for a couple of years. An interesting mix of features.

Coming in late on this. There's a freebie program for calculating stepover here: http://www.geocities.com/mklotz.geo/ Search for cusp.zip Includes source code and a jpg showing the basis for the calculations, which is interesting. Make sure to uncheck "Close on exit" in the properties Program tab (this is a DOS program). Lots of other interesting, free programs at this site, written by a VERY smart man.

I wasn't aware of a written procedure, but have always used the porting tool to size the minor diameter before tapping (hole drilled slightly undersize). I would think that would give optimal concentricity between the thread pitch diameter and the diameters formed by the porting tool.

I'll send him the link to the forum. Thank you.

This plea for help showed up in my Inbox today - can somebody give him a hand? 25-April-2005, Hyderabad city, INDIA. Mr. Michael Rainey, (1) Nice to know about you, through my google-search. (2) I am a graduate Mechanical Engineer, 35-years of age. I have been into solid-modeling and overall project ececution of mech engg. (3) CNC was one of my subjects in college, during 1990-91. (4) From the past several years, I have been struggling to understand MasterCam, but have never been able to achieve success. (5) Lots of in-built help, context sensitive help, etc, is indeed available in MasterCam. Even then, there is a lot of difference between all those theoretical explanations, and practical implementations, tips-&-tricks. (6) Hitherto, many privately published training books too are available. But, everyone of these books merely describe some terminologies, commands. How I wish there would be one book, which I can keep next to me while operating Mastercam, and then learn/practise Mastercam. In other words, the author of that book must first take up a practical example, then instruct us how to use the vaious commands in Mastercam, and, at relevant/appropriate situations, some theory may be relevantly explained. (7) Maximum number of practical examples, practicable numerical values to be entered, etc, should be included. What happens when we select inappropriate options/values ...... also must be highlighted. (8) This is, in brief, my need of the hour. (9) Kindly take some time off, and try to help me the best you can. (10) Any other suggestions from your side shall be thankfully welcome. Awaiting your kind response. Thanks. Deepak . R GE Infrastructure - India Technology Center, Senior Engineer, T +91 40 5000-6176 F +91 40 5000-4044 / 8*613-4044 D 8*613-6176 E [email protected] #06 and #04-03, Unit-3, Block-1, Cyber Pearl, HITEC City, Madhapur, HYDERABAD city – 500 081, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA. GE Power Controls India Private Limited

If K is the pitch, shouldn't it be .0556 ?

quote: I've always felt how beneficial would it be for a company to have a guy that can make the designs and print. Generate code from those designs, make fixtures and setup machines for the part in question and finally produce a first artical, without ever having to pass off anything to another person or department. That's why I'm retiring next month. Can't handle the "separate person with title for every little function" concept I have to work under. Stuff seldom gets done well or on time, and it's very frustrating to be forever dependent upon some dork with a big title but very little knowledge or ability. For what it's worth, I got a degree in Geography and THEN got into machining and programming. The specific knowledge I got from studying geography obviously didn't help me in a machine shop, but having the degree opened the door to several interviews that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten.