Horizontal Production Mill Tutorial

[Ndeed]

Is one available? I have many questions on how to best configure Mastercam X2 for a horizontal mill with tombstones. I'm new to this type of machining and to Mastercam X2. Thanks in advance, Neil

[crazy^millman]

Well welcome to the Forum.

 

Not an easy question you have asked. What do you know about machining? What type of programming have you done? Does your company use a Pre-setter for the Machine? Do you understand programming from Center of Rotary? Does the company plan of Locked locations for toolholders? Standard pockets between different machining cells to insure interchangeability of programs? Pallets? Tombstone? How many pockets are on the machine to stage tools? Do you understand parent/child relationships for using tools for lights outs production? Does the company want to do light outs production? Does the machine have a probe? Does the machine have a broken tool dector? What are you lot runs? Does the machine have off sight monitoring abilities?

 

That is the light questions I am sure others can put the hards one out there about Mastercam. What I am saying is that you have been given a big task hope someone gave you more than a week to accomplish of this if not good luck!!!

 

Oh yeah great group here willing to help anyone willing to receive it.

[Ndeed]

Hello Ron,

 

Thank you for responding. I will do my best to answer your questions. It seems like the older I get the more I realize how little I truly know. I have only programmed mill parts on a VMC with very little surface machining. The machine does have a pre-setter. Programs are created with the center of the axis or rotation being at the center of the pallet. I do not understand what you mean when you say "Locked locations for toolholders". We do not have machining cells. Tool pockets would be in the area of 150 which is an estimate on my part. I do not understand parent/child relationships for using tools. The company does want to do lights out machining in the future. The machine has a probe but I have no experience with writing programs for it. The machine does have a broken tool detector. It is the same tool as the pre-setter and resides inside the machine. The machine does not have off-sight monitoring capabilities. Lot runs vary but most are 75 pieces and below. Yes, I would agree I have been given a big task but I will try my best.

[Rick Henrickson 65]

What kind of machine, how many pallets, what year, what control. you can monitor almost all machines with the right software. Ron is talking about dedicated tooling I beleive! 150 tool magazine should get you close may have to change out specials now and then. you will have to look at your roughing tools especialy since they will be the most common backup tool needed. you need to consider tool holder lengths and stickout, you may have to sacrifice rigidity for a more universal tool. look at the work you plan on running in the machine and try to match tools accordingly.

[Ndeed]

Rick, do you use some sort of template file when you start programming for a horizontal mill that includes a solid model of the tombstone, vices, clamps, etc.? Do you have a generic method of grouping machining operations? How about grouping of fixtures?

[Hardmill]

quote:

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Rick, do you use some sort of template file when you start programming for a horizontal mill that includes a solid model of the tombstone, vices, clamps, etc.? Do you have a generic method of grouping machining operations? How about grouping of fixtures?

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Thats generally what I do. that way all you do position your part and fixture and your off.

 

 

PEACE

[Ndeed]

Hardmill, does someone offer a generic type template file for a horizontal mill with pallets that I could look at to get a clue about how all this should be setup? Perhaps there is a book, tutorial or video that teaches best practices for setting up Mastercam X2 for horizontal tombstone milling?

[Hardmill]

Theres a 4 & 5 axis tutorial from in-house.

Check the books link at the top of the page.

 

 

PEACE

[Justin Beebe at Folsom Tool]

The 4 and 5 axis tutorial from In House is a great book, however all the lessons are set up on veritcal machining centers. I know for V9 and MCX there was a tombstone tutorial book. I have not seen this listed yet for MCX2. That would probably be the most helpful to you. Maybe someone could let us know when that will be out for MCX2.

 

Justin

[Lars Christensen]

Neil,

1st. welcome to the forum

 

Sounds like you are in some what the same position as I was a couple of years ago.

Life is good

 

A couple of years later and we have now also added a 11 pallet horizontal Matsuura.

 

In mastercam the best advice I can give you is keeping everything real, by that I mean draw everything thing up by the detail. Draw your tombstones, your travel limits, toolholders, fixtures, and parts to the right dimensions. You want to be able to sit at the pc and know that when you see the spindle head come within .015 to the fixturing on side 90, while you are machining side 180 you will be fine. When it comes to production you need to keep things tight, you need to be able to use tools with the smallest gage length for rigidity, but also make sure you do not crash. I normally tell my boss that it is only scary the 1st. time I run the program to make sure I clear. Do not be afraid to experiment, it is all about the details, rapid moves are expensive if they are not necessary.

I can not give any help in regards to X2, but I can tell you to keep good track record of everything you do on this machine, because it is a pain in the.... to backtrack 6 months later, trying to figure out what you did.

 

HTH

Lars

[Rick Henrickson 65]

Yes I have every tombstone modeled exactly and verified with probe, vices, fixturing should be as close as possible. I program everything from center rotation Y top of pallet. horizontal programming really isnt much more diffrent then vertical except you need to plan ahead for multiple positions, reduce rotations, I use a work coordinate for each position in case there is a little tweaking needed (mostly just second op though I use to use technigrips for the first op alot so I didnt really worry about that since it is raw stock being machined in the first hold it is relative to itself.