get to know your toolplanes...there are big advantages out there for 2d toolpaths vs 5 ax. Things like cutter comp, much shorter programs (you will actually use G2 or G3 for arcs) So basically in your above example, your WCS should be top & the toolplane & c-plane would be front. Its really easy to do 4 sides of a cube using just your system views/planes...ie front, left, right, back....

ummmm...both what it puts out & "what it should be" are identical....

Do a search for the holeaxis c-hook. Very slick & easy...creates a centerline from any circular geometry (arcs, surfs & I think the newest version will do a solid also)

could be that your control does not support helixes...Damn fanuc & everything being an option.

quote: Its been a while, but I beleive the V9 mpmaster will omit the A output if it doesn't see any rotary toolpaths. Aye...and its easy to add to your existing posts. MPMASTER does it by using the PWRTT section. An easy copy/paste from MPMASTER to your existing posts should do what you want.

quote: I just made my first 5 ax cut ! I have questions though. I am cutting a simple square, then cutting chanfers on the top, with the tool normal to the vector on the chanfer how do I tell MCX to start and keep the a on 45 rather than -45 ?check out your Misc. Values, misc integers. If you are using MPGEN5AX, with the last one you can set the tilt direction preference.

quote: Moris have it....Matsuuras don't. They band-aid it with CAMPLETE, which is a hassle, in my opinion.Producing the actual code is a band-aid???

quote: This is what the compensation in "Control" gives you. The only time it will choke is if you are using a lead in/out move that is smaller than 50% of the diameter of your cutter. Cutter comp set to Control will give you centerline code, and output the G40-42 codes. duh...sometimes its so easy to miss the obvious....but then I have not used "Control" for years. Thanks a bunch & I owe you a beer.

We have a Mazak laser & want to get the guy who run it up to speed & start using X. The reason they still use V9 is because of a posting issue. Basically in V9 they are able to program the laser as a .0001 dia tool & use the control to offset for the laser beam....basically they create a centerline toolpath. For whatever reason in X (or X2MR2) the nesting does not work at all with a .0001 dia tool. What I would like to be able to set up for them is to have the cutter comp type set to "off" & have the post still spit out G41. That would follow the centerline of the contour...much like they are already used to seeing. The other "easy for me" option is to have them start programming it like a mill with a .01 dia cutter. Problem with this option is bringing a old V9 file in & reposting...things will get messed up again.

hmmmm...I run 17-4 (1" mitsubishi AJX cutter) at 1500 RPM, 93IPM, .04DOC & get 30~45 minutes of insert life....dunno if I can do that in Ti tho.

hmmm...I just heard....word around the campfire is late June for X3. Word also is not to expect too much...very little for a "power user". Pretty much the word is if you use ATP, you will see a difference....& if you want to run inside of Solidworks..well there is going to be that (HST paths only tho). Oh yes...and there are also going to be (as CNCApps guy so very well puts it) fARTS enhancements. If you are looking for support for your mill/turns...don't get your hopes up come the end of June... Personally I was hoping for something like Adaptive Clearing/Surfcam "Truemill"/VoluMill as a new toolpath...along with supporting mill/turns

quote: so lets say the first program would call g54 work the top side, sub would call g55 rotate a 90' b90' run, call sub g56 forate a90' b180' etc. ? Just thinking out loud... any input is appreciated.This approach "could" work, tho I think it could bite you in the a$$ if you were to accedentaly put in the wrong work offset. Your post will (should) output G54 A0 C0 at first(provided that is your first orientation) then when it comes time to reposition the tilt/rotary it should output A-90 C90 or whatever (note still using G54). As for 5ax training in Utah....seat time is your best asset...but that could be said for anywhere.

quote: Faro has an model that they claim has .005mm repeatability. Thats pretty good for something with six axis being moved manually. Thats what they advertise for sure, but our company has been through the rounds (sending the arm back more than once) getting it to repeat better than .001. Even our local rep said something was effed up, but Faro insisted that it was OK. Yes, this was their "high end" (platnium model). Basicaly what we found out was that if the arm is used within a small window (8ft arm only being used within 2 ft) it works ok. The further out you extend the arm the less accurate your results. Faro cannot argue with this. All that being said, the Faro arm does get used alot for "on the machine" inspections. CMM's are much more accutate....they hold the same repeatability no matter where you are within their travel.

After looking at a Technara catalog & getting a price quote of $995 for a 1500W heat gun, we went to Harbor Freight & bought a 1500W gun for $10 & spent 20 minutes making a stand for the thing. Granted it might not have the 30 second heat up time (more like 5 minutes)...sure its not as sexxay as teh induction units & not as cool as Rego-Fix's press, but for $10 its tough to beat. Check out the prices for the power grip collets ($150!!!) & you can't reach tight places with that system.

^^^^ I agree with Ron. Have never had a problem mixing holders. I only wish CAMplete supported Mori lathes...but AFAIK, there are no plans in the future to support lathes...(not counting the Matsuura Cublex)

1st .. yes, we have a 17 pallet 72/63V. I know CNC Apps Guy will totally disagree with me on this one, but if we were to get another, we would get one with the Siemens 840Di control vs the fanuc. The siemens is a much more powerful control. Plus, Methods offers the 6 pallet model (I think its six) with the 840Di. After programming/running a multiple pallet machine, I think you are insane for looking at a 2 pallet. 2nd.. we run almost exclusively 17-4 with our 20K spindle....that wasn't the plan to start out with, but you take the jobs that you are offered. Now granted we are not running large diameter cutters, but Matsuura's 20k spindle is pretty damn tough. 3rd.. Mastercam is fully capable of programming these machines. I do think that the higher end packages such as powermill have some options that I would like to have/use would be nice, but that brings us to your next question.... 4th.. The software is called CAMplete & it does things that (sorry emastercam) others wish they could do. It makes up for some of the shortcomings in Mastercam. 5th.. Kaiser has the patent on Big-Plus holders & they cost $$$. For collet holders & smalller diameter holders, Lyndex & others make great products for much less $$$. For larger diameter holders, the big plus is a great option

One thing about the Haas that no-one can deny is the ease of use of their control....got a question? The manual is right on the control. Little things like sequential engraving cycles built in are nice touches. The Japanese are just now starting to catch on. Haas just needs to catch on to the Japanese on how to build quality hardware.

It seems to me that the cost of the VoluMill Subscriptions are pretty steep. For their 2 axis "Complete" package it winds up being $2360/year per seat. This is without being able to do 3d stuff...I assume they are talking about surface based geometry. Lets assume that when they do come out with their 3d system its $295/mo/per seat. $3540 per year...and this is for something that if the company goes out of business you are left with something useless. I really don't see too many shops spending that kind of money with a not-so-clear future. On the other hand, Cimco's add on is something that you own. Say Cimco stops supporting it...it will still work, tho most likely you will have to keep the last supported MCX version to use it. Still, thats much better than being left out in the wind. I think they have a good product, but their business plan leaves something to be desired. BTW Doug...it is interesting to see what other developers have to say...well worth the read.

quote: except Cimco calculates about 10 times faster.I am sold already....MCX's processing time on these paths is painfully slow

I did this pretty easily.. first I created a flag code: airflag : 0 #Thru spindle coolant air blast flag Then after I turned my coolant on I have this code: if coolant$ = 3, airflag = 1 Then in my pretract...after the coolant is turned off I have this.. code: if airflag = 1, [ pbld, n$, "M52", e$ pbld, n$, "G4 X4.", e$ pbld, n$, "M53", e$ airflag = 0 ] There might be better ways...but hey this works.

I have used just about every variable helix/flute out there ...most perform very close to each other. Cid tools is a brand you might not of heard of, but I litterally got double the life vs garr & hanita. They are not cheap...but they are very good tools

quote: Make an edit to your tool break macro for a dwell of 3-5 seconds after the rapid move to the laser, should fix that for yaAre you using the Matsuura macro (which does not support drip rejection at all) or the Renishaw macro (which does support drip rejection, but does not get along with the Matsuura Cell Manager & the way it handles backup tools)?? If you have a modified Renishaw macro that works with the cell manager I would like to take a look at it

We are looking seriously at horizontals also....Mori & Matsuura are at the top of the list. Full 4th is something that we need...plus I would rather have it & not use it much than not have it & need it in the future. Tool Probing..Right now on our MAM72/63V cell we have a renishaw laser & I am not too fond of it. Even with Renishaw's drip rejection macro's the coolant drips get you every now & then...but on a horizontal this might not be as much of an issue. If I had my choice I would trade the laser in for a touch probe. All I do for running a breakage check is call up a sub that has the macro call in it...but then I use macro variables for my tool number & heigth offsets, so one marco call covers all 240 tools. Part Probing...I use it alot for dialing parts in/setting offsets. For the acutal checking of features I worry about things like chips throwing the measurements way off. I honestly think that Mori has a better machine right now. Their "DCG" technology is very solid & having the 4th axis driven directly by the motor is more solid than a worm gear. Mori quoted $500,000 for a 8 pallet NH5000. They claim a 2 day setup time. Matuura is about $600,000 to add a H-Plus 405 to our MAM cell, explanding it from 17 pallets to 27. I am guessing at least 2 weeks (it took them a month for the MAM) to be up & running.

quote: To this day this is the only machine/control that could do a "true" 5 axis comp.Siemens has been doing this for a while now with the TRAORI function & Fanuc has developed their TCPC function as well, but AFAIK, it is only available on the new 30i & 31i controls. Way cool stuff but it warps your mind trying to understand how it works.

it get tough trying to idiot proof everything....they keep making better idiots. I gotta think that this sort of thing is possible tho.