Yet another simple question that is bugging me. We have a horizontal boring mill with a B axis on it. When I program a part with no indexing or rotations, the B axis is not output. Now when I program...say a 4 sided part, that is I must index 4 times, the B is output. I would like to have a "B0.", but when I try to force it with "*pfcout", I get an error saying that I cannot force this with a * or a !. just to make sure you all understand, right now, when I post a program, this is what comes up. code: G0 G90 G17 X-27.1875 Y2.15 S640 M3 I would like a "B0." in there also. the part that does confuse me is like I said, when I do program something with rotations in it, the B is output. Thanks all!

thanks to both...exactally what I was looking for

Hey all...I know there is a easy way around this but I can't seem to figure it out. One of the machines we have here is a big Horizontal boring mill. The spindle retracts out as the "W" axis. Typically, we run the "W" out to 5 or 10 inches & then drill or face or do whatever. What I would like to do is configure a Misc. Real value for the "W" retract amount. Right now I am using a variation of the MPMASTER post for this machine. On a different machine, a high speed 5 axis trunion type, it has a different variation of high speed cutting. You turn on high speed by a "HONR*" command. The * is a number, 1 thru 10, dealing with the resolution or tolerance of your cut....for example, if you are roughing, the command might be "HONR2" and for finishing it might be "HONR8". I would like to configure a Misc. Real to put in the number 1~10. The post on this machine is the MPGEN5X. Thanks all for you help

have a look here in your post code: brk_mv_head : 0 #Break the 5 axis moves to remove gouge brk_max_ang : 0 #'brk_mv_head' maximum angle move, applied if chordal #calculation angles moves are greater (negative disables) skp_rdnt_ck : 0 #Skip 'brk_max_ang' redundant angle check I am just guessing that your brk_mv_head is set at 1. make sure that you are using the latest version of MPGEN5X, it is on the Mcam 9.1 SP2 CD. Also make sure that you update all of you .dll's with the latest & greatest.

From my limited experience with Surfcam, it is very close. As far as its capabilities compared to Mastercam...they are close, at least it seemed so. Surfcam does have a GUI post editor...something Mcam was planning a long time ago but we have yet to see ( V10 I hope??? ) I am sure that it has its weak points, but then so does Mcam. (cough) post support (cough)

^^^^^ Agreed We have tried the Mitsubishi version on a horizontal mill. Taking a .070 DOC, at 450 RPM at 150 IPM in 440C stainless, 3" Dia cutter. I have never seen chips come out of a tool steel like that...almost like a aluminium roost. Chip load wound up being something like .075 per flute. Amazing to think that you are moving .375 per revolution. Lots of horsepower is necessary. As far as defining the tool...I pretty much do the same, that is call it a bullnose endmill with a .118 radius.

I ran into another situation with this yesterday. I had to engrave numbers and letters on the outside of a cone. I wanted to keep my tool on the centerline of the part and use my C axis (the rotary) to move for my X axis. I wound up pasting a program together that I made from MPMASTER, but once again, the rotary axis button in MPGEN5X does not work the way that I hope it would. Any comments?

I have a Trunion style 5axis machine. Occasionally, we have to use the absolute limits of machine travel. Recently, I had to cut a large diameter that would of exceeded the limits of my X axis, (would not of overtraveled, but would of crashed into the side of the trunion) so I wanted to rotate my C axis to do the job. Under the rotary axis tab, I selected 3 axis and "Rotate about Z axis". With MPGEN5X, it broke the arc into a bunch of X & Y moves. With MPMASTER, it did what I wanted it to, that is it rotated my C and left the X & Y alone. Is there any way to do this with MPGEN5X? Thanks

quote: originally posed by Don S Hi all I think I got it thanks so much for the help. I changed this rotaxis2 = vecz #Zero rotdir2 = vecx #Direction to this rotaxis2 = vecz #Zero rotdir2 = vecy #Direction this one took me forever to find also. I also found it necessary to change the vecy to a -vecy.

^^^^ Good thought there. I will not be able to try it on the machine for a while, but it does follow the path of the swarf toolpath closely (not exactally). The code still still has moves where the C axis reveres itself, tho the moves are gradual and not a sudden reversal that I was getting with Swarf. Still...Swarf should be the way that this part is done. There is an upper and lower rail. Once again I believe that wall gouge checking and swarf do NOT go together. Doing this toolpath with a Curve 5ax mean creating additional geometry, which is not a huge problem....It seems to me that this is a "workaround" for something that does not work the way it should.

Millman, Did you look at all the levels on that drawing? It could be done via 3 axis, but there are already alot of surfaces being generated and doing that particular area would add that much more time. I used a flat endmill for an example only, the actual part was cut with a ball. The machine that it was run on is a maching center with a tilt/rotary table....A Matsuura Vmax-800 5axis to be exact. Siemens 840DI controller. were you able to post out a program where the c axis did not reverse itself? These are the causes of the gouges on the walls.

I just got one of them a few weeks back...and yes I also highly recommend it. One of the coolest thing (at least to me) is that TIVO used Linux as their OS in their box...which means that you can easily add more capacity.(another HD) I am unsure about voiding my warantee already by doing this...but its a given that sometime in the near future I will. hacking the TIVO

I never said that Mastercam was terrible, but it does need some improvement. Crappy???...no...perfect???...far from it. that being said and in responce to Millman's post above, I am uploading a zip file named JMCSWARF.zip (in the MC9 folder) inside the zip file I have the part, a .nc file, the post used and a .doc file that I hope explains what I "think" is happening.

To expand on my post above.... I do not believe that gouge processing is a post problem....rather it is a Mastercam problem. Mastercam DOES process gouges when using a curve 5ax toolpath. Look at the menu's very closely...on the swarf 5ax they have something called "floor gouge processing"....on curve 5ax it is renamed to "gouge processing". 5 axis machining is becoming commonplace. Mastercam has always excelled in 3 axis machining...they are being left behind in 5axis support. quote: originally posted by MichaelJ did he now that was his 10 post look out post count = knowlege?

IMHO...mastercam is seriously shooting themselves in the foot by not offering a decent 5axis post. As a matter of fact, they are way behind their competition...both Surfcam & Delcam have FAR FAR superiour 5 axis support. Mastercam DOES NOT even process gouges when using a swarf toolpath. its amazing...I fought & fought a part, always came up with gouges till I talked someone into giving me code from Surfcam...same geometry, far different results.

the topic pretty much says it all...is there a hotkey to toggle between translucent shading? If not, is there a way to set it up. switching via the menu's is a pain.

now that is a cool deal...makes life much easier for 5 ax drilling Thanks!!

Thanks for your suggestions, but I still am not getting the results I am looking for using a swarf. I am thinking that my guess about the gouge checking for the walls in a swarf toolpath being non-existent is correct. Even on closer examination on the gouge check options, on curve 5ax its called "gouge processing". On the Swarf tab, its called "floor gouge processing". I am still playing with this toolpath...much more of this & I will post it on the FTP & see what all you think. Thanks again

yo Kevin...James here try something like this code: mtap_2 #Canned tap cycle repeat, mill pdrlcommonb *pcan1, pbld, pxout, pyout, pzout, pcout, prdrlout, dwell, pfr, strcantext, e pcom_movea note the "*" before the pcan1 the idea is you force out the g code on each block. this also should work if you force out the peck depth on you drill cycle

Is it me or has Mastercam left something out in a swarf 5 ax toolpath? When looking through the toolpath parameters, there is a option for "Show toolpath before gouge check". This box is totally grayed out on the swarf 5 ax. I am getting some pretty bad gouges in my swarf toolpath, which is frustrating to say the least. I am not talking about floor gouges, but rather gouges between the upper & lower rails. Now if I try a curve 5 ax toolpath, this option is not grayed out and if I do check this option, you can see mastercam highlight the exact areas that I am having my gouge problems....and it filters them out and no gouges on my part. (even if I don't check this option, it filters them out, but checking the box opened my eyes to a possable problem with using swarf in general) I would just use the curve 5ax toolpath, but it means much of the time totally recreating geometry instead of just picking upper & lower rails. Many times its just not possible to use curve 5 ax. So I guess my question is....Does Mastercam even process WALL (not floor) gouge checks with a swarf 5 ax toolpath?

gcode, Bingo...that was it. Is there any place where you can download the updated posts like this? Thanks!!!!

I have been trying to get this post to do what I want it to for a little while now, and I am getting frustratingly close. I got the rotate and tilt stuff to do what I need it to, but its always the simple things that kill me. The controllers I use like to have circles broke up into quadrants...which is no problem, there is a switch in this post for doing exactally that. However, when I post a circle, it does break it up into quadrants, but it has a very bad habit of g41's and g40's right in the middle of the arc moves....see below example. code: N100 G1 Z0. F40. N102 G41 D31 X.1563 Y.1563 F16. N104 G3 X0. Y.3125 R.1563 N106 G40 X-.3125 Y0. R.3125 N108 X0. Y-.3125 R.3125 N110 X.3125 Y0. R.3125 N112 G41 D31 X0. Y.3125 R.3125 N114 X-.1563 Y.1563 R.1562 N116 G1 G40 X0. Y0. N118 G0 Z.1 Now if you look, lines N106 and N112 are not going to play nice. Lines 102 and 116 is what I would expect. Seems like no matter what switch I change, I get the same result. Ahh...a rigid tapping cycle would be nice also...I have attempted to put one in, and I am close on that one as well...but I will save that one for another topic...or add to this one. Thanks!!!!

Thanks Mark, worked great for me!

hey all, Solidworks has recently release their 2004 package...and big suprise, they changed the parasolid engine to v15. Unfortuantly, as of now Mastercam (V9.1 SP2) only supports v14.x. Are there any plans to release an updated translator? Or am I missing a download? Thanks.