Mastercam and RobbJack

Watch as a Mastercam dynamic milling powers a RobbJack carbide tool through a 65 HRc file and the tool stays cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp8NmbNhPLs

Using the Event Log to Time Toolpath Generation

Attempting to time toolpath generation and regeneration usually means digging out a stop watch and trying not to get distracted in order to get an accurate measurement. However, with the Event Log, you can easily see exactly how long it takes for a regen to occur, without using a stop watch. Here’s how:

1. Create or regenerate an operation.
2. Once Mastercam finishes processing it, open the Event Log in your system tray.

The Event Log lists all actions that have occurred in the current Mastercam session. The most recent event(s) are at the bottom. Scroll to the bottom of the list to see the operation you just created or regenerated.

The line App=Mastercam Entry = OMregenSelectedOperations indicates the start of a regen. The line Exiting App=Mastercam Entry=OMregenSelectedOperations indicates the end of a regen.

Remember, if you are timing the same regeneration several times, be sure to clear out the regen files to get a clean, accurate time.

Many New Enhancements for Mastercam Design

Whether your shop gets files from an outside source or designs them in-house, modeling tools are an essential element in prepping a file for machining. Mastercam X4 Design delivers efficient new tools to the entire Mastercam product line.

Dynamic Planes
Dynamic planes are a new method of defining planes, Cplanes, Tplanes, and a Work Coordinate System (WCS) in Mastercam. You can now define the desired plane using an interactive graphical gnomon to establish the plane’s origin and orientation.


Xform Dynamic

Imagine being able to translate and rotate geometry in a single, easy-to-use function, where the control is right on the screen along with your geometry. That is what the new Xform Dynamic and Dynamic Planes functions offer!

Wireframe Feature Recognition in Chaining
It is common to encounter a wireframe part that has so many similar chains mixed in with other geometry that it isn’t possible to use the Window chaining method. Chaining can become a tedious error-prone and time-consuming manual process. With Wireframe Feature Recognition, you only need to chain an example of the geometry that you want to use, and then click a button. Mastercam automatically finds and chains all other occurrences of the geometry.

Trimming Visual Cues
To help you predict the result when working with the Trim, Extend, and Break function, Mastercam X4 provides visual cues so you can see what will happen before selecting the transformed entity.

Viewsheet Improvements
With Mastercam X4, you can save every option on the status bar (except for Groups) as part of a Viewsheet. Use the Settings option to specify exactly which of the status bar functions to save in the Viewsheet and which ones to ignore.

Winners of Mastercam U Announced

Last month, we provided you with a chance to win a subscription to Mastercam University (http://www.mastercamu.com/). We have selected the 11 winners, and here they are . . .

• Douglas I. of Haltom City, TX


• Paul K. of Colorado Springs, CO


• Matt Q. of St. Paul, MN


• Robb H. of Piqua, OH


• Jeff T. of Willmar, MN


• Dean J. of New Castle, IN


• Edward S. of Amherst, NY


• Ben S. of Oconomowoc, WI


• Arnie G. of Boston, MA


• Seth F. of Berville, MI


• Larry W. of Elkhart, IN

Congratulations to all of you! We will be sending out your codes for your trial subscription to Mastercam University shortly. You will be getting a 12 week subscription to the “Mill Design and Toolpaths for X4” class. For more information on the program, please click here.

A Preview of Mastercam X4

In case you are curious about what's in Mastercam X4, here is a quick overview of just some of the new X4 functionality.

Mill

• Dynamic Mill is a new toolpath capable of utilizing the entire flute length of your cutting tools for increased tool life and efficiency


• 2D toolpaths have been migrated to the new tree structure style


• Multi-threading support for high speed and multiaxis toolpaths


• Refine Toolpath features in surface machining for greater control and surface finish improvements

Lathe

• New multi-groove selection


• Separate feeds and speeds for rough and finish grooving


• Auto tool inspection to check tools for wear

Wire

• Custom support for Agie EDM with Agievision controls
  Router


• Automatic nesting now with the ability to edit nested sheets using drag and drop


• Vertical and/or horizontal cut-off operations now automatically generated in toolpath nesting
  

Mastercam Does 5-Axis

This video shows one of the many way a split impeller can be machined:

Mastercam X4 is Released!

Mastercam X4 is here to help you maximize your shop with dozens of powerful new features. Interested in seeing what it can do you for you? Then head over to the “What’s New” page on our web site to watch a video highlighting new Mastercam features including multi-threading, a new Dynamic Machining toolpath, Feature Based Machining (FBM) enhancements, and much more.

You’ll also see a list of the additional exciting new tools that Mastercam X4 has to offer.