Mastercam Version 9 SolidsTutorial - Part 9 pptx

You will build on skills that you learned in previous chapters and learn new skills, such as: Creating a sheet solid by removing a solid face Using a solid face to define a construction

9 Designing an Electrode

In this chapter, you will create an electrode with the shape of the standoff from the mold core that you created in the previous chapter The electrode will be used in a plunge, or die sinking, EDM (Electrical Discharge

Machining) application to form a cavity in a workpiece

Note: A backup file containing the mold core was provided with the other tutorial parts in case you did not complete Chapter 8

You will build on skills that you learned in previous chapters and learn new skills, such as:

Creating a sheet solid by removing a solid face Using a solid face to define a construction view Thickening a sheet solid

Creating non-associative disjoint bodies

Exercise 1 – Creating a sheet solid from the mold

core

In Exercise 4 of Chapter 8, you created a sheet solid by stitching together surfaces whose edge gaps were too large to form a closed solid body In this exercise, you will create a sheet solid by removing a face from a

Preparing the part

You will hide all geometry except for the mold core and define a level on which to create the electrode

1 Choose Main Menu, File, Get

2 Select container-mm.mc9 from your working folder and choose

Open Note: If you did not complete Chapter 8, open

container-backup-mm.mc9

3 Press [Alt+S] to turn on shading

4 Press [Alt+E] to access the Hide function

5 Select the light blue solid (mold core) and choose Done Only the

mold core remains in the graphics window

6 Press [Alt+2] to open the Level Manager

7 In the Main Level section of the dialog box, enter 6 for Number and Electrode for Name

8 Make level 4 visible and levels 1, 2, 3, and 5 invisible

9 Choose OK to close the dialog box

Exercise 2 – Reducing the size of the Y-shaped

cavity

In this exercise, you will reduce the size of the Y-shaped cavity Doing so makes the electrode smaller, which compensates for the overburn (spark gap) between the electrode and the mold Before you do so, however, you will define a new construction view at the bottom of the sheet solid

Defining a new construction view

You will use the View Manager to define a new view based on the geometry of a flat solid face at the bottom of the sheet solid You will reverse the Z direction of the Bottom view and set this view as the current WCS (work coordinate system) If you left the part in the original WCS, it would not be shown in the view that it is being machined in

1 Dynamically rotate the solid so that the mold core geometry points upward

2 Press [Alt+F1] to fit the geometry to the screen

3 Turn off shading

4 Choose WCS from the Secondary Menu The View Manager

opens

5 Right-click in the View list section of the dialog box and choose

Create, Select menu The View Manager closes

6 Choose Entity from the Create View menu

7 Choose Solid face from the Entity menu The Pick Solid Entity

menu displays

8 Toggle Faces to Y and all other Yes/No options to N

9 Select the face shown in the following picture

10 Mastercam displays an axes marker on the solid Choose Next

from the Select Plane menu until the Z axis points up, as shown in the following picture

11 When the Z axis points upward, choose Save The View Manager

reopens

12 Mastercam recognizes the selected view as one of the pre-defined views and displays the number 4 (for Bottom view) in the V#

column Enter Bottom for Name

13 Click in the WCS column for the Bottom view to set this view as the current view

14 Choose OK The WCS button reflects the number of the current

view (n4), and the Z depth button reflects the depth (22.86) of the selected face

Thickening the sheet solid

You will thicken the sheet solid by 0.3 millimeters The added

material will reduce the size of the Y-shaped cavity

1 Choose Main Menu, Solids, Next menu, Thicken The Thicken

Sheet Solid dialog box opens

2 Enter 0.3 for Thickness

3 Choose OK A direction arrow displays on the sheet solid, which

indicates the side to be thickened

4 Make sure the arrow points upward If it does not, choose Flip

5 When the arrow points in the correct direction, choose OK to

thicken the sheet solid This process will take several seconds Once it is complete, the sheet solid becomes a closed solid body Notice that the cavity of the standoff is smaller now than it was previously

6 Save the file

Exercise 3 – Creating the electrode blank

In this exercise, you will create the electrode blank, which is the block of material from which the electrode is formed

Defining the shape of the electrode blank

You will create multiple lines connected at their endpoints The lines will form a closed boundary that will define the shape of the electrode blank

1 Right-click in the graphics window and choose Top The bottom

of the mold core points upward

Note: You reversed the Z direction for the Bottom view in Exercise 2 Therefore, the Top view is really the Bottom view

2 Zoom in on the Y-shaped standoff in the center of the part Your part should look like the following picture

3 Choose Z from the Secondary Menu

4 Type 38 for the construction depth As you type, the value

displays in the prompt area

5 Press [Enter] The Z button reflects the new depth

6 Choose Color from the Secondary Menu

7 On the Color dialog box, set Current color to 12 (red), then choose OK

8 Choose the Create-Line toolbar button The Line menu displays

9 Choose Multi from the Line menu The Point Entry menu

displays

10 Enter (sketch) points to create lines around the Y-shaped standoff,

as shown in the following picture Make sure that the last line that you sketch ends where the first line begins to form a closed chain

Note: In the picture, the lines have been thickened to show you the intended result

11 After sketching all of the lines, choose Backup to exit the

function

Creating the electrode blank

You will extrude the shape defined by the red lines to form a 60 millimeter solid for the electrode blank

1 Switch to Isometric view and fit the part to the screen by zooming

in on the entire part

2 Choose Main Menu, Solids, Extrude

3 Select anywhere on the red lines that you just created, then choose

Done

4 Make sure the extrusion direction arrow points down If it does

not, choose Reverse It

Tip: Rotate the part slightly if you have trouble seeing the arrow

5 Choose Done The Extrude Chain dialog box opens

6 Enter Electrode for the operation name

7 Select Extend by specified distance and enter 60 for Distance

8 Check your settings against the following picture Make any necessary adjustments

9 Choose OK to create the electrode blank

10 Turn on shading Your part should look like the following picture

Cutting the shape of the electrode

The final step in creating the electrode is to cut the Y-shape of the cavity in the electrode blank You will do so by removing the volume

of the thickened solid, which contains the Y-shaped cavity, from the electrode blank

1 Set the graphics view to Front Your part should look like the

following picture Notice that the thickened solid (green) completely intersects the electrode blank solid (red)

2 Choose Boolean from the Solids menu

3 Choose Remove from the Boolean menu The Pick Solid Entity

menu displays

4 Toggle Solids to Y and all other Yes/No options to N

5 Select the red solid (electrode) as the target solid

6 Select the green solid as the tool body, then choose Done

7 Because the tool body completely intersects the target, the result

of the operation is a disjoint body, meaning that the electrode is cut into two pieces Mastercam is unable to create disjoint bodies and maintain associativity between them However, you have the option to create non-associative bodies (bricks) from the two

pieces of the electrode To do so, choose Yes

8 On the Keep menu, toggle Target to N and Tools to Y The tool

body will be saved along with the resulting disjoint bodies The original electrode, with all of its operation history, will be deleted

9 Choose Done The electrode is split into two bricks (solids with

no operation history) and the green tool body remains in the graphics window

10 Press [Alt+E] to access the Hide function

11 Select the top piece of the electrode, as shown in the following picture

12 Choose Done Only the top piece of the electrode remains visible

in the graphics window

13 Rotate the electrode to view the Y-shaped standoff

14 Fit the geometry to the screen Your part should look similar to the following picture

15 Save the file

Extend the electrode

The final step in creating the electrode is to extend the Y-shape of the part so the electrode will not make contact with the floor of the mold Since you are only burning the Y-shape, you must make sure there is sufficient clearance between the non-burning area of the electrode and the mold You will cut the part and apply a draft to the sides

1 Choose Color from the Secondary Menu

2 On the Color dialog box, set Current color to 9 (blue), then choose OK

3 Choose WCS from the Secondary Menu to change the work

coordinate system The View Manager opens

4 Right-click in the View list section of the dialog box and choose

Create, Select menu The View Manager closes

5 Choose Entity from the Create View menu

6 Choose Solid face from the Entity menu The Pick Solid Entity

menu displays

7 Toggle Faces to Y and all other Yes/No options to N

8 Select the face shown in the following picture

9 Mastercam displays an axes marker on the solid Choose Save

from the Select Plane menu The View Manager reopens

10 Mastercam recognizes the selected view as a new view and

displays the number 1 in the V# column Enter Standoff for

Name

11 Click in the WCS column for the Standoff view to set this view as the current view

12 Choose OK The WCS button reflects the number of the current

view (nT), and the Z depth button reflects the depth (-3.475) of the selected face

Create the edge curves

1 Right-click in the graphics window and choose Top

2 Choose Main Menu, Create, Curve, All edges, Solids

3 Toggle Faces to Y and all other Yes/No options to N

4 Select the top face, as shown in the following picture

5 Choose Done, Done, Do it to create the edge curves

6 Choose Main Menu, Create, Rectangle, 2 points

7 Draw a rectangle around the entire part, as shown in the following picture

8 Right-click in the graphics window and choose Isometric

9 Choose Main Menu, Solids, Extrude, Chain

10 Select the two blue chains shown in the following picture and

choose Done

11 Look at the direction arrow on each chain to be sure it points down If both arrows point in the correct direction, continue with step 11 Otherwise, take one of the following actions:

If both arrows point in the wrong direction, choose Reverse It

If one arrow points in the wrong direction, choose Reverse

One, then select the chain whose direction arrow points in the

wrong direction

12 When both direction arrows point in the correct direction, choose

Done The Extrude Chain dialog box opens

Setting extrusion parameters

1 Select Cut Body

2 Select the Draft check box

3 Clear the Outward check box

4 Enter 12 for Distance

5 Check your settings against the following picture Make any necessary adjustments

6 Choose OK to cut the electrode Your part should look like the

following picture

7 Save the file