This exercise shows you how to make changes to your part or toolpath and automatically regenerate your operation. In this exercise, you will make the following changes:
Edit the toolpath parameters to add entry and exit moves Change the part geometry
Switch to a different tool
After you've made all the changes, you will post the toolpath to an NC
For this part, you need to change how the tool enters the material.
Plunging directly into the part is not desirable because of the dwell marks left behind at the tool entry spot. In this exercise, you add entry and exit moves to the toolpath to eliminate the dwell marks.
1. Press [Esc] to return to the Operations Manager.
2. Choose the Parameters icon.
3. Choose the Lead in/out check box and button.
4. The Lead in/out dialog box lets you specify entry and exit moves:
either lines, arcs, or a combination of both. For this part, you want to use just arcs, so enter 0 in the Line–Length field in the Entry section to disable line moves. (You will use the default arc dimensions.)
5. Choose the button to copy the Entry arc dimensions to the Exit section. Make sure your settings match the following picture.
6. Choose OK twice.
7. When you return to the Operations Manager, you will see a red X as shown in the following picture. This means that some part of the toolpath has changed (in this case, you've added the lead in/out moves) and the operation needs to be regenerated. Choose the Regen Path button.
automatically updates. (The Arc Radius works the same way.)
Changing the part geometry
In this procedure, you will make a design change to the part, changing the 10 mm radius fillets to 6 mm fillets.
1. Choose Delete from the toolbar.
2. Choose All, Mask.
3. The Selection Mask dialog box lets you describe which types entities to delete. In the Entities list, choose Arcs.
4. Choose Same as.
5. Select any of the 10 mm fillets. When you return to the Selection Mask dialog box, you see that all of the fields are filled in with the attributes of the 10 mm fillet. Mastercam will use this mask to select all of the fillets and delete them.
6. Choose OK.
7. Choose Yes at the confirmation prompt. Your part should look like the following picture.
8. Create 6 mm fillets in all of the gaps. (See page 24 if you don't remember how to create fillets.) Your part should look like the following picture.
Changing the tool
When you created the toolpath for this part, you used a 12 mm endmill. Since the fillets are now smaller and the same radius as the tool, you will switch to a smaller tool so you can get smoother tool motion around the fillets.
1. Press [Alt + O] to open the Operations Manager.
2. Choose the Parameters icon.
3. Choose the Tool parameters tab.
4. Right-click in the tool display area and choose Get tool from library.
5. Select the 10 mm HSS flat endmill and choose OK.
6. Choose OK again to return to the Operations Manager.
7. Choose Regen Path to regenerate the toolpath with the new tool and new geometry. The new toolpath should look like the following picture.
Creating an NC program
In order to cut a part on a CNC machine tool, you need to give it a program in a format that your control can read. The act of making this file (called an NC program) is called post processing, or posting.
When you post a file, Mastercam runs a special program called a post processor that reads your Mastercam file and creates an NC program from it. Your original Mastercam file isn't changed.
1. Choose Post. (The Operations Manager window should still be open.)
2. Select the Save NC file check box, and choose the Edit option.
3. Choose the Ask option (this means that it will prompt you for a file name). Your dialog box should match the following picture.
WARNING: Before running an NC program on your machine tool, you MUST ensure that it was created with the proper post processor. If the correct post processor was not used, you could crash your machine tool and cause serious injury or damage. Do NOT assume that the post processor shown in these examples is compatible with your own machine tool.
4. Choose OK.
5. Type in a file name when prompted. If you wish, you can navigate to a different folder; the default is Mcam9\Mill\Nc. Choose Save when you are done.
Tip: Check your machine tool or control documentation to see what file names are allowed. For example, you might be limited to 8 characters or less.
6. After you save the file, it will appear in a text-editing window so you can review it or make changes, as shown in the following picture.
Post processors are machine- and control-specific. When you installed Mastercam, you selected a default post processor. The current post processor is listed here. If you need to, you can select a different one by choosing Change Post.
7. Close the NC program window to return to Mastercam.
8. Close the Operations Manager and press [Alt + A] to save the file.
Setting the default tool library
The remaining exercises in this tutorial will use tools from the MetricST52.tl9 tool library that you selected earlier. In this
procedure, you will make this the default tool library, so that you do not have to keep selecting it.
1. Choose Main Menu, Screen, Configure.
2. Choose the Files tab.
3. Choose Tool library in the File usage list.
4. Make sure that METRICST52.TL9 appears in the File name field as shown in the following picture. If it doesn't, choose the File button and select it.
5. Choose Save As to save the setting to the configuration file.
6. The file in which it is saved is shown in the Current configuration file field, MILL9M.CFG. Choose Save.
7. Choose Yes when asked to overwrite the current file.
8. Choose OK.
You've now seen all the major stages of creating a part and an operation to machine it. In the next chapter, you will use the simple operation you created in this chapter as a building block for more sophisticated operations.
EOC
A mirrored copy of the operation
The part used in this chapter is the same one that you saved at the end of Chapter 3. If you did not complete Chapter 3, use the file new elbow- mm.mc9, in the folder C:\Mcam9\Tutorials\Mill Tutorial\Metric.
Tip: When opening this file, select the Restore entire NCI on file get option.