What’s New in Mastercam X4 May 2009
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Mastercam® X4 WHAT’S NEW IN MASTERCAM X4 Date: May 2009 Copyright © 2009 CNC Software, Inc.— All rights reserved. First Printing: May 2009 Software: Mastercam X4 Part Number: X4-Pack-WN
TERMS OF USE
Use of this document is subject to the Mastercam End User License Agreement. A copy of the Mastercam End User License Agreement is included with the Mastercam product package of which this document is part. The Mastercam End User License Agreement can also be found at:
www.mastercam.com/legal/licenseagreement/
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Contents Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Before You Begin ..................................................................................... 1 If You Need More Help ............................................................................ 2 Additional Documentation ...................................................................... 2
General System Enhancements......................................................... 3 Dynamic Planes ....................................................................................... 3 Tutorial: Using the dynamic gnomon to set a plane .......................... 4 Dynamic Xform ...................................................................................... 11 Tutorial: Moving geometry using Dynamic Xform............................ 11 Wireframe Feature Recognition in Chaining ....................................... 17 Tutorial: Chaining geometry using wireframe feature recognition ... 17 User-Defined Setup Sheet .................................................................... 22 Level Manager Improvements .............................................................. 23 Managing Levels on the Status Bar..................................................... 25 Viewsheet Enhancements .................................................................... 25 File Translator Updates ......................................................................... 26
Design Enhancements .......................................................................... 27 Translate 3D Improvements .................................................................27 Trim Divide/Delete .................................................................................28 New Visual Cues for Trimming............................................................. 28
Mill Level 1 Enhancements ................................................................ 29 New Tree-Style Dialogs for 2D Toolpaths ........................................... 29 Dynamic Mill .......................................................................................... 30 Holder Definition in 2D Toolpaths ........................................................ 31
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FBM Drill .................................................................................................32 Tutorial: Machining a large hole with FBM Drill ..............................32 Tutorial: Mapping hole sizes to drill cycles .....................................36 FBM Mill .................................................................................................41
Mill Level 3 Enhancements ................................................................45 Multi-Threading Support .......................................................................45 Toolpath Refinement..............................................................................47 Tutorial: Adjusting toolpath results using Toolpath Refinement .......47 Minimum Tilt in Multiaxis Toolpaths ...................................................54 New Tree-Style Dialogs for Curve 5-axis and Drill 5-axis ..................54 Circle Mill 5-axis Toolpath ....................................................................55
Router Enhancements ..........................................................................57 Bump Nesting.........................................................................................57 Tutorial: Adjusting nesting results using Bump Nesting...................57 Vertical and Horizontal Cutoff in Nesting .............................................63
Lathe Enhancements .............................................................................65 Grooving Enhancements .......................................................................65 Create Turn Profile .................................................................................69 New Tree-Style Dialogs for C-axis Toolpaths .....................................70 Round Boring Bar Display in Verify ......................................................71
Wire Enhancements ..............................................................................73
Agievision Workflow .............................................................................73
Post Enhancements ...............................................................................75 Updating Posts for Mastercam X4 .......................................................75 Support for Lathe Tool Inspection ........................................................76 Agievision Support.................................................................................77 New Operation Parameters ..................................................................78 Post Debugger Improvements ..............................................................78
Introduction Welcome to Mastercam X4! Mastercam X4 features a new suite of CAD/CAM tools focused on delivering speed and efficiency for your machining jobs. We are sure that you will benefit from what Mastercam X4 has to offer you and your shop. You can quickly access some of Mastercam X4’s new and exciting features through the What’s New toolbar and menu. Go to Help, What’s New in the Mastercam menu to view some of the new functions that Mastercam X4 offers.
Notes: • If you migrate your toolbar settings from a previous version of Mastercam, the What’s New in X4 toolbar will not be available. • Some of the options on the What’s New toolbar are only available if you have certain products enabled on your Mastercam SIM.
Before You Begin What’s New in Mastercam X4 outlines the new features in each Mastercam product level. Each chapter’s title corresponds to the Mastercam product that contains the features. For example, the Mill Level 1 Enhancements chapter discusses new functionality that you can access in Mastercam X4 Mill Level 1 or higher.
Tutorial Requirements Many chapters in this book contain short tutorials on new features in Mastercam X4. To complete these tutorials, you should meet the following requirements:
You must be comfortable using the Windows® operating system. You must have installed your Mastercam X4 products. All tutorial files are located in the ..\Documentation\ExampleParts folder of your Mastercam installation.
Start Mastercam using your preferred method: Double-click Mastercam’s desktop icon. Or
Launch Mastercam from the Windows Start menu.
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If You Need More Help There are many ways to get help with Mastercam, including the following:
Mastercam Help—Access Mastercam Help by selecting Help, Contents from Mastercam’s menu bar or by pressing [Alt+H] on your keyboard. Also, most dialog boxes and ribbon bars feature a Help button Help directly to related information.
that opens Mastercam
Online help—You can search for information or ask questions on the Mastercam Web forum, located at www.emastercam.com. You can also find a wealth of information, including many videos, at www.mastercam.com and www.mastercamedu.com.
Mastercam Reseller—Your local Mastercam Reseller can help with most questions about Mastercam.
Technical Support—CNC Software’s Technical Support department (860-8755006 or
[email protected]) is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. USA Eastern Standard Time.
Documentation feedback—For questions about this or other Mastercam documentation, contact the Technical Documentation department by e-mail at
[email protected].
Mastercam University—CNC Software sponsors Mastercam University, an affordable, online learning tool with more than 180 videos to let you master your skills at your own pace. For more information on Mastercam University, please contact your Authorized Mastercam Reseller, visit www.mastercam.com, or email
[email protected].
Additional Documentation You can find more information on using Mastercam in the following materials, located in the \Documentation folder of your Mastercam installation:
Mastercam X4 Installation Guide Mastercam X4 Administrator Guide Mastercam X4 Quick Start Mastercam X4 Reference Guide Mastercam X4 Transition Guide Mastercam X4 Quick Reference Card Mastercam X4 Wire Getting Started Guide
General System Enhancements Mastercam X4 introduces several features to improve your productivity, no matter what level of Mastercam you own.
Dynamic Planes Dynamic Planes is a new method for defining construction planes (Cplanes), tool planes (Tplanes), planes, and work coordinate systems (WCS) in Mastercam X4. You can now define the desired plane using an interactive graphical gnomon to establish the plane's origin and orientation. Everything centers on using the gnomon and its position-sensitive functionality. The gnomon is made of an Axis Origin and three axes, each consisting of a First Leg, Axis Label, Second Leg, and Axis Arrowhead. Each piece has its own functionality.
1 Axis Origin - Select to place the origin of the gnomon in 3D space. You can use AutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or sketch a point. Generally, this is the first manipulation of the dynamic gnomon. 2 First Leg - Select to move the gnomon along the selected axis. Move the gnomon along the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use AutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or sketch a point. 3 Axis Label - Select to rotate around a perpendicular axis. Rotate the gnomon along the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use AutoCursor positions, type a rotation angle, or sketch a point. Selecting the axis label for rotation follows these rules:
X axis label = rotate around Y Y axis label = rotate around X Z axis label = rotate around X
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4 Second Leg - Select to rotate around a perpendicular axis. Rotate the gnomon along the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use AutoCursor positions, type a rotation angle, or sketch a point. Selecting the axis second leg for rotation follows these rules:
X second leg = rotate around Z Y second leg = rotate around Z Z second leg = rotate around Y 5 Axis Arrowhead - Select to align the gnomon to existing geometry. You can also use AutoCursor positions to place the gnomon on an entity. You may align the gnomon to:
a line or solid edge tangent to a spline or arc normal to a surface or solid face TIP: You can modify the behavior of the gnomon with the Gnomon Settings dialog box. Access this dialog box by clicking the Settings button on the ribbon bar or dialog box or by holding the [Ctrl] key and right-clicking anywhere in the graphics window.
Using the dynamic gnomon to set a plane 1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open. 2
Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select DYNAMIC_PLANES.MCX.
3 Press [Alt + S] to shade the surface in the file.
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4 Choose Planes, Dynamic planes from the status bar. The Dynamic Plane dialog box displays and the dynamic gnomon appears in the graphics window. The first step is to position the plane’s origin.
5 Move the gnomon around the graphics window. The gnomon picks up on various AutoCursor positions on the wireframe geometry.
6 Move the gnomon to the left end of the spline, and click once to set the origin.
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Sliding the Gnomon 1 Click on the first leg of the Y axis. A sliding scale displays along the Y axis.
2 Move the gnomon back and forth along the scale. Notice that the value in the Y field of the Dynamic Plane dialog box updates as you move the gnomon.
TIP: You may also use AutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or simply sketch a point to set an axis position. 3 Click the Settings button on the Dynamic Plane dialog box to display the Gnomon Settings dialog box. You can adjust the gnomon behavior here, including snap increments and gnomon size. 4 Set the Linear increment to 10 and choose OK.
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TIP: If you deselect the Activate Linear Snap check box, you can position the axis anywhere along the scale, not just at the snap positions. 5 Move the Y axis along the scale again. Notice that the scale increments are now different.
6 Move your cursor to the center point of the circle. The gnomon references the AutoCursor position and uses it as the value for the Y position.
7 Click the right-hand end of the spline to set the gnomon.
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Rotating the Gnomon 1 Click on the Y axis label. A dial displays and you can now rotate around the X axis. 2 Click to select a position. Note: The red increments on the dial indicate the rotation angle.
3 Click on the second leg of the Y axis. You can now rotate around the Z axis.
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4 Enter 45 in the Rotation field on the Dynamic Plane dialog box, and press [Tab]. This quickly rotates the Y axis by 45 degrees.
5 Click once anywhere in the graphics window to set the Y axis position. 6 Click on the second leg of the Y axis again, and move your cursor to the corner of the shaded surface. The gnomon tilts to align with this point.
7 Click the 2D/3D switch on the status bar at the bottom of the screen to change to 2D mode.
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8 Move your cursor again to the corner of the shaded surface. The point projects down to the flat plane you are rotating within.
9 Click again on the 2D/3D switch to return to 3D mode. 10 Click once anywhere in the graphics window to set the Y axis position.
Aligning an Axis 1 Click on the Z axis arrowhead, and move around the graphics window. The Z axis snaps to align with each piece of geometry. Notice how the axis adjusts to changes in the surface normal of the shaded surface.
2 Slide the Z axis along the spline and press [F] to flip the Z axis at various points along the spline. 3 Press and hold the [Ctrl] key, and click the right button on your mouse to display the Gnomon Settings dialog box.
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4 In the Axis Alignment group box, deselect the Line option. This section sets what types of geometry Mastercam considers when aligning an axis.
5 Click OK to close the Gnomon settings dialog box. 6 Move the gnomon around the graphics window. Notice that the gnomon no longer snaps to align the Z axis with the line. 7 Select any position for the gnomon, and click once to set the axes. 8 Click OK on the Dynamic Planes dialog box to complete the function. The New View dialog box displays. 9 Type a name in the Name field, and select the Set as WCS option.
10 Choose OK. The WCS, tool, and construction planes are now set to your new plane.
Dynamic Xform Imagine being able to translate and rotate geometry in a single, on-screen control. That's what the new Dynamic Xform function offers you. It combines the ease of the new graphical gnomon from Dynamic Planes with the power of Mastercam’s Xform features.
Moving geometry using Dynamic Xform 1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open.
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2
Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select DYNAMIC_XFORM.MCX.
3 Press [F9] to display the world origin and axes. Notice that the part is not in a standard Mastercam orientation.
4 Press [F9] again to clear the world axes from the graphics window.
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5 Choose Xform, Dynamic Xform from the Mastercam menu. 6 Select the solid part, and press [Enter].
7 On the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar, confirm that you are in Move mode and are creating a single copy.
Positioning the Gnomon The first task is to orient the gnomon to the way you want to move the part. 1 Click to place the gnomon origin on the bottom left corner of the part.
2 Click the Manipulate axes button on the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar. This allows you to continue positioning the gnomon. 3 Click on the Y axis label to position the Y axis.
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TIP: The icon next to the cursor indicates whether you are in Manipulate axes mode or Manipulate geometry mode. You can press the [Ctrl] key to switch between modes. 4 Move the cursor to the top left corner of the part. A Visual Cue displays when Mastercam snaps to the endpoint. 5 Click on the endpoint to set the Y axis position. 6 Click on the X axis label to start positioning the X axis.
7 Move the cursor to the bottom right corner of the part. A Visual Cue displays when Mastercam snaps to the endpoint.
8 Click on the endpoint to set the X axis position.
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Moving the Geometry 1 Click the Manipulate geometry button on the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar. This allows you to move the selected geometry. 2 Click on the first leg of the X axis and slide from side to side to translate the part along the X axis.
TIP: You can also enter a translation position on the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar. 3 Click anywhere along the scale to position the X axis. 4 Click on the axes origin, and move the cursor around the graphics window to start translating the part to a new origin. 5 Click anywhere in the graphics window to select a new origin position.
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6 Click on the Z axis label, and notice that you can rotate around the X axis.
7 Enter -110 in the Angle field of the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar, and press [Tab] to position the Z axis. 8 Click once in the graphics window to return to the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar. 9 On the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar, select World axes, and click the Align with Axes button. This aligns the geometry with the world coordinate system.
10 Select World origin from the Move to origin drop-down list, and click the Move to origin button.
11 Click OK on the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar to complete the transformation. 12 Right-click in the graphics window, and choose Clear Colors to return the part to the original color.
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13 Press [F9] again to see that the part is now moved to the world origin and oriented to match the standard Mastercam views.
Wireframe Feature Recognition in Chaining On wireframe parts with many similar chains mixed with other geometry, chaining can become a tedious, error-prone, manual process. With Wireframe Feature Recognition, you only chain an example of the geometry you want to use and then click a button. Mastercam automatically finds all other occurrences of the geometry and chains them as well. You can use this function to select specific holes for Circle Mill toolpaths or for slots to cut with Pocket or Contour toolpaths.
Chaining geometry using wireframe feature recognition 1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open. 2
Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select WIREFRAME.MCX. This example contains over 850 individual shapes.
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3 Press [F1] and draw a zoom window around the left side of the part.
4 Choose Analyze, Contour from the Mastercam menu. The Chaining dialog box displays. 5 Click the Chain Feature Options button to display the Chain Feature dialog box. This dialog lets you set criteria for determining which geometry is similar. 6 Select Identical in the Feature Precision group box. This option looks for chains that are exact geometric matches. The chains must contain the same number of entities with the same measurements.
7 Click OK to close the Chain Feature dialog box.
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8 Chain the small horizontal slot on the left side of the part.
9 Click the Chain Feature button on the Chaining dialog box. Notice that Mastercam selects all of the identical geometry in the graphics window. The prompt indicates that 72 chains are selected.
10 Click the Chain Feature Options button again.
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11 Select the Shape Match option in the Feature Precision group box. This option looks for chains that are similar in shape. The selected chains can have the same features and arrangement of features but differ by size. 12 Click OK to close the Chain Feature dialog box. 13 Chain one of the kidney shapes on the part. 14 Click the Chain Feature button again on the Chaining dialog box.
Notice that Mastercam found the identical shapes, along with similar shapes that are smaller and larger.
15 Click the Chain Feature Options button again.
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16 Select the Shape Perimeter filter option in the Feature Precision group box, and select MCX: Drill from the flyout menu. This tool is applied to all the counterbore holes.
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13 Click OK to generate the toolpaths.
Pre-Drilling FBM Drill now includes a simpler way for pre-drilling to only drill the pilot hole diameter and not perform any pre-drilling up to that hole size. The Pre-drill pilot holes only check box on the Pre-drilling page generates only pilot hole pre-drill cycles followed by finish hole drill cycles, such as tapping or reaming.
Create Additional Geometry This new option on the Setup page allows FBM Drill to create additional geometry while creating the drill toolpaths. This geometry can be used to select holes for multiaxis drilling. The Vector of drill engagement option creates a vector from the top
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of the hole to the deepest depth of the hole, taking tip compensation and tool selection into account.
FBM Mill Slug Cutting Users who work with wood and composite materials on large vacuum table machines will definitely appreciate this enhancement in how FBM Mill handles through pockets. FBM Mill now detects when a through pocket area is large enough for a vacuum table to hold down the resulting slug. Instead of pocketing the entire area, Mastercam uses a contour operation to cut the outermost passes of the profile, leaving behind a slug that is held in place by the vacuum table. Note: The Slug cutting page is available only when the Through features check box is selected on the Feature detection page.
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Large Hole Milling In Mastercam X4 Mill, FBM Mill provides a method other than pocketing to machine round features. The Hole Milling option lets you mill round features using pocket,
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Circle Mill, or Helix Bore toolpaths. You can activate Hole Milling on the Feature detection page.
If you select Hole milling, the Hole milling page becomes available in the tree control. Use this page to select either Circle Mill or Helix Bore toolpaths for machining and to set tool selection ranges. Like Large Hole Milling in FBM Drill, you can set parameters for the Circle Mill or Helix Bore toolpaths, or use the operation defaults.
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Mill Level 3 Enhancements Mastercam X4 offers several enhancements for Mill Level 3 and Router Pro users, including support for multi-threaded processing, new filters for improved finish results, and an updated interface for Curve 5-axis and Drill 5-axis toolpaths.
Multi-Threading Support Multi-threading is a special form of program multitasking that allows a single program to execute portions of itself concurrently (as opposed to a single-threaded program, which executes in a linear mode). This processing mode allows Mastercam to split the programs that regenerate its largest, most complex toolpaths into smaller, separate program threads that execute simultaneously. Programs that are multi-threaded can process more quickly and efficiently. In Mastercam X4, multi-threaded toolpath processing is available for all of Mastercam's 3D surface high speed toolpaths (HST), and for the following multiaxis toolpaths:
Multisurface 5-axis Flowline 5-axis Port 5-axis You can enable/disable multi-threaded toolpath processing as part of your Mastercam configuration for all Mastercam sessions (Settings, Configuration, Toolpaths page).
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Or you can use the Toggle Multi-Threading button to turn it on or off for the current Mastercam session.This button is located on the What’s New in X4 toolbar, and in the Settings, Customize dialog box in the Multi-Thread Toolpath Manager category. Once you activate multi-threaded processing, whenever you generate/regenerate 3D HST and multiaxis toolpaths, you can continue working in Mastercam once the toolpaths have been sent to the Multi-Threading Manager (MTM). This dialog box shows you all existing threads, along with their current states, progress bar indicators, and processing status.
You do not have to wait for the toolpath regeneration to complete before starting another Mastercam function. Mastercam continues to process these toolpath files in the background. You can use the Toggle Multi-Threading Manager button to control the display of this dialog box for the current Mastercam session. This button is also located on the What’s New in X4 toolbar, and in the Settings, Customize dialog box in the Multi-Thread Toolpath Manager category. When processing toolpaths in multi-threaded mode, the Toolpath Manager displays two icons to indicate that toolpaths are being processed as threads in the MultiThreading Manager. The icons are green or yellow spools of thread.
Green icons indicate threads that are being processed in the MTM. Yellow icons are assigned to dependent toolpath threads (for example, rest toolpaths). Dependent threads require data from prior “parent” toolpath threads. Dependent threads cannot begin processing until the MTM completely finishes processing the parent thread (including translation of the binary NCI data).
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Toolpath Refinement Mastercam X4 adds a new toolpath refinement feature — 3D Advanced Toolpath Refinement — to 3D surface toolpaths. The 3D Advanced Toolpath Refinement helps you optimize cycle times and produce better finishes with your 3D surface toolpaths. This new feature combines the existing arc/line filter with new functionality that supports smoothing, randomizing points, creating minimal points, maintaining a consistent distance between points, and even converting arc motion to all G1 motion.
Adjusting toolpath results using Toolpath Refinement 1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open. 2 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select REFINE.MCX. This part includes four surface high speed toolpaths. 3 In the Toolpath Manager, expand the first toolpath in the list.
4 Click the Parameters icon to display the Surface High Speed Toolpaths dialog box.
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5 Select the Arc Filter/Tolerance page from the tree control. Notice that the Total tolerance value is set to 0.001.
6 Click the Refine toolpath button to open the Refine Toolpath dialog box.
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In the Tolerances Distribution section, Mastercam displays the formula it uses to apply the 0.001 Total Tolerance value. For this toolpath, the percentages of Line/Arc filter tolerance and Smoothing tolerance are set to 0%, making the Cut tolerance 100% of the Total tolerance value. This indicates that the 3D Advanced Toolpath Refinement feature is not in effect. 7 Select the Smoothing Settings check box to activate smoothing for the toolpath. This automatically adjusts the Smoothing tolerance in the Tolerances Distribution to 5% of the Total tolerance and reduces Cut tolerance to 95%.
8 Select the Line/Arc Filtering Settings check box to activate line/arc filtering for the toolpath. Line/arc filtering and smoothing tolerance are applied approximately equally.
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9 Slowly move the + slider, located immediately after the Cut tolerance field, to the right. This adjusts the ratio between the two sections in 5% increments, but respects the final number for the total tolerance.
10 Move the slider in between the line/arc filter and the smoothing tolerance to the left. This adjusts the ratio between the two fields.
Notes: There are other ways to change the distribution between the fields: • Type values directly into the fields • Use the sliders in the My preferences section. 11 Click Cancel to close the Refine Toolpath dialog box. 12 Click Cancel to close the Surface High Speed Toolpath dialog box.
Examining the Toolpath Results 1 Select all four toolpaths in the Toolpath Manager and click the Backplot button. 2 Expand the Backplot dialog box using the arrow button in the upper left corner so you can see all four toolpaths.
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3 Select the first toolpath.
4 Select the Display Endpoints button to see the entity endpoints within the tool motion. 5 Zoom in on a section of the part. The first toolpath has no filter applied, so you can see how the points line up with neighboring points. This introduces the potential for a low-quality surface finish.
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6 Select the second toolpath in the Backplot dialog box. The Refine Toolpath filter is turned on for this toolpath, which randomizes the point placement to avoid patterns.
7 Select the third toolpath in the Backplot dialog box and notice the reduction in the number of points. For this toolpath, the Minimize number of points option in the Smoothing section is selected, which further filters the toolpath and creates smaller NC files. 8 Select the last toolpath in the Backplot dialog box. This toolpath uses the Use Fixed Segment Length option in the Smoothing section. No two points are more than 0.04 inches apart, which is ideal for high speed machining.
9 Click OK to close the Backplot dialog box.
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Toolpath Refinement Frequently Asked Questions Mastercam X4’s Toolpath Refinement gives you a single control panel for two powerful methods of toolpath improvement. The first method — Line/Arc Filtering — you may already be familiar with. The second method of toolpath refinement — Smoothing — is new to Mastercam. Note: The Cut Parameters Smoothing option used to round corners in high speed toolpaths is unrelated to 3D Advanced Toolpath Refinement. Here are a few commonly asked questions that should help you decide if the new Smoothing feature is for you:
Which toolpaths use Toolpath Refinement? All 3D surface toolpaths and surface high speed toolpaths have the option of using Toolpath Refinement. This includes both roughing and finishing toolpaths.
What does Toolpath Refinement Smoothing do? Smoothing distributes a toolpath’s node points, avoiding the clustering and grouping of points that can cause marks and other imperfections. It does this through shifting, removing, and/or adding node points along an already generated toolpath.
What are the benefits? Smoothing delivers three clear benefits on certain parts:
Superior finish quality. Tests show a much smoother, consistent finish with fewer visible tool marks on many parts.
Reduced machining time. Smoothed toolpaths eliminate many of the small moves common to 3D toolpaths, letting you run the program at much higher feed rates.
Reduced tool wear.
How do I access the Refine Toolpath options? Choose a 3D surface toolpath or a surface high speed toolpath from the Mastercam Toolpath menu or toolbar. Then choose one of the following actions based on your toolpath selection: For tree-style toolpaths: 1 Choose the Arc Filter/Tolerance page.
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2 Enter a Total Tolerance value. 3 Click the Refine Toolpath button. For tab-style toolpaths: 1 Choose the toolpath's parameters tab (for example, Rough radial parameters or Finish project parameters). 2 Enter a Total Tolerance value. 3 Click the Total Tolerance button. Try out this powerful new technique and see for yourself the smoother, faster results it can deliver. You can also use it together with Mastercam’s standard Line/Arc filtering, as the two techniques work well together.
Minimum Tilt in Multiaxis Toolpaths This new feature automates tool axis motion when the tool or holder encounters a potential collision with a selected surface. These options are available in Port 5-axis, Flow 5-axis, and Multisurface 5-axis toolpaths. You can enter a clearance distance to maintain between the tool shank/holder and the part. For Mastercam X4, this function can only be used with a lollipop cutter.
New Tree-Style Dialogs for Curve 5-axis and Drill 5-axis Mastercam continues to convert toolpaths to the new tree-style dialog boxes. The new dialogs for Drill 5-axis and Curve 5-axis streamline the programming process.
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Circle Mill 5-axis Toolpath The new Circle Mill 5-axis toolpath is useful for creating circular pockets normal to a surface, parallel to a line, or referencing a plane in order to insert an object such as a fastener. It can also generate round holes at any orientation where drilling is not
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desirable. You can access this toolpath by choosing Toolpaths, Multiaxis, Circle 5 axis from the Mastercam menu.
Router Enhancements Mastercam X4 Router provides new functions that give you additional control over your router machining jobs.
Bump Nesting Mastercam X4 allows you to perform automatic nesting with just enough manual intervention to achieve the best possible result in the least amount of time.
Adjusting nesting results using Bump Nesting 1 From the Mastercam menu, choose Settings, Configuration and select the English (Inch) configuration file. 2 Click OK to close the System Configuration dialog box. 3 Choose Xform, Geometry Nesting from the Mastercam menu. 4 Click the Open button at the bottom of the Nesting dialog box. 5 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select BUMP.NSTX. This file contains settings from a previous Mastercam nesting session. On the Sheets tab, the sheet size is preset to 24x12 inches and the sheet margin is set to 0.25 inches.
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6 Click on the Parts tab. Two copies of each part have been requested, using a 0.25 inch part-to-part distance to accommodate tool size.
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7 Click OK to create the nesting results. The Nesting Results dialog box displays.
8 Click the Drag button at the bottom of the Nesting Results dialog box to enter Bump Nesting mode. The graphics window shows the nested geometry and the Bump Nesting ribbon bar displays.
Copying and Rotating Part Geometry 1 Click the Copy button on the ribbon bar.
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2 Click anywhere on the number 4 shown in the following picture.
3 Use your mouse to move the copied geometry around the open area on the right side of the sheet. You can see that the part-to-part distance is respected.
4 Press the [+] and [-] keys to rotate the part ten degrees in either direction. 5 Hold down the [Ctrl] key and press the [+] and [-] keys again to rotate the part one degree in either direction.
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6 Move the new geometry down next to the lower number 4. Notice that it can be difficult to align with both the number 4 and the lower edge of the sheet.
7 Press and hold the left mouse button. An additional arrow displays that can be pointed towards the bottom edge of the sheet to bump against two edges.
8 Release the left mouse button to place the copied geometry.
Deleting and Moving Part Geometry 1 Click the Delete button on the ribbon bar. 2 Click on the number 4 that you just created to delete it from the sheet.
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3 Click on the letter E at the center of the nested geometry.
4 Press [Esc] to exit Delete mode. 5 Click the Move button on the ribbon bar.
6 Click on one of the letter C parts and try to drag it into the space left in the center of the sheet. Due to the part-to-part distance, it will not fit in the space.
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7 Click anywhere on the right side of the sheet to place the letter C. 8 Click on one of the number 4 parts and move it to the open space in the center of the sheet. Because this part is smaller, Bump Nesting allows you to place it in the space. TIP: You can press the [+] and [-] buttons to rotate the part within the space for more efficient sheet usage. 9 Click once to place the part. 10 Click OK on the ribbon bar to return to the Nesting Results dialog box. The Minimum Quantity Not Achieved dialog box displays because you deleted one of the letters and a minimum quantity of two was set for each part.
11 Click OK to continue. 12 Click OK to accept the nesting results and complete the nesting process.
Vertical and Horizontal Cutoff in Nesting Nesting can now generate a toolpath for vertical and horizontal cutoffs in order to preserve rectangular remnants for future use. If you wish to make horizontal and vertical cutoffs, you can use the Trim settings to choose which cut to make first. The
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horizontal and vertical trim check boxes in the Results dialog are used to specify which cuts to make.
Lathe Enhancements Mastercam X4 Lathe provides many new features to make your lathe jobs faster and more efficient, including several enhancements for grooving toolpaths, better functionality for creating turned profiles, and a user-friendly interface for C-axis toolpaths.
Grooving Enhancements Mastercam X4 includes several improvements that provide a new level of control for Lathe grooving toolpaths.
Multiple Chains Grooving Option The new Multiple chains option allows you to select more than one groove for a groove toolpath.
When you use this option to chain multiple grooves, the chaining function is impacted in the following ways:
The type of chain in the Chaining dialog box defaults to Partial Chain. You are prompted to select an entry point or chain the inner boundary. Using the Partial Chain method, select the first entity and then the last entity.
Using the Point method, select an entry point or points. You can then select a retraction point or complete the chaining process.
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Because the grooves can be different widths, you can only select the new Middle overlap option on the Groove Finish parameters tab.
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Feed and Speed Settings for Finish Passes New parameters in Mastercam X4 Lathe allow you to set speeds and feed rates specifically for finish groove passes, making it easier to produce your desired finish.
Corner Dwell on Finish Grooving The Groove finish parameters page now includes a Corner Dwell option. The dwell occurs at the intersection of the wall or corner geometry and the flat bottom of the groove. Dwell may not work in odd-shaped grooves.
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Independent Feed Rate for First Plunge The Groove rough parameters page has a new option to set a feed rate specifically for the first plunge move, providing precise control of your toolpath motion.
Tool Inspection Mastercam X4 Lathe also provides the ability to program tool inspections into your groove toolpaths. You can program safe approach and retract locations for performing the tool inspection. You can also define specific conditions for when you want to inspect the tool.
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IMPORTANT: This feature only works if the post is customized to capture the new information in the NCI file. For more information, see Support for Lathe Tool Inspection on page 76.
Create Turn Profile Customers asked for a better solution to the problem of generating a turned profile from a solid. Mastercam X4 includes a new function for doing this, which replaces the Solid to 2D Profile function in Mastercam X3. The Turn Profile functionality is a subset of the Create, Silhouette Boundary functionality.
You can access this new function by selecting Create, Turn Profile from the Mastercam menu. After you select an existing solid, solid face, or surface, the following dialog box displays.
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Two methods are available for generating the turned profile:
Spin — Designed for complex, non-symmetrical geometry containing Mill and Turn features. The entire model is spun to generate the profile of the maximum turned envelope for the component. This option can also be used on symmetrical geometry. Slice — Designed for symmetrical, revolved geometry and a simple slice is taken through the model. The final profile can be limited to the Upper or Lower profiles or both sides. The new function always uses the current WCS X axis as the axis of rotation and the resulting profile is created in the Top view of the active WCS.
New Tree-Style Dialogs for C-axis Toolpaths Since C-axis toolpaths are very similar to the 2D chain-based and point-based toolpaths, these toolpath dialog boxes are also being converted to the new tree-style dialog. This will help maintain consistency between Mastercam Mill and Mastercam Lathe.
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Round Boring Bar Display in Verify Mastercam X4 now shows round boring bars in Verify. The display is a simplified representation of round tools, including boring bars. Collision checking is performed in the background against the 2D profile as it has always been.
All boring bar-type tools, including any custom boring bars, are now created with the new, simplified round representation. For other tool types like General, ID groove, and ID thread, the option to create a round tool shank is available.
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Wire Enhancements Mastercam X4 Wire provides a new, customized interface if your wire machining processes include using Agie EDM with Agievision controls.
Agievision Workflow In Mastercam X4 Wire’s new Agievision mode, the wirepaths and related dialog boxes are intentionally designed to closely resemble the actual Agievision interface for a familiar look and ease of use. This new Agievision support also includes a complete set of machine definition/control definition/post processor files. You can identify these files by the _AWF in the file names.
AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.WMD AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE MM.WMD AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.CONTROL AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION _AWF 4X Wire.PST
Select one of the Agievision AWF Wire Machine Definitions (WMD files) to switch Mastercam Wire into the Agievision mode. Once you switch to this mode, the Toolpaths menu shows the following wirepaths:
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As you go through the pages in the wirepath dialog boxes, you will see the Agievisionspecific parameter pages that anyone familiar with the Agievision will instantly recognize.
Notes: • Mastercam X4 still includes the Agie C-Hook. This means that you can still run and maintain your current Agie C-Hook files using your current Agie machine definition and post. • Since these new Agievision wirepaths are Agievision-specific, they are not compatible with existing wirepaths that have been created with the Agie CHook. The part geometry can be reused, but all the wirepaths must be recreated using the new interface.
Post Enhancements Mastercam X4 includes a number of post enhancements that support the other new X4 features. Your \Documentation folder includes two additional resources for posts information:
Post Debugger User’s Guide — Describes how to use the post debugger, including a tutorial example and quick reference.
NCI & Parameter Reference — Lists all of the NCI codes and associated parameters, 20000s-series codes, and all the operation parameters. It includes procedures and examples for accessing each type of value.
Updating Posts for Mastercam X4 All posts need to be updated before they can be used with Mastercam X4. Use the UpdatePost C-Hook to update them. This is installed in your \chooks folder and is run like any other C-Hook. If you try to use a post that has not been updated, Mastercam displays an error message. UpdatePost will make the following changes to your post:
The header will be updated with the latest version number, 13.00. String initialization will be updated to conform to current best-practice standards. The following picture shows the new string initialization. All such statements will use the : operator, with the string value in double-quotes " ". This also applies to blank strings.
UpdatePost also includes routines that search for references to specific parameter numbers and validates them against known changes. If your original post tries to read a
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parameter with a number that has changed, the following line will be written to the updatepost.log file: PARAMETER DATA - - Possibly incorrect parameter number detected: 99999. Please check the parameter number. When you see this message, look up the parameter number in the tables in the NCI & Parameter Reference and make sure that your post is actually referencing the parameter that you want. Note that UpdatePost only looks at parameter numbers in fprm tables. Postlines that are inside postblocks are not validated. Here is one example: pparameter$ if prmcode$ = 10068, z_stock = rpar(sparameter$, 1)
Support for Lathe Tool Inspection The generic lathe posts supplied with Mastercam have been modified to support the new tool inspection retract moves for lathe groove toolpaths. To implement this feature, there are two enhancements to the NCI output for lathe groove toolpaths:
A retract move to the inspection position. This is indicated by the same 70000 cur_cflag$ (rpd_typ$ = 7) used for the Mill tool inspection feature in the surface high speed toolpaths.
A comment that is written to the NCI just before the 70000 move. A new 29999 NCI code has been created for this comment. Unlike other 20000s lines, which are written to the NCI before the tool change line, the 29999 is written in the middle of the toolpath, at the point where the tool inspection is to take place. The following picture shows the NCI code for a lathe groove toolpath, with and without the tool inspection. You can see how the retract move and new codes are implemented.
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If you are not using one of Mastercam’s generic lathe posts, you (or your reseller) will need to modify your post to properly process the new NCI codes. UpdatePost will not make these changes for you. See the NCI & Parameter Reference for detailed instructions and examples.
Agievision Support The Agievision interface introduced with Mastercam X4 includes many new dialog boxes that mimic the look and feel of the Agievision control. A new range of parameters has been established, 22000–22999, to encapsulate these settings and pass them to the post. These are then read and stored during pparameter$ like any other 20000-style parameters. This represents a significant change from how Agie data was written out by the Agie CHook used in Mastercam X3. The C-Hook wrote the data to a separate .ADT file to be read by the post, instead of the 22000 parameters. Posts written for the new Agievision interface therefore need to be completely different. The Agievision interface supplied with Mastercam X4 includes a complete post, along with a machine and control definition:
AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.WMD AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE MM.WMD AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.CONTROL
AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION _AWF 4X Wire.PST When you select the Agievision machine definition, the correct post is automatically loaded. The new Agievision interface also includes a new control definition page that supplies key information to the post.
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This information is used to validate the post and ensures that the selected post has been properly configured for the interface. This means that any current Agie posts (posts that had been developed to work with the Agie C-Hook) will not work with the new interface. See the NCI & Parameter Reference for detailed lists of all the new 22xxx parameters and other information about the Agievision post.
New Operation Parameters Mastercam X4 includes many new operation parameters to support the new toolpath types and other new features. These new parameters are itemized in the NCI & Parameter Reference. Traditionally, operation parameters have been numbered from 10000–19999. Since we are running out of numbers in this range, new parameters are now numbered in the 40000s.
Post Debugger Improvements The Mastercam Post Debugger, which was introduced in Mastercam X3, has several significant enhancements.
Run Turbo mode - Lets you quickly preview your NC output so you can set breakpoints, add variables to the watch list, and otherwise identify areas of interest that you want to look at closely.
Expanded NC Output - Lets you see each element of each NC line as it is output, and identify the specific postline element or statement that output it. In addition, the documentation has been significantly enhanced, including a quick reference, FAQ, and tutorial example. Click the new Help button on the debugger toolbar, or open the Post Debugger User’s Guide directly from the \Documentation folder.
