Lathe Metric Training Tutorial

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Mastercam X5 Lathe Training Tutorial Metric Copyright: 1998 - 2011 In-House Solutions Inc. All rights reserved Software: Mastercam X5 Author: Mariana Lendel ISBN: 978-926955-00-1 Revision Date: July 29, 2011 Notice In-House Solutions Inc. reserves the right to make improvements to this manual at any time and without notice. Disclaimer Of All Warranties And Liability In-House Solutions Inc. makes no warranties, either express or implied, with respect to this manual or with respect to the software described in this manual, its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. In-House Solutions Inc. manual is sold or licensed "as is." The entire risk as to its quality and performance is with the buyer. Should the manual prove defective following its purchase, the buyer (and not In-House Solutions Inc., its distributer, or its retailer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, of correction and any incidental or consequential damages. In no event will In-House Solutions Inc. be liable for direct, indirect, or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the manual, even if In-House Solutions Inc. has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. Copyrights This manual is protected under International copyright laws. All rights are reserved. This document may not, in whole or part, be copied, photographed, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior consent, in writing, from In-House Solutions Inc. Trademarks Mastercam is a registered trademark of CNC Software, Inc. Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; NSee is a registered trademark of Microcompatibles, Inc.; Windows, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Lathe Training Tutorial Contents

Getting Started .......................................................................................................A-1 Tutorials
Tutorial #1 Tutorial #2 Tutorial #3 Tutorial #4 Tutorial #5 Tutorial #6 Tutorial #7 Tutorial #8 Tutorial #9 .............................................................................................................................1-1 .............................................................................................................................2-1 .............................................................................................................................3-1 .............................................................................................................................4-1 .............................................................................................................................5-1 .............................................................................................................................6-1 .............................................................................................................................7-1 .............................................................................................................................8-1 .............................................................................................................................9-1

Creating a Lathe Tool Library...................................................................................C-1 Editing a Lathe Tool Library.....................................................................................D-1 Quiz Answers ..........................................................................................................E-1
The following pages outline the geometry functions and toolpaths covered within each tutorial. Two discs are attached to the back of this book; their contents are summarized below. Mastercam X5 Home Learning Edition DVD The Mastercam X5 Home Learning Edition is a demo that provides a fully functional* version of Mastercam that can be installed on your home PC. The software must be re-installed after 6 months and expires completely October 31st, 2012. *All Mastercam modules are available; however, there are a few limitations such as no support for C-Hooks and limitations around post processing. Lathe Training CD The Lathe Training CD is an excellent resource for beginners and experienced users alike. For new users, we have created a video called "Mastercam Workspace" which serves as an introduction to the Mastercam user interface. Video training exercises complement the book by teaching the fundamentals of 2D geometry creation. These are interactive exercises where we provide .MCX-5 files so you can do each exercise with video instruction. We recommend that beginners complete the training exercises prior to starting the book. We have included an additional chapter called "General Notes" that provides useful tools, shortcuts and toolpath parameter descriptions in a PDF file. In addition, there are complete step-by-step videos for each of the tutorials in the book.

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TUTORIAL #3
Objectives:
The Student will design a 2-dimensional drawing by: Create lines using polar positioning. Trim the construction lines using Trim 2 Entities command. Use the Create Line Perpendicular command to create lines. Trim lines using the distance option in the Trim/Break/Extend command. Creating arcs using the create circle center point command. Using the arc tangent command to create tangent arcs. Use the trim divide command to clean up the geometry. The Student will create lathe toolpaths consisting of: Facing toolpath to machine the face of the part. Canned Roughing toolpath to remove the bulk of material. Canned Finish toolpath to remove the leftover material from the roughing toolpath. Grooving at an angle with fillets in the corners of the groove. Finishing toolpath with multiple passes using a tool with a round insert. Cutoff toolpath to cut the part off at a desired position. The Student will simulate the toolpaths using Mastercam's Verify and Backplot by: Defining a 3-dimensional cylinder the size of the workpiece. Running the Backplot to see the path the tool takes to cut the part. Running the Verify to simulate the tool cutting from the solid model. This tutorial takes approximately 50 minutes to complete.

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GEOMETRY CREATION

STEP 1:

SETTING UP THE GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE

Before starting the geometry creation we should customize the toolbars to see the toolbars required to create the geometry and machine a part. See Getting started page A-8 for details. Make sure that the Grid is enabled. It will show you where the part origin is. See Getting started page A-10 for further information. The Operations Manager to the left of the screen can be hidden to gain more space in the graphic area for design. From the keyboard, press Alt + O keys simultaneously to hide it. Repeat this command to make it visible again.

Figure: 1.0.1

NOTE: Because the part is symmetrical in the Z-Axis, you will only draw 1/2 of the total part.
The size of the grid may appear differently based on the sizes you use in the config. Change the Cplane to +D +Z. See Setting the Construction and Tool Plane to DZ on page A-12 in Getting Started. Select Planes from the Status Bar. Select Lathe diameter +D +Z.

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TUTORIAL #31 STEP 2:

CREATE THE OUTSIDE PROFILE

CREATE THE OUTSIDE PROFILE

In this step you will learn how to create a line knowing an endpoint, the angle and the length. We will use this line to create other parallel lines from.

Step Preview:

2.1 Create the 31.0 mm by 90 line

Create Line. Endpoint. then press tab on your keyboard and enter the Angle as shown

Enter the Length below (Enter).

[Specify the first endpoint]: Select the Fast Point icon. Enter in the coordinates 0, -75 (Enter).

NOTE: When working with the +D, +Z plane, enter in the coordinates in this order (D,Z).

Select the Apply button to stay within the command. Use the Fit icon to fit the drawing to the screen. Using the mouse scroll wheel, roll the wheel backwards to unzoom, to see the Grid and the line we just created as shown in Figure: 2.1.1.

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Figure: 2.1.1

NOTE: During the geometry creation of this tutorial, if you make a mistake you can undo the
last step using the Undo icon. You can undo as many steps as needed. If you delete or To delete unwanted geometry, select it

undo a step by mistake, just use the Redo icon. first and then press Delete from the keyboard.

2.2 Create the 12.5 mm by 90 line

Enter the Length below (Enter). then press tab on your keyboard and enter the Angle as shown

[Specify the first endpoint]: Select the Origin as shown in Figure: 2.2.1. Figure: 2.2.1

Make sure that when selecting the origin, the visual cue of the cursor changes as shown.

Select the Apply button to stay within the command.

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2.3 Create the 44.0 mm by 180 line

Enter the Length below (Enter). then press tab on your keyboard and enter the Angle as shown

[Specify the first endpoint]: Select the Endpoint as shown in Figure: 2.3.1. Figure: 2.3.1

Select the Apply button to stay within the command.

2.4 Create the 135 line NOTE: The length on this line is not important as we will trim the lines later on. For now we will use 32.0 mm.

Enter the Length below (Enter).

then press tab on your keyboard and enter the Angle

as shown

[Specify the first endpoint]: Select the Endpoint as shown in Figure: 2.4.1. Figure: 2.4.1

Select the Apply button to stay within the command.

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2.5 Sketch the final line

In this next step we will enable an option found in the autocursor configuration to help us sketch a horizontal line.

Select the Config button in the Autocursor toolbar.

Ensure that you have Horizontal/Vertical enabled as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the Autocursor Settings dialog box. [Specify the first endpoint]: Select the Endpoint as shown in Figure: 2.5.1. Figure: 2.5.1

[Specify the second endpoint] Sketch the line to a point beyond the 135 angled line as shown below.

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TRIM THE LINES

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure: 2.5.2. Figure: 2.5.2

STEP 3:

TRIM THE LINES

In this step, we will trim the intersecting lines left from step 2.

Step Preview:

Edit Trim/Break. Trim/Break/Extend.

Enable the Trim 2 Entities button.

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Select Entity A and then select Entity B to trim the geometry as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the command.

STEP 4:

CREATE THE GROOVE GEOMETRY

In this step we will use the create line perpendicular command, create line parallel command and fillet entities to create the groove geometry.

Step Preview:

4.1 Create a line perpendicular to the 135 line

Create Line. Perpendicular.

Enter in the length in the ribbon bar as shown.

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CREATE THE GROOVE GEOMETRY

[Select line, arc or spline] Select Entity A as shown below.

[Sketch a point] Select Endpoint A as shown below.

[Select which line to keep] Choose the line on the left side of the line as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the command.

4.2 Create parallel lines

In this step you will create parallel lines from the polar line we created in Step #2.

Create Line. Parallel. [Select a line] Select the perpendicular line we just created as shown in Figure: 4.2.1. [Select the point to place a parallel line through] choose a point to the left of the line we just created as shown in Figure: 4.2.1.

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Figure: 4.2.1

Change the Distance. [Select a line] Select the parallel line we just created as shown in Figure: 4.2.2. [Select the point to place a parallel line through] Choose a point to the left of the line we just created as shown in Figure: 4.2.2. Figure: 4.2.2

Select the Apply button to stay within the command. Change the Distance. Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure: 4.2.3.

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Figure: 4.2.3

4.3 Trim the 11 mm line to a length of 6 mm

Edit Trim/Break. Trim/Break/Extend.

Enable the Extension Length and enter in the value as shown. [Select the entity to trim/extend] Select Entity A, on the left end of the line as shown below.

NOTE: When using the Extension Length in the Trim/Break/Extend command, the side of
the line you select is the side Mastercam will trim or extend.

Select the Ok button to exit the command.

4.4 Create a line knowing the endpoints

Create Line. Endpoint. [Specify the first endpoint] Select Endpoint A as shown in Figure: 4.4.1. [Specify the second endpoint] Select Endpoint B as shown in Figure: 4.4.1.

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Figure: 4.4.1

Select the Ok button to exit the command.

4.5 Delete the construction line

Edit Delete. Delete Entities. [Select Entities] Select the line as shown below.

Click on the End Selection button once selected.

4.6 Fillet the groove

Create Fillet. Entities. Enter in the Fillet Radius, set the style to Normal and ensure Trim is enabled as shown below. [Fillet: Select an entity] Select Entity A as shown in Figure: 4.6.1.

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[Fillet: Select another entity] Select Entity B as shown in Figure: 4.6.1. Select the Apply button to continue. Change the Fillet Radius. [Fillet: Select an entity] Select Entity B as shown in Figure: 4.6.1. [Fillet: Select another entity] Select Entity C as shown in Figure: 4.6.1. Figure: 4.6.1

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure: 4.6.2. Figure: 4.6.2

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STEP 5:

CREATE THE ROUNDED GROOVES

In this final step we will use the circle center point and arc tangent command to create the needed geometry to finish the part. We will also trim the part to clean up the leftover geometry.

Step Preview:

5.1 Create arcs

Create Arc. Circle Center Point.

Enter in the Radius as shown. [Enter the center point] Select the Fast Point command.

[Enter the center point] Enter in the coordinates 25, -14.

Select the Apply button to stay within the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure: 5.1.1. Figure: 5.1.1

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Enter in the Radius as shown. [Enter the center point] Select the Fast Point command.

[Enter the center point] Enter in the coordinates 25, -28.

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure: 5.1.2. Figure: 5.1.2

5.2 Create arcs tangent to two entities

Create Arc. Arc Tangent.

Enable the Arc Tangent 2 Entities button. Enter in the Radius as shown. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity A. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity B.

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[Select the fillet to use] Select Entity C.

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity D. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity E.

[Select the fillet to use] Select Entity F.

Select the Apply button to continue. Enter in the Radius as shown. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity G.

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[Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity H.

[Select the fillet to use] Select Entity I.

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure: 5.2.1. Figure: 5.2.1

5.3 Trim the geometry to finish the part

Edit Trim/Break. Trim/Break/Extend.

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Enable the Divide button.

NOTE: When using the Trim Divide command, ensure you select the portion of the line you wish to delete. The entity will trim up to an intersection point.
[Select the curve to divide/delete] Click on the portions of line that are shown as dotted lines below.

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The completed part should appear as shown in Figure: 5.3.1. Figure: 5.3.1

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TUTORIAL #31 STEP 6:

SAVE THE FILE

SAVE THE FILE

File Save As. File name: "Your Name_3". Select the OK button.

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PART SETUP:

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TOOLPATH CREATION

PART SETUP:

SETUP SHEET:

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TUTORIAL #31 STEP 7:

SELECT THE MACHINE AND SET UP THE STOCK

SELECT THE MACHINE AND SET UP THE STOCK

In Mastercam, you select a Machine Definition before creating any toolpaths. The Machine Definition is a model of your machine tool's capabilities and features and acts like a template for setting up machining jobs. The machine definition ties together three main components: the schematic model of your machine tools components, the control definition that models your control units capabilities and the post processor that will generate the required machine code (G-code). For a Lathe exercise (2D toolpaths) we need just a basic machine definition.

NOTE: For the purpose of this tutorial, we will be using the Default lathe machine.
To display the Operations Manager press Alt + O. Use the Fit icon to fit the drawing to the screen. Machine type Lathe. Default.

Select the plus sign in front of Properties in the Toolpaths Manager to expand the Toolpaths Group Properties.

Select Tool Settings to set the tool parameters.

Change the parameters to match the screen shot in Figure: 7.0.1.

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Figure: 7.0.1
Program # is used to enter a number if your machine tool requires a number for a program name. Assign tool numbers sequentially allows you to overwrite the tool number from the library with the next available tool number. Warn of duplicate tool numbers allows you to get a warning if you enter two tools with the same number. Write home position clearance moves writes home position clearance moves into the toolpath. Override defaults with modal values enables the system to keep the values that you enter. Feed Calculation set From tool uses feed rate, plunge rate, retract rate and spindle speed from the tool definition.

Select the Stock setup tab.

Choose the Properties button to set up the stock for the Left Spindle.

Define the stock by setting the stock geometry to Cylinder and entering the stock dimensions. Ensure you enable Use Margins and enter in the values as shown in Figure: 7.0.2.

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Figure: 7.0.2

NOTE: The stock model that you create can be displayed with the part geometry when
viewing the file or the toolpaths, during backplot, or while verifying toolpaths. You can create stock on the left or right spindle. Select the Ok button to exit the Stock Setup page. Ensure that Left Spindle is selected and then select the Properties button in the chuck jaws area as shown below.

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Make the necessary changes to define the chuck size, the clamping method and the stock position. Ensure that you choose the clamping method OD#1 as shown in the graphic below.

Select the OK button to exit the Chuck Jaws dialogue box. Enable Fit screen to boundaries in the Display Options area.

Select the OK button to exit Machine Group Properties.

Select the Top view from the view toolbar to see the stock. Use the Fit icon to fit the drawing to the screen. The stock should look as shown in Figure: 7.0.3.

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FACE THE PART

Figure: 7.0.3

NOTE: The stock is not geometry and can not be selected.

STEP 8:

FACE THE PART

Face toolpaths allows the user to quickly clean the stock from one end of the part, and create an even surface for future operations. Note that we do not have to chain any geometry to create the toolpath because of the extra material we specified on the right face in the stock setup. You can also select points to dictate where Mastercam will create the facing operation.

Toolpath Preview:

Toolpaths Face.

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Select the Ok Button to accept the NC name.

Select the OD Rough Right -80 Degree Tool and enter in the comment.

NOTE: The Feed Rate and the Spindle Speeds are based on the Mastercam Tool Definitions.
They can be changed at any time, based on the material that you are going to machine.

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FACE THE PART

Select the Face Parameters tab and make all of the necessary changes as shown in the screenshot below.

Entry Amount sets the height at which the tool rapids to or from the part. Rough Stepover sets the roughing pass value. Finish Stepover sets the finish pass value. Overcut Amount determines how far past the center of the part the tool will cut. Retract Amount determines the distance the tool moves away from the face of the part before it moves to the start of the next cut. Stock to Leave sets the remaining stock after the tool completes all passes. Cut away from the center line sets the tool to start cutting closest to the center line and cut away from the center line at each pass. Once the you have entered in all of the information select the Ok button to exit the Face Properties.

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The toolpath should appear as shown below.

STEP 9:

ROUGH THE PART USING A CANNED ROUGH TOOLPATH

Canned Rough Toolpaths allow you to enter parameters that define how the toolpath is cut in preparation of a finish operation. The dialog box displays only those parameters that are supported by your machines controllers roughing canned cycle program.

Toolpath Preview:

Toolpaths Canned. Rough.

NOTE: The chaining mode is Partial by default. You will have to select
the first entity and the last entity of the contour.

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ROUGH THE PART USING A CANNED ROUGH TOOLPATH

Select Entity A.

NOTE: Make sure that the chaining direction is CCW, otherwise select the Reverse button in
the Chaining dialog box. Select Entity B.

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining dialog box. In the Toolpath Parameters tab, select the same tool that we used in the facing operation and make all of the necessary changes as shown in the screenshot.

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Select the Rough Parameters tab and make any necessary changes as shown.

Depth of cut sets the amount of material to be removed during each pass. Equal Steps sets the Depth of Cut value to the maximum amount of material that the tool can remove at each pass to ensure equal passes. Minimum cut depth sets the minimum cut that can be taken per pass. Stock to leave in X sets the remaining stock in the X axis after the tool completes all passes. Stock to leave in Y sets the remaining stock in the Y axis after the tool completes all passes. Entry Amount sets the height at which the tool rapids to or from the part.

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ROUGH THE PART USING A CANNED ROUGH TOOLPATH

Select the Lead In/Out button and enable Extend start of contour and specify a length of 6.0 as shown.

NOTE: We need to extend the contour for the lead in and lead out to make sure that the
tool will not crash into the part on the next finish canned operation that uses the rough settings. We will also extend the end of the contour for a better finish. Select the Lead out tab and enable Extend end of contour and specify a length of 6.0 as shown.

Select the Ok button to exit the Lead In/Out parameters. Select the Ok button to exit the Roughing Toolpath parameters. The toolpath should appear as shown below.

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STEP 10:

FINISH THE PART USING A CANNED FINISH TOOLPATH

Finish Toolpaths cut parallel to the part geometry, making one final cut on the part and refining the canned roughing or pattern repeat toolpath. You must have an existing canned rough or canned pattern repeat operation in order to create a canned finish toolpath.

Toolpath Preview:

Select the Toolpaths tab in the Operations Manager.

Click on Select all Operations. Select Toggle Toolpath Display on selected operations to turn the toolpath display off.

NOTE: You can also use ALT + T to toggle toolpath display on or off. For the remaining
tutorials, the toolpath display will be automatically disabled. Toolpaths Canned. Finish.

NOTE: The chaining dialog box does not appear because a Canned Finish toolpath uses the
information from the Canned rough toolpath.

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FINISH THE PART USING A CANNED FINISH TOOLPATH

Select the OD 55 Degree Right tool from the tool list and enter in the comment.

NOTE: The Feed Rate and Spindle Speed are based on the Mastercam Tool Definition.
Select the Finish Parameters tab and make all of the necessary changes as shown below.

Select the Ok Button to exit the Finish Parameters. The part should appear as shown in Figure: 10.0.1.

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Figure: 10.0.1

STEP 11:

ROUGH THE ANGLED GROOVE

Groove toolpaths are used for machining indented or recessed areas that can not be machined by roughing toolpaths or tools.

Toolpath Preview:

Toolpaths Groove.

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ROUGH THE ANGLED GROOVE

Choose Chain when the Grooving Options dialog box opens up.

1 Point allows the user to select points from the graphics area to identify a groove. 2 Points allows you to specify a groove by indicating the top corner of the groove and the point in the lower opposite corner. 3 Lines allows you to select three lines from the graphics screen to define the groove shape. Chain allows you to chain a more complex shape to define a groove by chaining on-screen geometry. Multiple Chains allows you to chain multiple grooves by chaining on screen geometry. Manual Point Selection allows you to manually select points from the graphics area. Window Point Selection allows you to create a window in the graphics area and chains all of the points within the window.

Select the Ok button to exit the Grooving Options dialog box. The Chaining dialog box will open, leave Partial as the chaining method.

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Select Entity A as your first chain, then select Entity B as your second chain as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining dialog box. Select the OD Groove Center Wide tool from the tool list and enter in the comment as shown below.

NOTE: We need to specify the angle we want to groove because the groove is on a 45
angle.

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Right click on the tool and select Edit Tool.

Select the Setup Tool button.

Select the Plunge Direction button. This will tell Mastercam at what angle the tool should machine.

[Select a line parallel to the plunge direction] Select Entity A as shown below.

The Plunge Direction should read -45 as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit.

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Select the Ok button to exit the Define Tool Dialog box. Select the Groove Shape Parameters tab and notice that the tool angle changed to 45.

Select the Groove Rough Parameters and make any changes as shown below.

Select the Groove finish parameters tab and disable the option to Finish Groove as shown below.

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Select the Ok button to exit the Lathe Groove dialog box and generate the toolpath. The toolpath should appear as shown in Figure: 11.0.1. Figure: 11.0.1

STEP 12:

FINISH THE ANGLED GROOVE WITH A CUSTOM TOOL

In this step we will create a toolpath to finish the groove using a custom tool.

Toolpath Preview:

Toolpaths Groove. Choose Chain when the Grooving Options dialog box opens up.

Select the Ok button to exit the Grooving Options dialog box.

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Select the Last button in the chaining dialog box.

Select the Ok button to exit the chaining dialog box. Enter in the comment and right click in the Tool List and select Create new tool as shown below.

Select the Grooving/Parting as the tool type as shown below.

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The Inserts tab will automatically be selected. Select the Single End (Radius) insert and make any changes as shown in the screenshot below.

Select the Holders tab and make the changes as shown below.

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Select the Parameters tab and make the changes to the tool as shown below.

Select the Setup Tool button as shown above and change the Plunge Direction as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the Lathe Tool Setup dialog box. To see a preview of how the tool looks, select the Draw Tool button.

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A preview of the tool should appear as shown.

NOTE: To save the tool to the library you can select the Save to Library button. Otherwise, the tool will be available only for this job.
Press Enter once complete. Select the Ok button to exit the Define Tool dialog box. Select the Groove rough parameters tab and disable Rough the groove as shown below.

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Select the Groove Finish Parameters tab and make any changes as shown below.

Direction for 1st Pass determines the direction that the tool will finish the groove (CCW Starting on the right wall or CW - starting with the left wall.) With the first pass of a finish toolpath; the tool cuts down on one wall of the groove to the groove floor and then retracts out of the groove. On the second pass, the tool cuts down the opposite wall of the groove to the groove floor and moves across the groove floor to the point where the first pass ended. Retraction Moves sets the retract moves to Rapid moves or with the Feed Rate. Finish Stepover value sets the maximum amount of material the tool will remove with the finish pass. Allows you to get a warning if you enter two tools with the same number. Stock to leave in X sets the remaining stock in the X-axis after the tool completes all finish passes. Stock to leave in Z sets the remaining stock in the Z-axis after the tool completes all finish passes. Overlap Distance from 1st corner sets the amount the tool cuts across the floor before retracting out of the groove. Overlap between passes sets the amount the tool overlaps the first pass before it retracts. Wall Backoff % sets how far the tool backs away from the wall for the groove after the first pass before it retracts. Select the Lead In button.

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TUTORIAL #31

FINISH THE ANGLED GROOVE WITH A CUSTOM TOOL

Change the First pass lead in entry vector to -135 as shown.

Select the Second pass Lead in tab and change the entry vector to -135 as shown.

Select the Ok button to exit the Lead In dialog box. Enable the Select Overlap radio button and click on the Select Overlap as shown below.

Mastercam will return you to the Graphics User Interface.

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FINISH THE ANGLED GROOVE WITH A CUSTOM TOOL

TUTORIAL #31

[Select endpoint for first cut] Move your cursor to a location close to the one shown below and left click.

[Select endpoint for second cut] Move your cursor to a location close to the one shown below and left click.

Select the Ok button to exit the Lathe Groove dialog box and generate the toolpath. The toolpath should appear as shown in Figure: 12.0.1.

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TUTORIAL #31

FINISH THE ROUNDED GROOVES ON THE OD

Figure: 12.0.1

STEP 13:

FINISH THE ROUNDED GROOVES ON THE OD

In this step, we will create a finish toolpath to machine away the rest of the material above the rounded groove. We will use a rounded tool and tell Mastercam to machine the groove by specifying a number of finishes passes and the spacing between them.

Toolpath Preview:

Toolpaths Finish. Leave the chaining mode set to Partial. Select Entity A as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining dialog box.

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FINISH THE ROUNDED GROOVES ON THE OD

TUTORIAL #31

Enter in the comment and right click in the Tool List and select Create new tool as shown below.

Select the General Turning as the tool type as shown below.

The Inserts tab will automatically be selected. Select the R (Round) insert and make any changes as shown in the screenshot below.

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TUTORIAL #31

FINISH THE ROUNDED GROOVES ON THE OD

Select the Holders tab and make the changes as shown below.

Select the Parameters tab and make the changes to the tool as shown below.

To see a preview of how the tool looks, select the Draw Tool button as outlined above.

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FINISH THE ROUNDED GROOVES ON THE OD

TUTORIAL #31

A preview of the tool should appear as shown.

NOTE: To save the tool to the library you can select the Save to Library button. Otherwise, the tool will be available only for this job.
Press Enter once complete. Select the Ok button to exit the Define Tool dialog box. Select the Finish parameters tab and make any changes as shown below.

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TUTORIAL #31

FINISH THE ROUNDED GROOVES ON THE OD

Select the Lead In/Out button as shown above and change the Lead In as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the Lead In/Out dialog box. Select the Plunge Parameters button as shown below.

Enable Allow plunging in relief and Start cut on tool back corner as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the Plunge Cut Parameters dialog box. Select the Ok button to exit the Lathe Finish dialog box.

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CUTOFF THE PART

TUTORIAL #31

The toolpath should appear as shown in Figure: 13.0.1. Figure: 13.0.1

STEP 14:

CUTOFF THE PART

Lathe Cut-off Toolpaths vertically cut off pieces of the part such as sections of bar stock.

Toolpath Preview:

Toolpaths Cutoff. [Select cutoff boundary point] Select Point A as shown below.

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TUTORIAL #31

CUTOFF THE PART

Scroll to the bottom of the tool list and choose the OD Cutoff Right tool and enter in the comment as shown below.

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CUTOFF THE PART

TUTORIAL #31

Select the Cutoff parameters tab and make any changes as shown below.

Retract Radius sets the distance from the stock where the tool starts with feed rate. X Tangent Point sets the distance as a radius value up to which the tool cuts to. Cut to: determines if the center of the Front Radius or Back Radius is going to reach the final depth. Corner Geometry parameters allow you to create a chamfer or radius on the corner of the part. Select the Ok button to exit the Lathe cutoff dialog box. Your part should appear as shown in Figure: 14.0.1. Figure: 14.0.1

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TUTORIAL #31 STEP 15:

BACKPLOT THE TOOLPATHS

BACKPLOT THE TOOLPATHS

Backplotting shows the path the tools take to cut the part. This display lets you spot errors in the program before you machine the part. As you backplot toolpaths, Mastercam displays the current X, Y, and Z coordinates in the lower left corner of the screen.

Make sure that you Select all operations (signified by the green check mark on the folder icon). Select the Backplot selected operations button.

Make sure that you have the following buttons turned on (they will appear pushed down) to see the tool and the rapid moves.

Select the Isometric view from the view toolbar to see the stock. Select the Fit button. You can adjust the speed of the backplot. You can step through the Backplot by using the Step forward or Step back buttons. Select the Play button in the VCR bar.

Select the OK button to exit Backplot.

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TOOLPATH VERIFICATION

TUTORIAL #31

STEP 16:

TOOLPATH VERIFICATION
Toolpath Verification allows you to use solid models to simulate the machining of a part. The model created by the verification represents surface finish, and shows collisions if any exist.

Select the Verify all operations button.

Use the Fit icon to fit the solid to the screen. Set the Verify Speed by moving the slider bar in the speed control bar. Select the Machine button to start the simulation. The finished part should appear as shown in the following picture.

STEP 17:

RUN THE POST PROCESSOR TO OBTAIN THE G-CODE FILE

Post Processing refers to the process by which the toolpaths in your Mastercam part files are converted to a format that can be understood by your machine tools control. A special program reads your Mastercam file and writes the appropriate NC code.

Make sure that all operations are selected, otherwise. Select all operations.

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TUTORIAL #31

RUN THE POST PROCESSOR TO OBTAIN THE G-CODE FILE

Select the Post Selected operations button from the Toolpath Manager. In the Post Processing window, make all of the necessary changes as shown to the below.

NC File enabled, allows you to keep the NC file and to assign the same name as the MCX file. Edit enabled allows you to automatically launch the default editor.

Select the Ok button to continue. Enter the same name as the Mastercam file name in the NC file name field.

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SAVE THE UPDATED MCX FILE

TUTORIAL #31

Select the Ok button.

Select the Red "X" Box in the upper right corner to exit the editor.

STEP 18:

SAVE THE UPDATED MCX FILE

Select the Save icon.

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TUTORIAL #31

SAVE THE UPDATED MCX FILE

REVIEW EXERCISE - STUDENT PRACTICE

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CREATE THE GEOMETRY FOR TUTORIAL #3 EXERCISE

TUTORIAL #31

CREATE THE GEOMETRY FOR TUTORIAL #3 EXERCISE

Use these commands to create the geometry. Create the top half of the geometry. Create Line Endpoint. Create Line Parallel. Create Line Perpendicular. Chamfer Entities. Fillet Entities. Trim/Break/Extend. Delete Entities.

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TUTORIAL #31

CREATE THE TOOLPATHS FOR TUTORIAL #3 EXERCISE

CREATE THE TOOLPATHS FOR TUTORIAL #3 EXERCISE

Create the Toolpaths for Tutorial #3 Exercise as per the instructions below.

Set the machine properties including the stock. Rough, Face and Finish the OD. Use the stock setup to define the face operation. Use the OD Rough Right Tool for roughing and facing operations. Use an OD Finish Right tool for the finish operation. Extend the ends of the contour with Lead In/Lead Out so the tool machines past the end of the part.

Machine the rounded grooves on an angle. Select the Multiple Chains option. Chain the rounded grooves CCW. Create a custom round tool with the tool radius equal to the fillet size. Setup the tool so that it machines the groove on the right angle. Use stock for outer boundary. Rough and Finish the grooves in the same toolpath.

Machine the last grooves. Select the Multiple Chains option. Chain the rounded grooves CCW. Create a custom round tool with the tool radius equal to the fillet size. Setup the tool so that is machines the groove on the 90 degree angle. Use stock for outer boundary. Rough and Finish the grooves in the same toolpath.

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NOTES:

TUTORIAL #31

NOTES:

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TUTORIAL #31

TUTORIAL #3 QUIZ

TUTORIAL #3 QUIZ
Why would you use a canned rough cycle?

What type of toolpath must precede a canned finish cycle?

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