Tech Tips

Mastercam 2021 offers some great enhancements for 3D lathe tools. 3D tools now support interchangeable inserts defined for the same holder, multiple cutting definitions for each insert, as well as supporting multi-station toolholders. Let’s take a look at how this all works. In the tool designer, there is now an insert list for each holder. This allows you to simply add an insert definition for all the different inserts that fit this specific holder. This [...]

This blog post will cover how to use the Surface Stock Model feature in Mastercam 2021 when remachining a finished part. In this example, we will walk through remachining the orange pocket shown below in the mold core. We will use Stock Model to create machineable stock only on the walls of the pocket. To get started, we can create some surfaces from the solid model. First, create a new level and name it surfaces. [...]

Let’s take a look at the new chaining enhancements in Mastercam 2021. There have been some improvements made to the wireframe chaining, the biggest one being the addition of the Display All Arrows button. This function allows you to fully control and edit selected chains without disrupting workflow. Let’s say you selected your chains in the wrong direction. You can easily solve this issue with the Display All Arrows tool. When you click the Display [...]

This blog post will show you how to download and install a Post from the Mastercam Tech Exchange. To get started, you first need to open up an internet browser and go to My.Mastercam.com. From there, just enter your username and password to login and once you arrive at the home page, go to the Communities drop-down and select the Tech Exchange. The Tech Exchange is full of free content including things like sample files [...]

This blog post will take a look at a new Mastercam Lathe Custom Thread toolpath that was added in Mastercam 2021. This new Custom Thread toolpath allows simplified creation of previously hard-to-make thread profiles like the rope thread on our example part. After selecting Custom Thread from the lathe toolpath gallery, it launches in the new side panel window just like 3D custom tools. In this example, we selected a .156 button cutter from the [...]

Let's take a look at how to use the new Edit UV tools in Mastercam 2021. There is a common problem that occurs when using the surface finish flowline toolpath. This problem occurs when using flowline to finish multiple surface regions. As you can see in the image below, the cut direction is reversed on one surface set. This occurs when the UV directions of those surfaces are opposite of the rest. In previous versions [...]

In today’s blog post we will take a look at a new utility added to Mastercam 2021 called Check Tool Reach. Check Tool Reach can be accessed through the toolpaths menu after a machine is loaded into the file. This utility is used to scan a part model and see if the selected tool has the ability to reach all the features you would want to machine. Using this utility, you can create STL geometry [...]

Let’s take a look at Corner Pretreatment - a new option added to the 2D Dynamic Mill toolpath in Mastercam 2021. Corner Pretreatment is a new option that allows for the addition of depth cuts and adjusted step overs to any sharp corners on your parts. This will help in controlling tool motion to reduce the chance of tool chatter and tool overload. Once this option is turned on, you can then setup your operation [...]