Tech Tips

There is a new feature in Mastercam 2020 called Dependencies. In previous versions of Mastercam, the process of selection and regeneration of parent and dependent operations was a process of several clicks. Now, in Mastercam 2020, the regeneration and selection process are streamlined for us with just one click of a button. After clicking on the new icon in the toolpath manager titled Dependencies you will see inside of the drop-down arrow that you have 2 options: Selection and Regeneration. When the selection option is on if you click on a parent operation all of the dependent toolpaths that are [...]

There is a new feature inside of the Analyze Entities function in Mastercam 2020 that makes it easier to figure out associations between geometry and toolpath. This new feature makes it easy to check to see how and where geometry is being used. To illustrate, we are going to use a file that has many toolpaths and multiple machines. Most of the work has been programmed for a milling machine, however, there are two features that cannot be milled out. These would have to be completed with wire EDM. When we begin to analyze some geometry using the icon shown [...]

This article will show you how to add new toolpaths to your defaults file in Mastercam 2020. If you have used the migration utility to update a previous version default file you may have encountered the error message below. This can be fixed easily by following a few simple steps. If you select a new toolpath, for instance, the Surface High-Speed Blend toolpath that same warning message will appear. If you click OK, Mastercam will still make the toolpath but will repeat that same error message again the next time you try to use it. This is happening because migration [...]

Today we will outline how to update your previous Mastercam version resource files to Mastercam 2020 using the Migration utility. To start, create a temporary source folder for the Migration utility to access called “update.” You will use this to hold copies of the contents of the Shared Mcam folder, which will leave the previous installation undisturbed. You can remove all but the files that have custom settings from these copied folders (if you are confident in doing so). Next, launch Mastercam and go to File - Convert - Migration Wizard. Select the Advanced option and the screen will change [...]

How would you like a handy reference guide for all of Mastercam’s functions? The Mastercam 2020 Quick Reference Guide is one simple chart that shows all the Mastercam icons, what functions they call, and the associated keyboard shortcut. It’s the perfect thing to have near your computer. The back of the reference guide even shows quick tips for the on-screen editing tools. Did you forget how to use the Mastercam Dynamic Gnomon or need some reminders on how to use the Quick Masks? This is your answer. Just click below to download the PDF, print it out and post near [...]

The Mastercam 2019 Solid Hole function is one of the latest enhancements in Mastercam and can be found on the Solids Ribbon. Creating solid holes in previous versions of Mastercam required the use of helper construction geometry like points, arcs, and circles. In Mastercam 2019, this limitation has been eliminated and improves the overall speed and ease of use when creating holes. The process is streamlined, allowing you to select either a reference plane or face and use your AutoCursor options to easily new hole features. Let’s look at a part file below, which is orientated for some turning work. We [...]

A couple of weeks ago, Mastercam 2020 was released and today we are going to show you how to Install Mastercam 2020 and Mastercam for Solidworks 2020. We will be using the full install zip file which you can get from the Mastercam downloads page. After you download and unzip the installation media, right-click on the setup.exe file, select Run as Administrator. Next, click the button that corresponds with the product that you want to install. This article will show both installs – Standalone Mastercam on the left, and Mastercam for Solidworks on the right. On the first screen check [...]

We recently covered some of the new Add-in functions in Mastercam 2019, but today we would like to explain even more of them. In previous versions of Mastercam, these functions were referred to as C-Hooks or Net hooks. They can be used to customize, enhance, or extend Mastercam’s basic functionality. In many cases, popular functions have become integrated directly into the main program. The Mastercam Help file provides extensive information about the Add-ins and a complete list with descriptions of the more than forty Add-in functions included at install. This article will take a brief look at three of them: [...]