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 [...]
Analyzing airfoil shapes is easier than ever using the Control X Airfoil Analysis technology. Upon completion of scanning the airfoil and aligning with the nominal CAD model, the software is able to return dozens of useful parameters necessary for complete airfoil analysis. Some of the parameters include: Leading and trailing edge radii Leading and trailing edge positions in space Maximum chord height Leading (and trailing) Edge position in space relative to the model origin. Axial [...]
Let’s take a look at new options added to Bounding Box in Mastercam 2021. Bounding Box now allows you to create stock limits using an auto option. This will allow you to take parts that have odd shapes and quickly create rectangular or circular stock that will fit the selected parts as tightly as possible. In practice, you can use this Rectangular or Circular boundary to quickly align the part for milling or lathe operations. [...]
Let’s take a look at Geomagic Wrap, a powerful software for point cloud or mesh editing. Wrap has a collection of tools used for cleaning and finalizing polygonal files to make them suitable for part inspection, reverse engineering, 3D Printing, and more. The files can come from a traditional CAD system, a laser or structural light scanner, or even a CT scanner. While standard tools for patching of holes is very robust, other tools for [...]
This post will explain how to use a solid model downloaded from the tooling vendor to define a custom face mill profile in Mastercam. When downloading the solid model to define the face mill some of the tooling vendors will offer a detailed and simplified version of the solid models. To define the face mill in Mastercam the simplified model is preferred. However, if we use the model with the default settings to define the [...]
