Tech Tips

This blog post will cover a new Mastercam 2023 Tool Axis Control strategy for the multiaxis toolpaths called Tilt Relative to Reference Surface. In previous versions of Mastercam, you needed to utilize the Clean Core machining method to achieve this style of tool axis control. This meant creating a simplified surface under the part to drive the tool axis control and then offsetting the toolpath using a collision control strategy. This added a substantial amount [...]

In this article, we will introduce a significant upgrade in Mastercam 2023,  the  Slot Mill toolpath. In previous versions of Mastercam, Slot Mill was only capable of processing very limited shapes. When you selected the Slot Mill toolpath and the chain of the profile to be machined, the oblong chain geometry generated the path with no problems. However, if you tried any of the other similar shapes you would get a warning message that says [...]

Mastercam 2023 includes an exciting new upgrade of the OptiRough toolpath. Rest Material now supports enhanced stock awareness in the Z-axis. In previous versions, Rest Material would ignore some aspects of the defined stock, but now, the stock option makes OptiRough Rest milling far more stock aware. You will notice a new stock option under Steep/Shallow. This new option allows you to choose if you want to reference the material above or below the part [...]

There is a new model prep tool in Mastercam 2023 called Solid Position and it is used to assemble parts in a fixture. In previous versions of Mastercam, assembling fixtures was a tedious process that required using the Transform tools to specifically position each piece of the fixture without any awareness of the neighboring solids. Now, in Mastercam 2023, you can use the new Solid Position tool to simply drag the target solid until it [...]

Mastercam 2022 includes some handy new 3D High-Speed Waterline tool path enhancements for spiral patterns, new contour directions, machining flat areas, and optimizing the cut order. Machining with a Spiral Pattern and New Contour Directions The Cut Method drop-down on the Cut Parameters page has been replaced with the Closed contour direction and Open contour direction drop-downs. These new drop-downs allow you to create more efficient cutting motion and include reduced retracts on open contours. [...]

Let’s explore some different methods to control tool motion in the Mastercam High Speed Raster Toolpaths. In this example, we are going to use the Mastercam High Speed Raster toolpath to finish the top face of the angle and radius on the part shown below. Looking at the stock model you will notice that the part is roughed out and ready to be finished. We will start by launching the Raster toolpath from the 3D [...]

This blog post will explain how to apply accelerated finishing concepts in Mastercam 3-axis machining. Let’s explore a new method for machining the radius on the top edge of the sample part below. Traditionally there are two options to machine a radius like this, contouring with an exact size radius form tool or 3D machining with a ball end mill. Both options have their pros and cons. Having a large collection of radius tools can [...]

This blog post will explain how to use the new Mastercam 2021 Reflow UV tool. The Reflow UV tool allows you to fully redefine the flow of a single surface by specifying a rotation angle or using boundary curves. Let’s take a look at how we can use this powerful new surface tool to improve tool motion and eliminate unnecessary retract moves in our UV-driven surface toolpaths. We created a flowline toolpath on each of [...]