Introduction to Milling with Mastercam A2L PDF

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Summary

Mastercam is a type of CAM software and is produced by In-House Solutions. CAM software is
used in industry to create computer models of simple or complicated objects quickly and
efficiently. It is then able to create machine code, which a CNC machine can interpret. That code
guide...

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Introduction to Milling with Mastercam

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INTRODUCTION TO MILLING WITH MASTERCAM Introduction Mastercam is a type of CAM software and is produced by In-House Solutions. CAM software is used in industry to create computer models of simple or complicated objects quickly and efficiently. It is then able to create machine code, which a CNC machine can interpret. That code guides a CNC machine through a set series of instructions to manufacture parts with a high degree of precision and repeatability. Note that CAM software, like Mastercam, differs from CAD software, like AutoCAD, in that CAD software cannot create CNC code based off the models it is used to create. This is a fast-paced crash course designed to give you a basic understanding of how to create and utilize milling toolpaths withing Mastercam. You will learn how to create toolpaths that will allow you to create various features on a part. You will then learn how to convert these toolpaths into machine code that a CNC mill can interpret. It is mandatory that anyone taking this course already has a basic working knowledge of Mastercam. Please keep in mind that Mastercam is a piece of professional industrial software and as such requires a modern or high-end computer to run effectively. Before we begin, if you do not already have Mastercam 2021 installed, please follow this link to download Mastercam 2021 HLE (Home Learning Edition) which will be required for this course. Mastercam 2021 HLE Download

Developed by Michael Taylor

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Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 2 Section 1 – 2D Toolpathing ............................................................................................................ 4 The Basics .................................................................................................................................... 5 Machine Selection .................................................................................................................... 5 Machine Groups ....................................................................................................................... 6 Tool Settings ............................................................................................................................. 7 Stock Setup ............................................................................................................................... 8 Toolpath Groups ....................................................................................................................... 9 Chaining ..................................................................................................................................... 10 2D Wireframe Chaining .......................................................................................................... 10 3D Solid Chaining .................................................................................................................... 11 Cutting Direction and Side ...................................................................................................... 12 Toolpathing ............................................................................................................................... 13 Process Planning ..................................................................................................................... 13 Comments............................................................................................................................... 14 Tool Creation .......................................................................................................................... 15 Face ........................................................................................................................................ 16 Contour ................................................................................................................................... 17 Drill ......................................................................................................................................... 18 Pocket ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Area Mill ................................................................................................................................. 20 Simulation ................................................................................................................................. 21 Backplot .................................................................................................................................. 21 Verify ...................................................................................................................................... 22

Introduction to Milling with Mastercam

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Course Projects ......................................................................................................................... 23 Instructions ............................................................................................................................. 23 Practice Project Print .............................................................................................................. 24 Final Project Print ................................................................................................................... 25 Submissions ............................................................................................................................ 26

Developed by Michael Taylor

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Section 1 – 2D Toolpathing In This Section -

The Basics o Machine Selection o Machine Groups

9:00AM

o Tool Settings o Stock Setup o Toolpath Groups o Morning Break -

Chaining o 2D Wireframe Chaining o 3D Solid Chaining

10:00AM

o Cutting Direction and Side -

o Lunch Toolpathing

12:00PM

o Process Planning o Comments o Tool Creation o Face o Contour o Drill o First Afternoon Break o Pocket o Area Mill -

Simulation o Backplot o Verify

2:00PM

o Second Afternoon Break -

Course Projects o Instructions o Practice Project Print o Final Project Print o Submissions

3:00PM

Introduction to Milling with Mastercam

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The Basic Basicss Machine Selection In this course we are going to cover the basics of programming toolpaths for a CNC Mill with Mastercam. To get started, the first step is to select Mill from Machine Type section of the Machine tab of the Ribbon. After selecting the Mill button, a dropdown will open. You will probably only have one type of mill listed there on a new installation of Mastercam and that would me the default mill. Select the default mill. In the rest of this section of the course you will learn how to properly set up your virtual machine then you will be ready to start programming.

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Machine Groups After you have selected a machine type to use for your project Machine Group-1 will show up in the Side Panel under the Toolpaths tab. Machine groups allow you to set up different setups or operations to be preformed on different machines once you post out the program in machine code. A machine group contains the properties and toolpath groups associated with the selected machine. We will discuss these dependant features next.

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Tool Settings Tool Settings is the menu where we can adjust several different options regarding the default way tools are generated and used within Mastercam.

This

menu also contains settings for the material you will be machining as well as the ability to adjust the spacing between blocks of code when later posting a program.

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Stock Setup Stock Setup contains all the options necessary to define the size of material you are going to be working with as well as its relative position to your model. You can select your stock shape, the axis that the stock is aligned to (in the case of a cylinder), and whether you want the stock to be displayed on screen with your model or not.

Introduction to Milling with Mastercam

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Toolpath Groups Toolpath Groups allow you to organize your toolpaths in a logical way and keep your program understandable to others.

These groups can be

named and can themselves have Toolpath Groups within them for even greater organization.

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Chaining 2D Wireframe Chaining There are two categories of chaining within Mastercam and within those two categories there are several chaining methods that can be employed. The first category is wireframe changing and its what we will consider in this section of the course. Let’s look at the three most likely to be used wireframe chaining methods. -

Chain

This is the most standard chaining method. It allows you to select a single wireframe entity, then Mastercam will find all adjoining wireframe entities in an attempt to create a complete loop, ending back where it started. -

Partial

This chaining method behaves similarly to the previous one. The main difference is that after selecting a starting point for the chain you can also select an ending point of the chain, and Mastercam will try to find a path connecting the two entities. - Window With this chaining method you must draw a selection window around all the geometry that you want to chain, then pick a place on the chair where you would like the approximate starting point to be. Mastercam will then calculate the most logical way to create chains between all the selected entities. This selection method is especially useful for chaining letters for engraving. Once you have chosen your changing method, use it to select the desired chains, then click the green checkmark at the bottom of the window to confirm your selection.

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3D Solid Chaining Solid chaining is the second category of chaining in Mastercam. Like the first category, there are a number of chaining methods available here. Let’s look at the most common ones. -

Edges

This chaining method allows you to select individual edges of a solid to manually connect them together and create a chain. - Loop This method basically behaves the exact same as the Chain method for 2D chaining. It selects complete loops based on the starting point you select. - Face This selects all edges around a specified face of a solid to create a chain from them. - Partial Loop Partial loop is very similar to partial from 2D chaining. It allows you to select a starting and stopping point for your chain. Once you have chained your desired geometry click the green checkmark to confirm your selection and continue.

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Cutting Direction and Side A final thing we want to consider with chaining in Mastercam is the direction of our chains and how that affects the side of the material Mastercam will try to cut on. In general, the rule of thumb for milling is that if you are chaining an external feature, chain in a clockwise direction. If you are chaining an internal feature, chain in a counter-clockwise direction. The reason for this technique is that Mastercam will almost always try to climb mill when you create a new toolpath. While this can be changed, it does this for a reason. Climb milling is almost always the best way to machine a surface. It reduces the load on the cutting edge, creates a better surface finish, and improves your tool life. Climb milling also reduces the risk of overcutting a feature, which can happen more easily when conventional milling due to the tendency for the cutter to be pulled into the material.

For examples of how tot select the correct side when chaining please see the video tutorial attached to this section’s heading.

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Toolpathing Process Planning Process planning is always the first step that should be considered after finishing the modelling stage of creating a part. It is important to consider what order different features should be machined in and the tooling required to ensure the program you create can actually be used in a practical setting. Process planning also helps to increase the efficiency of your program substantially, by eliminating wasted cutting time. Here are some important questions to consider in a number of areas at this stage: - Work Holding How will this part be held in a machine? If features are cut in a particular order can the part still be held effectively or safely? Do I need to account for extra material to hold on? -

Tool Selection

What tools are available at the shop where this part will be machined? Will any custom tooling be required to machine this part? Should I use Metric or Imperial tooling? -

Order of Operations

What is the most efficient order to machine the features of this part in? Will my order of operations interfere with other steps of process planning such as work holding? -

Wasted Tool Movement

How can I reduce the movement of tools as much as possible? Can I use an order of operations that allows the spindle to end up closer to the next feature to be machined? How can I use as few tool changes as possible? -

Toolpath Selection

What toolpaths would best suit the creation of the geometry on this part? Can I machine multiple features with one toolpath? -

Finishing Technique

Will I require separate toolpaths for finishing the features of this part? What kind of tolerances am I working with? Will I need additional tooling for finishing?

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Comments Comments are a built-in feature of every toolpath in Mastercam. They allow you to convey important notes to the machine operator who will be running this part, whether that’s you or someone else. These comments do not interfere with the machine code in any way. If you are familiar with CNC programming, these comments are the equivalent of putting a note within parentheses when manually coding. Comments are a key part of your program and you should get in the habit of using them. If there is nothing else important to convey in a comment, even just identifying what the toolpath will be doing is a really good idea. The comment section can be found on the Tool tab of each toolpath in the bottom right-hand corner of the window.

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Tool Creation Sometimes when using Mastercam we may need to use specialized tooling to cut a certain feature. This is where Mastercam’s tool creator comes into play. You can create just about any custom tool you can imagine here. Of course, having a custom tool in Mastercam isn’t going to do you much good if you don’t have a real world counterpart to it. Watch the video associated with this section to see a walkthrough of how a tool can be created in Mastercam.

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Face In this course we will consider five 2D toolpaths. For each of the five toolpaths, the associated video tutorials will help a lot in understanding the way to use these toolpaths most effectively. Let’s start by considering the Face toolpath.

The Face toolpath allows you face, or machine a flat surface onto a part. This is most commonly used as one of, if not the first, toolpath in a program. The face toolpath has a special feature when chaining. If you do not select any chains when the chaining dialog box opens and just click the green checkmark immediately, the facing toolpath will automatically face the entire surface of the defines stock. Please see the video tutorial for a demonstration of how this toolpath can be used.

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Contour

The Contour toolpath is one of the simplest. It follows a set chain in straight linear movements. You can adjust the number of passes you want, the stepover of those passes, and if you want finish passes, which can also have a different stepover if desired. It also can take cuts at multiple depths if needed. Please see the video for this section to see this toolpath in action.

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Drill

The Drill toolpath is a very simple home-making toolpath. It allows you to select points or circular chains and use simple drilling methods to cut out the holes. Chip-breaking, peck drilling, and rigid tapping are some of the additional drill cycles this toolpath can utilize. Please watch the video to see how it can be used.

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Pocket

Pocket is a fairly versatile toolpath which allows you to mill out enclosed pockets, open pockets, as well as face islands. It has several different cutting methods to allow you to use the cutting style that best suits the feature you are trying to create. For a demonstration of some use cases for this toolpath, please see the video attached above.

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Area Mill

Area mill is a more advanced toolpath which utilizes the Chain Options dialog box when chaining. There are several advanced chaining settings found in this window. You can indicate whether the toolpath should machine in from the outside of the material or whether it should be confined to the bounds of the material with the Stay Inside and From Outside options, respectively. The Chain Options dialog box also allows you to select multiple chains for the same toolpath, each with different purposes. For an in-depth explanation of the Chain Options dialog box as well as the Area Mill toolpath please watch the video for this section.

Introduction to Milling with Mastercam

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Simulation Backplot Mastercam has very powerful simulation software built into it. This simulation software allows you to see how a program will cut the part before posting the code and testing it on a real machine. There are two main methods that Mastercam can use to simulate the machining of a part. Backplot is the first of the two methods and will be discussed in a little more detail here.

Backplot is located in the middle of the top row of buttons in the Toolpaths panel. It allows you to get a quick simulation of a specific toolpath right from the geometry creation window. You can visualize how a tool will behave to better anticipate problems that may be present. The Backplot tool is most used for quick checking and not for simulating entire programs. To see this tool in action please see this section’s video tutorial.

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Verify

Verify is Mastercam’s main attraction when it comes to machine simulation. With Verify you can simulate the entire cutting of a part as well as compare it to your model to locate problem areas or things you missed when programming. You can set up desired tolerances for the surfaces of your part and even see indications of smaller problems like tool chatter if they present themselves. Verify can also be set up with stopping conditions like if there is a tool collision, or even just whenever there is a tool change. To learn the ins and outs of this powe...