Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial: June 2017
Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial: June 2017
TURN TUTORIAL
June 2017
MASTERCAM MILL-TURN TUTORIAL
June 2017
© 2017 CNC Software, Inc. – All rights reserved.
Software: Mastercam 2018
Terms of Use
Use of this document is subject to the Mastercam End User License Agreement. The
Mastercam End User License Agreement can be found at:
http://www.mastercam.com/companyinfo/legal/LicenseAgreement.aspx
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Table of Contents
Introduction 9
1 Introduction to Mill-Turn 11
System Requirements 13
Menu Changes 19
Toolbar Functions 20
Communications 24
iii
Load or Create Part Geometry 28
WCS Page 30
StickOut Page 34
Pickoff Page 34
Customizing Settings 38
iv
Customizing Your Machine File 42
6 Reference Positions 69
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Exercise 2: Creating Reference Positions 75
8 Turning Toolpaths 93
vi
Exercise 7: Simulating the New Operations 110
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11 More about Machine Simulation 157
12 Posting 167
Exercise 4: Loading the Second Tool Locator and Live Mill Tools 188
Conclusion 195
Contact Us 196
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — Introduction
Introduction
This tutorial introduces you to the basics of Mastercam Mill-Turn. Mill-Turn is a large
product with several components, each of which is covered in this tutorial. When you
have completed the lessons included in this tutorial, you should have the knowledge
you need to get started with this versatile product.
Tutorial Goals
l Become familiar with the Mill-Turn components.
l Learn the main differences between Mastercam Lathe and Mastercam Mill-
Turn.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — Introduction
l Each lesson in the tutorial builds on the mastery of the preceding lesson's
skills. We recommend that you complete them in order.
l Additional files may accompany a tutorial. Unless the tutorial provides specific
instructions on where to place these files, store them in a folder that can be
access from the Mastercam 2018 workstation, either with the tutorial or in any
location that you prefer.
l You will need an internet connection to view videos that are referenced in the
tutorials. All videos can be found on our YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/user/MastercamTechDocs
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1
Introduction to Mill-Turn
This tutorial presents an overview of Mastercam Mill-Turn and teaches the
basics of preparing, simulating, and posting a Mill-Turn part. Along the way,
you learn about the applications that make up Mill-Turn, including not only
Mastercam, but also Code Expert.
Lesson Goals
l Understand the applications that make up Mill-Turn.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 1: Introduction to Mill-Turn
You begin the Mill-Turn work flow in Mastercam, where you load or create the part to
cut. You then load a Mill-Turn machine, which adds Mill-Turn operations to Master-
cam’s interface (see the following picture). These operations include not only milling
and turning toolpaths, such as facing, pocketing, and pinch-turn, but also part-hand-
ling operations for programming pickoffs, cutoffs, bar feeds, spindle movement, and
more.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 1: Introduction to Mill-Turn
When you have designed and toolpathed your part, you continue work in Code Expert,
which is home to sync manager, editor, and it is also where you launch MT simulation.
In Sync Manager you synchronize operations, in Editor you edit NC files, and in
Machine Simulation, you watch your operations in action.
System Requirements
Up-to-date system requirements are available for Mastercam online: www.-
mastercam.com/en-us/Support/System-Requirements.
An internet connection and e-mail access is recommended for support and updates.
Visit www.mastercam.com for more information.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 1: Introduction to Mill-Turn
2. Click Yes.
3. Navigate to the machine file for your part (in the case of this tutorial, the
machine file is Generic Fanuc Mill-Turn LTX.machine), and select
it.
Code expert loads the machine file associated with the part file.
4. Optional : Save the part file under a new name, so that you do not overwrite
the original.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 1: Introduction to Mill-Turn
pleted in order, we highly recommend that you work through this tutorial from the
beginning to the end rather than skip from one lesson or tutorial to another.
Lesson 3, Workflow Overview is a general road map for successfully working with
Mastercam Mill-Turn. Topics covered include part geometry, Mill-Turn machine solu-
tions, job setup, toolpaths, and more.
Lesson 4, Working with Machine Files, describes how to install, edit, and customize
machine files, as well as how to configure Code Expert Editor and manage Mill-Turn
licenses.
Lesson 5, Working with Tools and Spindles, explains how to set up tools and spe-
cify axis combinations.
Lesson 6, Reference Positions demonstrates how to create and use reference pos-
itions to specify where to start and end operations.
Lesson 7, Configuration and Job Setup presents detailed exercises for preparing a
Mill-Turn part, including specifying a machine and completing job setup.
Lesson 8, Turning Toolpaths features step-by-step procedures for creating and syn-
chronizing turning toolpaths and part-handling operations on the left and right
spindles of your machine.
Lesson 9, Milling Toolpaths features step-by-step procedures for creating and syn-
chronizing milling operations, including facing, pocketing, and contour toolpaths.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 1: Introduction to Mill-Turn
Lesson 10, More about Sync Manager provides an overview of Sync Manager’s user
interface and functionality. This lesson also includes a discussion of Sync Manager’s
interaction with Mastercam.
Lesson 11, More about Machine Simulation provides an overview of Machine Sim-
ulation’s user interface and functionality.
Lesson 12, Posting is an overview of Code Expert Editor, including posting, editing,
and navigating an NC file. This lesson also presents a procedure for sending a file to a
machine control.
Lesson 13, Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators describes how to load tool locators
onto a machine’s turrets, as well as load tools into the multi-station locators. The com-
plete sample program demonstrates many tool locator and tool combinations.
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2
Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
Before you start work with Mill-Turn, you must understand how it differs
from pre-X7 Mastercam. This lesson provides the information you need to
begin using Mill-Turn effectively.
Lesson Goals
l Use a machine on a network.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
When you load a Mill-Turn part, Mastercam looks for the machine file and reloads it. If
the machine solution’s machine file cannot be found—either because it has been
moved or renamed—you are prompted to find and select it. This interaction is dif-
ferent from earlier versions of Mastercam, which do not look for the machine defin-
ition when you load your part, but relies on the copy stored in your part file. Mill-Turn
requires that your machine file be available whenever you open your part. This
ensures that if your machine file (or post) has changed, your part will stay up-to-date.
In Mill-Turn, these functions are all machine-specific features that are configured in
the machine file.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
l Mastercam reads home positions from the machine file. You select approach
and retract strategies in Sync Manager.
l Misc values and canned text do not exist in Mill-Turn. You access machine-spe-
cific options and parameters in Sync Manager.
The following picture shows how coolant appears in Sync Manager. Click the small
inverted triangle next to each operation or segment to see what options are available.
Unlike Lathe, where you are limited to 20 miscellaneous ints and reals, Mill-Turn has
no limit on the number of machine-specific options. Plus, the options can be specific to
individual operation types or parts of an operation. Also, while the previous misc val-
ues are limited to numbers, toolpath options in Mill-Turn can be presented as num-
bers, checkboxes, list selections, or strings.
Menu Changes
Mill-Turn organizes the single Toolpaths menu from older versions of Lathe into dif-
ferent contextual tabs, as follows:
l The Turning tab contains Lathe operations, including part handling (formerly
Misc Ops).
l The Milling tab contains 2D, 3D, and Multiaxis Mill operations.
In addition, the Machine Definition Manager and Control Definition Manager are dis-
abled. You can access many of their settings in Mill-Turn by opening the machine file
in Code Expert, and double-clicking Consumer in Machine Explorer.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
Toolbar Functions
The Tool Setup button on the Toolpaths Manager toolbar is used exclusively by Mill-
Turn, whereas the G1 button has a new function in Mill-Turn:
The Tool Setup button lets you configure how tools are loaded on your machine.
The G1 button opens Sync Manager (only in Mill-Turn). From Sync Manager, you can
create syncs, configure toolpath options, post operations, and launch Simulation.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
l Although a default tool library is stored in the machine file, you can still select a
different one here.
l When creating individual operations, you can always select a tool from any lib-
rary, just like in Mill and Lathe.
l You can also import operations from any library, just like in Mill and Lathe. The
operations library listed on this tab is only a default selection.
While in non-Mill-Turn Mastercam, you can use the Replace button to select a dif-
ferent machine definition, in Mill-Turn you cannot do this. You can, however, use the
Edit button to make changes to the current machine, if necessary.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
Although the Job Setup tab seems to recreate much of the functionality of the Stock
Setup tab in Lathe, it is more closely tied to your work flow.
1. Create your part geometry. The Mill-Turn work flow proceeds more smoothly
if you minimize later changes to your part.
2. Create a solid model of your finished part. A solid model is not required,
but if you have one, the Machine Simulation and Sync Manager functions dis-
play it with your toolpaths.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
3. Select your machine file from the Machine tab. The Job Setup function
launches automatically.
When you complete Job Setup, Mastercam automatically creates resources that help
you program your part. The following list describes these resources.
l New views within the WCS—These views correspond to standard machining ori-
entations and applications, for programming both left and right spindles. Each
view is created with the proper origin and work offset from your Job Setup set-
tings. For example, in Job Setup you can choose to locate Z0 at either the front
face or back face of your part; Mastercam then automatically creates tool
planes with the desired origin.
l Viewsheets for each spindle—Each viewsheet contains a copy of the part geo-
metry properly positioned relative to the chuck jaws.
You learn much more about the individual Job Setup pages when you complete the
exercises later in this tutorial.
Communications
In Mill-Turn, you use Code Expert to configure your communications settings.
1. Open Code Expert from your Start menu (Start, All Programs, Mastercam
2018, Code Expert). If you already have a Mill-Turn machine loaded, Code
Expert will already be open.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 2: Transitioning to Mill-Turn from Lathe
Mill-Turn uses the same XML-based configuration files as previous Mastercam ver-
sions, so if you have been using a customized file, you can use it in Mill-Turn. You can
also use the same communications program.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial
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3
Work Flow Overview
Mastercam Mill-Turn introduces a streamlined work flow for creating the
operations to cut your part. This lesson presents an overview of this work
flow. The following lessons provide more detail and hands-on exercises.
The Mill-Turn work flow comprises the following steps. The remainder of this
lesson explains each step in more detail.
Lesson Goals
l Load or create part geometry
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
The machine file is a group of files stored as a unit. These files include the machine
definition, tool database, and other data that non-Mill-Turn Mastercam stores in sep-
arate files.
After the machine file and Code Expert load, Mastercam displays the Job Setup tab of
the Machine Group Properties dialog box. (You can also open Job Setup at any time
from the Toolpaths Manager, as shown below.) This tab is where you define the gen-
eral parameters for your job. Job Setup arranges these parameters in work flow order
from top to bottom. The following sections describe each page of parameters.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
WCS Page
Use this page to define your Work Coordinate System (WCS) by clicking the Select
Named Plane button (circled in the image below) and choosing the initial WCS from
the Plane Selection dialog box. Use the WCS option when importing geometry that is
aligned incorrectly for machining, orienting the part on the machine differently from
how it is oriented in Mastercam. On this page, you can also change the machine
group’s name, which appears in the Toolpaths Manager.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
If Create Right Spindle Geometry is selected, Mill-Turn creates the part geometry
in both spindles. If Create Right Spindle Geometry is off, Mill-Turn shows the part
geometry in only the starting spindle. Having the part geometry in both spindles lets
you program the part on both the starting and opposing spindles.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
Note: Mill-Turn supports different stock types, with the stock page changing depend-
ing on your setup type.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
StickOut Page
Use this page to specify how much of the part sticks out from the face or jaws of the
spindle. You can enter the values manually or choose a location in the graphics win-
dow.
Pickoff Page
Use this page to set pickoff and cutoff parameters. These include the pickoff location,
the cutoff tool, and the cutoff width. Note that Mill-Turn uses the cutoff width to adjust
the cutoff positions.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
l Default toolplanes
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
The viewsheets, subspindle geometry, and the revolved part profile make it easy for
you to program operations on the subspindle.
Mastercam creates planes that correspond to standard machining orientations for dif-
ferent types of operations in each spindle, with origins keyed to the locations that you
selected on the Job Setup pages.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
Creating an operation means choosing not only a specific toolpath, such as facing or
roughing, but also providing information about how your machine will perform the
operation. For example, as part of the toolpath operation, you choose the cutting tool
and specify the axis combination (the pairing of a spindle and a turret).
Note that part-handling operations are not limited to finished parts. They can be used
for many reasons, including bar feeding, pickoff ops where the opposing spindle sup-
ports the part, and other custom routines written by the machine solution provider.
The Pickoff, Cutoff, and Stock Pull operations are complete strategies with predefined
lists of sub-operations, relieving you from having to create these sub-operations one
by one, although you can modify them as needed. Choosing one of these strategies
adds a group of operations to Mastercam’s Toolpaths Manager.
The resulting operations in the part handling group cannot be moved or deleted indi-
vidually; the entire group must be deleted. This restriction allows the machine solution
provider to code the post logic to handle operations in specific fashions required by
the machine tool.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
Customizing Settings
Sync Manager provides access to many settings, including coolant strategies, ref-
erence positions, and options traditionally stored as misc values in previous Master-
cam versions. You can modify these settings by clicking the arrow associated with the
option to change, and typing the required values into the provided fields.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 3: Work Flow Overview
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4
Working with Machine Files
This lesson provides basic information on working with machine files, which
drive your entire Mill-Turn experience. A Mill-Turn machine file (which has
the MACHINE extension) differs from the machine and control definition files
used in non-Mill-Turn Mastercam.
Lesson Goals
l Installing your machine file
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
Unlike non-Mill-Turn Mastercam machines, a Mill-Turn machine file includes all the
resources needed to support your machine application. That is, the machine file does
not need to link to other files, such as posts.
To work with your machine file from a network location, copy it to the desired location
on your network. Since the machine file points to no other files, it works the same
from a network location or from a local drive.
Note, however, that Mastercam looks for the machine file when you load a part that
uses it, so the machine file must be in a location to which your workstation regularly
connects.
Note: This guide comes with generic machine files that you can use to try Mill-Turn.
You use one of them throughout this tutorial. If you wish, you can experiment with the
others.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
The Control Layers section lists the resources the post uses. Most of these resources
are hidden by the post/machine developer. However, the Consumer layer contains
machine defaults and other settings that you, as a user, can edit.
The Mastercam Files section lists support files that are encapsulated inside the your
machine file. In non-Mill-Turn Mastercam, these support files are stored throughout
your Mastercam installation; Mill-Turn brings them together inside the machine file.
The files in the Mastercam Files section are disabled because you cannot edit them
in Code Expert. However, you can edit common files such as your operation defaults,
operation libraries, and tool libraries inside Mastercam. To do this, follow the
guidelines in the next section.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
1. Start Mastercam.
2. Load your machine file or a part that uses the machine file.
The Machine Group Properties dialog box opens with the Files tab selected.
4. In the Tool Library section, use the tool editing buttons to make needed tool
library changes.
5. In the Operations Library / Defaults File section, use the edit buttons to
make needed operation and defaults changes.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
6. Click the green check to accept your changes and exit the Machine Group
Properties dialog box.
Note: You can also make changes using the Toolpaths Parameters page in any
operation.
7. Switch to Code Expert and notice that your changed file is marked with an aster-
isk in Machine Explorer.
8. In Code Expert, click in Machine Explorer to give it the focus, and then press
[Ctrl+S] to save your machine changes.
To find these settings, open your machine file in Code Expert and double-click the Con-
sumer icon in Machine Explorer.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
l Control Definition
l Output Settings
Select a category from the Category drop-down, and then click the + signs to see the
individual options. (See the following picture.) Some of these options (for example,
sequence number settings) are common to most controls; others are specific to indi-
vidual machines.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
Most of these settings are self-explanatory, and you can easily configure them by
browsing the interface. After making changes, press [Ctrl+S] to save your machine
file.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
For example, if you add I;J;K; to the list, the next time you post, you will see
them in the Find Extents table.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
In Mill-Turn, the setting in Machine Group Properties is only used to override the
default toolpath directory. The default toolpath directory (the one used for newly cre-
ated files) is a property of the machine file. To set it, follow these steps:
Mastercam will write your NC files for this machine to this folder.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
You can choose whether Mastercam automatically overwrites NC files with the
same file name or prompts you to enter a different name.
This Overwrite Mode setting replaces the setting from the Posting dialog box
in non-Mill-Turn Mastercam.
Note: For more information on your machine’s settings and capabilities with
Mill-Turn, please refer to the application guide that comes packaged with each
machine. You can also access this document in Machine Explorer’s Docu-
mentation folder.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
The CodeMeter Control Center opens. You should see a single item in the
License tab. This is the container that stores all of the Mill-Turn licenses
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
installed on your system. The Status should tell you that the license is activ-
ated.
Your Web browser opens to the CodeMeter WebAdmin page, as shown in the
following image.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
3. Click the License Monitoring tab to see the licenses that are installed.
The example below shows this user's installed Mill-Turn licenses. If this user
had licenses for machines, they would be listed here, as well.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
Note: In Mastercam, if you try to open a machine for which you do not have a
license—or open a part file that uses such a machine—Mastercam displays an error
message.
l Your computer has gone into sleep or hibernation mode, and CodeMeter can
no longer detect the HASP.
If your CodeMeter licenses are invalid for any reason, the icon in the System Tray
changes from blue to red. To repair the license, follow these steps:
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 4: Working with Machine Files
CodeMeter will tell you that the license is invalid, as shown in the picture for
the following step.
You should now be able to run Mill-Turn normally. Please contact your Reseller
if you still have problems.
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5
Working with Tools and Spindles
This lesson explains how tool and toolpath settings work together to produce
the proper NC output for your Mill-Turn machine’s lathe operations and
tools.
Lesson Goals
l Initial tool setup.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
When you first select the tool, it should look as it is oriented at the tool change regard-
less of which spindle you are working on. The position shown in the Toolpath para-
meters page will be different depending on whether the tool is in the B-axis head or a
lower turret.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
5. Click OK in the Lathe Tool Setup and Define Tool dialog boxes to finalize
your changes.
Note: When altering the tool definition settings, use the Draw Tool button to quickly
view the tool’s orientation.
The tool preview window in Mastercam shows you how the tool is oriented. Notice in
the following picture that the insert color changes to show insert up (yellow) or insert
down (orange).
1. Go to the Lathe Tool Setup dialog for the tool. (Click the tool in the operation,
and then click Setup Tool in the Define Tool dialog box.)
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
1. Go to the Define Tool dialog box. (Click the tool in the operation.)
For your verification, Mastercam displays the tool in its current configuration.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
6. Click the Draw Tool button to see the change, and then press [Enter] to return
to the Define Tool dialog box.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
9. Click the Draw Tool button to see and verify your change, and then press
[Enter] to return to the Define Tool dialog box.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
If you are using a tool that is being rotated in the B-axis head, and your toolpath is not
compensated as you expect, use the Cutting Direction options of the Tool Angle dialog
box (shown below) to specify how your tool was touched off on the machine. Click the
Tool Angle button on the Toolpath parameters tab to open this dialog box.
If you use this compensation method, you must touch off your tools differently at the
machine.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
2. Select the desired turret/spindle combination. This picture shows the axis com-
bination set to use the lower turret on the left spindle.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 5: Working with Tools and Spindles
l Insert direction—The insert directions for the two tools must be com-
plementary. For example, if the upper-turret tool is insert-down, then the
lower-turret tool needs to be insert-up. You can tell the insert direction from
the picture in the tool window. An orange insert means insert-down and a yel-
low insert means insert-up.
l Spindle direction—The spindle direction for the two tools must be the same.
l Tool holder—If the above two conditions are met and the toolpath is still not cre-
ated correctly, you might need to select a different tool holder.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial
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6
Reference Positions
Use reference positions (not to be confused with reference points) to specify
where to start and end operations. For example, you can move to the tool
change position between operations by selecting a reference position for the
first operation's retract and selecting the same reference position for the
second operation's starting point.
The following exercises demonstrate how to use and define reference pos-
itions in your Mill-Turn operations.
Lesson Goals
l Specify reference positions.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
5. Open the drop-down menu for the Reference position option, and note that it
contains only one item, named Lower Reference Return.
This is the only reference position currently available for this operation on the
machine’s left spindle, lower turret.
Upper Reference Return is the only reference position currently available for
this operation on the machine’s left spindle, B-axis head.
You see two reference positions, (None) and Lower Reference Return.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
8. Expand the Lathe Finish operation, so that you can see the sub-operations. (If
you cannot see the “plus” icon for expanding the operation, make sure the
pane is scrolled all the way to the left.)
9. On operation 3’s Retract, change the Reference position setting from Lower
Reference Return to (None).
Note: Reference positions are available only on the operation and retract
nodes in the Operations pane.
Saving the file in the Sync Manager updates the part in Mastercam.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
14. Click Run on the Simulation tab to run the simulation, and notice that the lower
turret does not retract to a reference position after completing the finish cut.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
15. In Sync Manager, change the reference position for the third operation’s
Retract back to Lower Reference Return.
16. Save the file, relaunch Machine Simulation, and click the Run button.
Now, after completing all cuts, the spindle retracts to the position specified by
the Lower Reference Return reference position.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
The following exercise demonstrates how to define and use a custom reference pos-
ition. Continue with the file from the previous exercise.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
Now, Alternate Lower Reference Return, the reference point you just cre-
ated, is identical to Lower Reference Return, except for its name and Z2 Axis
value.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
4. Click the G1 button to update Sync Manager with the new reference position.
5. Change the reference position for operation 3’s Retract to the new Alternate
Lower Reference Return.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 6: Reference Positions
Now the turret retracts to a position 500 mm farther to the right, compared to
where it started at the original Lower Reference Return reference position.
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7
Configuration and Job Setup
Before you create toolpaths with Mastercam Mill-Turn, you must complete
configuration and setup tasks. These include choosing a machine and setting
the appropriate options for your job.
Lesson Goals
l Add a machine file.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
3. For the purposes of the exercises in this tutorial, choose Generic Fanuc
Mill-Turn LTX.machine, and click Add.
The machine moves to the Machine Definition Menu Items box, which
means that it will now appear in Mastercam’s Machine Type, Mill-Turn sub-
menu.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
Note: This part file is in Metric units. If your Mastercam system is set for Eng-
lish units, you will be asked about switching from English to Metric. Just click OK
to proceed.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
Mastercam creates a new machine group, and then displays the Job Setup tab
of the Machine Group Properties dialog box.
Note: If Code Experts opens on top of Mastercam, minimize Code Expert. Do not
close it.
The Left spindle setting specifies that the job starts on the left spindle. If a
part transfer is required, the part moves from the left spindle to the right
spindle.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
2. Ensure that Continuous bar stock - Pickoff, Stock Pull, Cutoff is selected in
the drop-down list.
Mill-Turn includes options for continuous bar stock and single stock pieces.
Your selection determines the part handling operations you can create and the
options that are available in the Pickoff page.
3. Select the WCS page, and ensure that WCS is set to TOP.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
Note: In your production work, you can use the WCS setting to reorient parts
that are not aligned correctly for machining.
The dialog box minimizes so that you can access Mastercam’s graphics win-
dow.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
Mastercam returns to the Job Setup tab, with the part’s geometry selected.
3. Select the Create turn profile(s) option, and ensure that Spin is active.
The Create turn profile(s) option tells Mastercam to create turn-profile geo-
metry using either of the following methods: Spin rotates the part geometry
around an axis, generating the profile from the farthest extents of the spun
geometry. Slice slices the part geometry in the Lathe ZX (WCS XY) plane. The
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
profile is limited to what the slice encounters and may not include the geo-
metry’s full extents. For example, bosses not in the slice plane will be unrep-
resented in the turn profile.
Note: The initial stock settings, such as diameter values, appear when a solid
has been selected as the part or stock model. This is not the case with wire-
frame geometry.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
Mastercam minimizes the dialog box so that you can access the graphics win-
dow.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
The Machine Group Properties dialog box redisplays, and Chuck face is set
to 150.0.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
Note: The jaw options that you see are based on the Stock type and other stock set-
tings. For example, you will not see ID jaw options unless an inner diameter has been
specified on the Bar stock page.
Mastercam minimizes the dialog box so that you can access the graphics win-
dow.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
The Machine Group Properties dialog box redisplays, and Distance from
chuck face is set to 93.75. This is where the right spindle will grip the part.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 7: Configuration and Job Setup
Your job setup is now complete. In the next lesson, you create the toolpath operations
needed to face the part in the left spindle with the lower turret.
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8
Turning Toolpaths
In this lesson, you create toolpaths to cut the face and OD of a part with both
roughing and finishing operations. You program the initial operations on the
left spindle. You then transfer the part to the right spindle and cut the areas
that were inaccessible in the left spindle.
Lesson Goals
l Perform facing, using the left spindle and lower turret
l Perform part transfer from the left spindle to the right spindle, which
includes pickoff and cutoff operations
l Perform pinch turn, using the right spindle, upper turret, and lower
turret
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
Continue with your part from the previous lesson. Alternatively, you can load the file
TurningToolpaths2, included with this tutorial. If you choose to load Turn-
ingToolpaths2, remember to save it as TurningToolpaths2_XX, where XX is
your initials.
The Lathe Face dialog box appears. The tools displayed, however, are not
appropriate for the operation you will create.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
The Lathe Face dialog box now shows tools that are appropriate for the lower-
left axis combination.
4. Select the ROUGH FACE LEFT - 80 DEG tool (your tool may be in a different
position than the one shown).
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
2. Select the chain shown in the picture below, by clicking points 1 and 2.
4. Click the Axis Combination button, ensure that the Upper Left axis com-
bination is selected, and click OK.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
7. In the Tool Angle dialog box, set the angle to 90, and click OK.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
2. Select the chain shown in the picture below, clicking points 1 and 2.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
After a few moments, Code Expert displays Sync Manager. If you see the Prop-
erties pane, close it to free up space in the window.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
5. In the graphics window, place your mouse pointer over the left spindle, and use
your mouse wheel to zoom in closer to the part’s stock, as shown in the fol-
lowing picture.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
Note: Use the Simulation Run Speed slider to speed up or slow down the simulation
as needed.
2. In Sync Manager, click the plus signs (+) next to the operations in both the
upper and lower streams. Alternatively, to expand all operations, right-click in
either operation stream, and choose Expand All Operations.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
3. Drag the right-hand edge of the Operations pane to the right, expanding the
pane until you can see more of the operations’ descriptions, as shown below.
4. Drag down the bottom edge of the pane, expanding the pane vertically.
5. Use your mouse to drag-and-drop the Lathe Face operation’s Retract to the
Lathe Rough operation’s Approach.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
You have now synchronized the end of the facing toolpath with the start of the
roughing toolpath. Sync Manager labels the sync point as Sync 1.
6. Drag the Lathe Rough operation’s Retract to the Lathe Finish operation’s
Approach.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
You have now synchronized the end of the roughing toolpath with the start of
the finishing toolpath. Your upper and lower streams should now look like the
following picture.
At this point, the file’s status icon is yellow, which means that Mastercam must
be updated from Sync Manager. For more information on how Sync Manager
and Mastercam share data, please see Sync Manager and Mastercam
Interactions.
7. With the focus on the IOF file’s tab, choose File, Save.
Sync Manager writes the synchronized data back to Mastercam, and the status
icon returns to green.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
Now the operations are synchronized. That is, they are guaranteed to run in
the correct order, without one operation overlapping another.
10. Back in Mastercam (not Sync Manager), save the part as Turn-
ingToolpaths4-XX, where XX is your initials.
2. Verify that the Strategy is set to Pickoff, Stock Pull, Cutoff (Upper Turret),
as shown in the picture below.
The Strategy selection (A) determines which operations appear in the Oper-
ations list (B).
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
3. Click OK to accept the default settings for your part handling strategy.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
Mastercam sends the new data to Sync Manager, and Sync Manager displays
in Code Expert’s window.
3. Sync operation 4 Turret Park, Lower Park Left to operation 5 Lathe Point,
Approach, as shown in the picture below.
Sync Manager creates a sync point labeled Sync 3. You have now syn-
chronized the end of the finishing operation with the right spindle approach.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
4. Save the file back to Mastercam, and then click the Launch button.
5. Rotate the graphics window so that you can see both spindles. (See the picture
below.) To do this, place your mouse pointer over the graphics window, hold
down your left mouse button, and drag the mouse.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
Machine Simulation simulates the job’s operations. When the simulation com-
pletes, the right chuck will be holding the part.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
The Lathe Face dialog box now shows tools that are appropriate for the lower-
right axis combination.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
7. Ensure that the Lead In/Out checkbox is selected, and then click the Lead
In/Out button.
The tool will now exit away from the part, rather than toward it.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
12. Click the left face of the part, as shown in the picture below.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
2. Select the chain shown in the following picture, by clicking points 1 and 2.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
5. Ensure that the Upper Right axis combination is selected, and click OK.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
6. In the operation list, select the Lathe Rough operation in Toolpath Group-2.
This is the operation Mastercam will use to generate the pair of operations
that make up the Pinch Turn toolpath.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
After a few moments, Code Expert displays Sync Manager with the updated
part data.
3. In the Upper Stream list, scroll down to operation 18 Turret Park, and click
the plus (+) to show the sub-operations.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
You have now synchronized the end of the part handling operations with the
turret park operation.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 8: Turning Toolpaths
10. Back in Mastercam (not Sync Manager), save the part as TurningToolp-
aths6-XX, where XX is your initials.
11. Close Mastercam and Code Expert.
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9
Milling Toolpaths
These exercises step through basic C- and Y-axis toolpathing using a par-
tially programmed sample file. For simplicity, you import toolpaths from an
existing file.
Lesson Goals
l Set up the part.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
2. Open the file MillToolpaths, which is included with this tutorial, and if the
System Configuration dialog box displays, click OK to switch system units.
In Toolpaths Manager, you can see that four lathe operations are already pro-
grammed (see the picture below). To start the C- and Y-axis milling examples, you will
import operations from a sample part.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
Note: To see the file when browsing, you must change the file extension filter
from Mastercam Operation Files to Mastercam Files.
3. Browse to and open the file FixSyncs, which is included with this tutorial.
The operations contained in the selected file appear in the Import Toolpath
Operations dialog box.
4. Select operations 5 through 8 (hold down [Shift] to select multiple items), and
click the Import Operations button (the one that looks like a plus sign).
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
7. Select the Backplot properties page, and disable the Classic Backplot entry,
as shown in the following picture. Then click OK.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
4. Right-click in the dialog box, and choose Add chain from the pop-up menu.
5. Chain the rectangle shown below, and click OK in the Chaining and Chain
Manager dialog boxes.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
6. Select Tool, and then verify that the tool is a ½-inch flat endmill.
7. On the Setup page, ensure that Y-Axis Cross and the Left Spindle / B-Axis
Head axis combination are selected.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
11. In the Home tab’s Visibility group, ensure that Tool and Workpiece are selec-
ted.
Mastercam Simulator will now show the tool and the workpiece in its graphics
area.
The view changes to the isometric orientation. Note that the view in Master-
cam also changes to isometric.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
Mastercam backplots the operation, as shown in the second picture that fol-
lows.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
5. In the Chaining dialog box, choose the Single button, and then select the line
at the base of the wall, as shown in the second following picture.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
7. On the Setup page, select Y-Axis Cross, Left Spindle / B-Axis Head, and
Top, as shown below.
10. Select operation 6’s Toolpath icon, and backplot the operation in isometric
view, as shown below.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
2. Set Toolpath Type to Contour, and for Tool, select the ½-inch flat endmill.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 9: Milling Toolpaths
3. On the Setup page, select C-Axis Face and the Left Spindle / B-Axis Head
axis combo.
1. Re-chain geometry for operation 8 – Contour (2D) as shown here. (Select the
same contour as in the previous rough operation. Tip: Use the Last button in
the chaining dialog to select the last chain selected in the previous toolpath.”)
3. On the Setup page, select C-Axis Face and the Left Spindle / B-Axis Head
axis combo.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial
140
10
More about Sync Manager
Sync Manager lets you create sync points for multi-stream machines and cre-
ate custom job setups that ensure valid output. You have already used Sync
Manager in previous lessons. This lesson demonstrates additional features
you might have not yet discovered.
Lesson Goals
l Explore Sync Manager's window.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
1. In Mastercam, load the part file named SyncManager, which is included with
this tutorial. Click OK to change units if asked.
Notice that Toolpaths Manager contains a machine group for a Generic Fanuc
MT Machine. Notice also that the toolpath group contains facing, roughing, and
finishing toolpaths for the part displayed in the graphics window.
4. If you have Machine Explorer and the Properties grid open, close them so that
you can see more of the part.
5. Click the small arrow in the Timeline’s upper-right corner, and choose Auto
Hide.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
6. In the Sync Manager tab, experiment with the checkboxes in the Show group
to toggle display elements on and off.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
9. Click the view buttons to see the part from different angles.
1. With your mouse, drag the right-hand edge of the Operations pane to
increase its width.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
2. Click the plus signs (+) next to the operations in the Operations pane.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
Information about the selected item appears in the Properties grid, as shown
in the following picture.
5. Back in the Operations pane, click the small inverted triangle to the right of
Lathe Rough.
A small box appears into which you can enter option values.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
6. Change the Coolant value to Strategy1, and then click outside of the box to
accept your change.
The option’s value in the Properties grid also changes. You can edit your oper-
ations in either the Operations pane or the Properties grid.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
The Timeline’s Auto Hide option is now off, and the Timeline no longer min-
imizes to a tab.
3. If necessary, in the Timeline’s lower-left corner, drag the zoom slider all the
way to the left.
You should see the three operations and two red lines. (You may need to max-
imize the Sync Manager window.) The red lines are the sync points created in
the Operations pane.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
Sync Manager displays a tooltip for the sync and outlines the equivalent sync
point in the Operations pane, as shown in the following image.
5. Close Code Expert, without saving changes you may have made to the file.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
Mastercam is the master application with respect to Sync Manager; the part data in
Mastercam represents the current state of the part. Sync Manager uses a working
copy of that data. When you save data from Sync Manager, you are updating the part
file in Mastercam. To see how these interactions work, try the following exercise.
Mastercam not only loads the part, but also starts the Code Expert application.
Note that Code Expert is not yet displaying data for the part you loaded.
2. In Mastercam’s Toolpaths Manager, select all operations, and then click the
G1 button.
Sync Manager opens the part. At this point, you can access both Mastercam
and Sync Manager because both applications have a clean operation set.
Green indicates that Mastercam’s and Sync Manager’s data sets match.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
4. In Sync Manager, expand the Lathe Rough and Lathe Face operations, as
shown below.
Note: You can use the Connect Stream List Display button (shown below) to
lock together the lists, operations, and sync points so that they remain hori-
zontally aligned.
5. Right-click on a Sync 1 sync point, and choose Delete Sync Group from the
pop-up menu.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
6. Notice that the status indicator is now yellow, which means Mastercam’s and
Sync Manager’s data sets no longer match.
Sync Manager retains control, disabling access to Mastercam. You cannot use
Mastercam because the loaded part does not yet contain the changes you
made in Sync Manager.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
Sync Manager lets you access Mastercam because its data is now up to date.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
The lock indicates that the changed part in Mastercam does not match the
data in Sync Manager.
3. Rechain the geometry (select Geometry, right-click in the Chain Manager dia-
log, and choose Add chain), clicking at the points shown below.
Mastercam sends the updated part data to Sync Manager, whose status indic-
ator again shows green.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 10: More about Sync Manager
6. In Mastercam, select File, New, and, when prompted, choose Don't Save.
Sync Manager’s status indicator shows red, which indicates that Mastercam
and Sync Manager are no longer linked.
156
11
More about Machine Simulation
Use Machine Simulation to verify your toolpaths, watching as a graphical rep-
resentation of the machine cuts the part. Using Machine Simulation helps
you find problems before the actual machining. (For more information about
Machine Simulation, please read the Machine Simulation tutorial, available
from your Reseller or the Mastercam website.)
Lesson Goals
l Start machine simulation.
l Run a simulation.
l Manipulate a simulation.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
Graphics window
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
Sync Manager opens with the part’s data loaded. (Note that you may or may
not see the Machine Explorer and Properties panes, depending on the state
of the application when you last closed it.)
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
Note: If you do not see the tabbed panes on the right side of the window, you
can display them by choosing Docking Panes options from the View tab. The
following exercises require you to display the Move List.
The view zooms in or out, depending on the direction you spin the wheel.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
2. On the Simulation tab, in the Views group, click the Fit button.
Machine Simulation zooms the graphics window to exactly display its contents.
Machine Simulation simulates the operations in your part. As it does, the Move
List displays the running code, as shown below. (If you do not see the Move
List, choose View, Move List.)
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
Machine Simulation removes the machine housing from the display. You can
choose a specific display state (Show, Transparent, or Hide) by clicking the
small arrow below a component’s button and selecting the state from the drop-
down menu.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
6. In the graphics window, place your mouse pointer over the left spindle, and use
your mouse wheel to zoom in closer, as shown in the following picture.
7. Drag the simulation speed slider to the left, approximately to the location
shown.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
Now when you next start the simulation, it will run slower than it did the first
time.
10. Drag the Progress slider in the Progress window to move backward and for-
ward through the simulation.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 11: More about Machine Simulation
As you drag the slider, notice how the Move List updates to show the current
operation and move. (If you do not see the slider, increase the size of the Pro-
gress area.)
11. Close the Machine Simulation window. You do not need to save the part.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial
166
12
Posting
After you have created your operations and verified them in Machine Sim-
ulation, you are ready to post the part. This process creates the program (G-
code) that you send to your machine control to cut the part.
Lesson Goals
l Post a part.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
Code pane
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
Sync Manager processes the part, and opens the resulting G-code file into
Code Expert’s Editor.
Note that the code is merged into a single stream, with the code for both tur-
rets shown in the same pane.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
4. In the Utilities group, click Multi-Stream, and then click OK in the dialog box
that displays.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
Code Expert divides the code into two streams, with the upper turret on the left
and the lower turret on the right.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
The Editor adds block numbers to the code (see the image below) based on the
settings you specified in the Block Numbering page.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
Code Expert removes comments from the stream so that the following step in
this tutorial does not find sync codes in non-code lines.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
The editor shows the next synchronization code. (In this example, you click
three times to skip past two occurrences of Pn that are not actually sync
codes.)
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
The editor places the active file’s full path into the Clipboard.
3. Place the text cursor where you want to insert the file’s path, and press
[Ctrl+V] to paste the file path into your code.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
3. Click Options.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
5. Set the communications options appropriately for your machine control. (If you
are unsure, leave them set to the defaults.)
7. On the NC Functions tab, click the Send (not Send File) button.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 12: Posting
Note: For more information on your machine’s settings and capabilities with
Mill-Turn, please refer to the application guide that comes packaged with each
machine.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial
180
13
Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
Multi-station tool locators (see images below) offer extensive flexibility for
your machine setup. The examples in this appendix provide an overview of
loading tool locators onto a machine’s turrets, as well as loading tools into
the locators. The complete sample program demonstrates many tool locator
and tool combinations.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
The file is included with this tutorial and contains many operations that require
tools be loaded into turrets with multi-station tool locators. After loading the
file, Mastercam should look like the following image:
If you want to see the operations, click the plus signs in the list to expand each
group.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
5. Click the Cancel button to dismiss the IOF Generation Message Log dialog box.
The Tool Setup Manager appears, showing the tools that Mastercam loaded
into the upper and lower turrets.
6. Right-click the upper turret in the Machine tooling setup list, and choose
Remove all children from the menu that appears.
Mastercam removes all tool locators and tools from the upper turret.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
7. Right-click the lower turret in the Machine tooling setup list, and choose
Remove all children from the menu that appears.
Mastercam removes all tool locators and tools from the lower turret. Both tur-
rets are now empty.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
2. In the Machine tooling setup list, right-click the upper turret, and select View
component and all children.
3. Rotate the components to the view shown below. Note the four locations for
tools. You load those tools in the next steps.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
5. From the Tools in the machine group list, drag the tool T01 - OD ROUGH
LEFT - 80 DEG to the location Left - Primary - Insert Up.
6. Right-click the upper turret, and choose View component and all children,
as you did in Step 2.
7. Rotate the components so that you can see the tool loaded into the tool loc-
ator.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
2. Drag the tool T24 - OD FINISH LEFT - 35 DEG to the location Left - Half
Index Primary Minus - Insert Up.
3. Drag the tool T24 - OD FINISH RIGHT - 35 DEG to the location Right - Half
Index Primary Minus - Insert Up.
4. Right-click the upper turret, and choose View component and all children.
5. Rotate the components so that you can see the four tools loaded into the tool
locator.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
Exercise 4: Loading the Second Tool Locator and Live Mill Tools
1. From the Tool Locators pane, drag the 7.077.128 - UT - 2 Station - ER16 Live
Face - Offset Left tool locator to Index 2 on the upper turret.
2. In the Machine tooling setup list, right-click the upper turret, and select View
component and all children.
3. Rotate the components to the view shown below. Note the new tool locator for
live tooling.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
5. In the Tools in the machine group list, locate the 8MM FLAT ENDMILL tools.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
6. Hover your mouse pointer over the first 8MM FLAT ENDMILL.
7. Drag the right-facing 8MM FLAT ENDMILL to the location Right - Live Tool.
8. Drag the other 8MM FLAT ENDMILL (left facing) to the location Left - Live
Tool.
9. In the Machine tooling setup list, right-click the upper turret, and select View
component and all children.
10. Rotate the components to the view shown below, and note the two live tools for
milling.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
Mastercam processes the operations and opens the part in Sync Manager, as
shown here:
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
5. Rotate the view so that you can easily see the part stock and the turrets.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
6. Click Run to watch the machine cut the part, paying special attention to the tur-
rets and their tool locators. As the simulation runs, adjust the view by panning,
rotating, and zooming so that you can see each operation clearly.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — 13: Loading Multi-Station Tool Locators
Note: When the machining gets to operation 54, the simulation will crash, dis-
playing the dialog box shown below. This crash is because the tap tool is larger
than the hole, as it should be. To prevent the simulation from constantly stop-
ping, click Do not show again in the dialog box, and select for this pair in
this simulation from the drop-down. Now the simulation will ignore further
crashes between this tool and the workpiece.
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Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — Conclusion
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed the Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial tutorial! Now
that you have mastered the skills in this tutorial, explore Mastercam's other features
and functions.
You may be interested in other tutorials that we offer. Mastercam tutorials are being
constantly developed, and we will add more as we complete them. Visit our website,
or select Help, Tutorials from the File tab.
Mastercam Resources
Enhance your Mastercam experience by using the following resources:
l Mastercam Reseller—Your local Mastercam Reseller can help with most ques-
tions about Mastercam.
195
Mastercam Mill-Turn Tutorial — Conclusion
advantage of more than 180 videos to master skills at your own pace and help
prepare for Mastercam Certification. For more information on Mastercam
University, please contact your Authorized Mastercam Reseller, visit
www.mastercamu.com, or email [email protected].
Contact Us
For questions about this or other Mastercam documentation, contact the Technical
Documentation department by email at [email protected].
196
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