Moldplus

V11.2
For Mastercam 2019

Quick Start Guide

Moldplus Version 11.2 (11.2.x)

Moldplus SA
March 10, 2019
 Moldplus General Quick Start Guide

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1

PREREQUISITIES ............................................................................................................... 1

SOFTWARE .................................................................................................................... 1

MOLDPLUS INTERFACE ....................................................................................................... 1

MOLDPLUS RIBBON BAr................................................................................................... 1

MOLDPLUS LICENSING ....................................................................................................... 2

TO CONFIGURE THE LICENSE ........................................................................................... 2

DRAFT ANGLE ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 6

CREATING PARTING LINES, 3D PART EDGES AND 2D PART EDGES.......................................... 9

CORE AND CAVITY SEPARATION ....................................................................................... 12

ELECTRODE MAKER ......................................................................................................... 18

DEFINITIONS AND PROCESS...........................................................................................................................18

USING ELECTRODEMAKER – 0_ELEC4.MCAM ...................................................................... 39

SETTING UP A JOB ........................................................................................................ 39

REVIEWING MACHINE AND GAP SETTINGS ...................................................................... 40

ADDING AN ELECTRODE ................................................................................................ 42

SELECTING THE SURFACES FOR THE ELECTRODE ............................................................. 42

ADDING THE EXTENSIONS ............................................................................................ 44

ADDING THE STOCK AND HOLDERS ................................................................................ 46

ADDING ADDITIONAL ELECTRODES ................................................................................ 49

USING CLONES TO CREATE MULITPLE ELECTRODE BURN POINTS ...................................... 62

EXPORTING ELECTRODES FOR MACHINING ..................................................................... 66

PREPARING AND PUBLISHING REPORTS .......................................................................... 67

STL UTILITIES ................................................................................................................ 71

STL TOOLS .................................................................................................................. 71

FIXTURE DESIGN............................................................................................................. 77

CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 85

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

INTRODUCTION
This document will walk you through the configuration process and introduce you to Core and
Cavity separation and electrode extraction and creation. Moldplus STL Utilities and Plate Fixture
Design are also covered in this guide. The Quick Start Guide for the 5-axis toolkit can be used to
learn the features of that tool. The Online Help will help you understand more about these
features.

PREREQUISITIES
Please ensure the following items are installed and configured correctly before using this quick
start guide. Mastercam 2019 will be used as the reference version for this guide.

SOFTWARE

• Mastercam 2019.

• Moldplus 11.2 for Mastercam 2019 installation.

MOLDPLUS INTERFACE
After Moldplus 11.2 has been installed, you can access the Moldplus functions by using the
Moldplus ribbon bar (Mastercam 2019).

MOLDPLUS RIBBON BAR

The Moldplus ribbon bar in Mastercam 2019 can be accessed by clicking on the Moldplus tab.

Highlighting an icon in the ribbon bar displays the tooltip right below the icon and group:

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

MOLDPLUS LICENSING
After Moldplus 11.2 has been installed, you will need to configure the license to enable the
features. Licenses are delivered as an XML file by your reseller.

The Moldplus Fixture Design product will need a separate license (to be purchased) in order to
function.

New software purchases or license purchases will need to follow the routine as described to
register the licenses.

TO CONFIGURE THE LICENSE

1. Click Moldplus->About from the Moldplus tab in Mastercam 2019.

The About Moldplus dialog is displayed. This dialog is also displayed when you click on any
Moldplus toolbar button for the first time. Note the actual SIM number, SIM type (HASP or WIBU)
and user type are displayed according to your settings.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

2. Click Register. Browse to the location where the XML License file was saved, select the file
and click Open.

3. If the license file is valid, the maintenance date and other information is updated. A green
check indicates that the license is valid. Note that only the products you purchase will display.

Valid products are indicated with a green tick and invalid ones with a cross. To request a new
license or an updated version of your current license, please contact your reseller.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Moldplus for NetHASP code registration will not be done using the above dialog. You will
need to configure the Moldplus Server V6.x Manager to configure the licenses. If you have a
WIBU NETWORK license, the Moldplus Server V6.x supports this type of licensing.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Once the server is active and identified through the client, the following license validation is
displayed:

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

QUICK START GUIDE

This guide will walk you through: Draft Analysis, parting line creation, Solid Sep (core and cavity
separation) and electrode extraction, creation and report generation in about 10 minutes or less.

The files referred to here can be found in the \SHARED

MCAM2019\MOLDPLUS\MCAM\Moldplus_Examples_MM folder.

DRAFT ANGLE ANALYSIS

Moldplus offers very powerful tools for analyzing parts for undercut surfaces, etc. With 1 click of
the mouse, you should be able to analyze the part and automatically trim the undercut surfaces
and place them in different colors and levels. This feature alone will eliminate the need to
machine prototypes before realizing that the mold cannot be pulled apart because there are
undercut surfaces. To do this:

Step 1: Load the file: Load the solid_sep_electrodes_mm.mcam file.

You can analyze this part in the Top view and determine if there any undercuts or not.
With this part, it is pretty obvious that you will not have any undercuts but it is good to
verify the draft analysis before starting the separation.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 2: Start draft angle analysis: Launch Moldplus Draft

Angle Analysis from the Moldplus Ribbon bar . The

Draft angles dialog is displayed.

Step 3: Review the settings:

Click Settings to display the
Draft Angle settings dialog.

Change the values as shown.

The Above value defines the

positive angles with respect to
the current CPlane that are
positive. Surfaces in the part
with this angle will be colored
green and moved to the layer
shown.

Surfaces with angles between 3

and 0 degrees as colored
yellow.

Undercut surfaces are colored

green.

Click OK to close the dialog.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 4: Analyzing draft angles: Verify the CPlane is set to Top and click Do it.

You will notice that all geometry between and above 3 degrees are marked in green. The
yellow surfaces indicate the 0 to 3 degree range. In this part, they can be machined as
part of the cavity. The red surfaces are all marked as undercut since they lie beneath the
cavity faces. All the surfaces considered as an undercut here can be considered as core
geometry.

Step 5: Verification of results: To see that the surfaces are trimmed and moved to
different levels, press Alt+Z or click on the Levels tab to display the Mastercam Level
Manager.

Disable Level 1 (the surface geometry level). Click OK. Only the yellow and red surfaces
will be left. You can also disable the Level 3 to see only the red surfaces if you prefer.

An overall analysis at this stage tells you that there are no undercuts in this part, a core
and cavity can be created and machined and that there is no need to have any slides or
lifter geometries to manufacture this part. Only electrodes are needed to burn the cavity
ribs.

Step 6: Restore the surfaces: Undo the Draft Angle analysis by clicking Undo/Redo.
This will restore all the surfaces to the original levels, ready for parting line creation.

This completes Draft Angle analysis.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

CREATING PARTING LINES, 3D PART EDGES AND 2D PART EDGES

Moldplus allows the quick creation of Parting Lines, 3D part edges and 2d projected part edges.
All these are helpful to complete a mold design (for example, creating Run-offs to mold edges).

You can easily create the 3D parting edges for molds. This is useful where you need these
external edges to create run-offs to the mold edges using manual run-off creation methods. Since
we analyzed the part and found no undercuts, we know that the parting lines for this part are the
external edges of the part.

Step 1: Start Part edges3D on the Moldplus ribbon

bar. The Moldplus: Surface Edges 3D dialog is displayed.

Step 2: Reviewing settings: Click Settings to open the

Settings dialog. Review the settings and verify they are set
correctly.

Step 3: Create the 3d part edges: Click Part Edges to

create the edges. The result will depend on what your
Mastercam color settings are for wireframe geometry.

Note: There will probably be additional edges created where the software identifies gaps
between the faces. This feature will quickly tell you if there are inconsistencies/ gaps
between surfaces and is useful to check the consistency of a surface model. In many cases
the gaps may be irrelevant due to a bad conversion of a solid to a surface model or loose
tolerances while importing the model.

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Step 4: Delete internal edges: Delete the internal edges using the Mastercam tools.

The exterior edges can be then be used to create the run-off surfaces easily using the
Moldplus Partsurf functions.

Step 5: Create 2d projected edges from the part: From the Moldplus ribbon bar, click

on Moldplus1 to display the Moldplus dialog. Click Edges then click on 2D

Project, Settings.

The projected edges can automatically be created as Arcs and lines rather than as spline
data.

Ensure the settings are as shown:

Step 6: Change the Mastercam system color to 1.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Click Part Edges to create lines and arcs representing the part edges.

Using this quick contouring or pocketing can be done, or whatever else you wish to do.

Step 7: Click Undo to remove the 2D curves.

This completes the creation of the parting lines, 3D edges and 2D projected edges. You can
also do those for single surfaces or get all the edges of all the surfaces if desired.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

CORE AND CAVITY SEPARATION

Core and cavity separation using Moldplus is a very powerful tool that automates the process of
identifying core and cavity geometry. What would take hours to do manually can be done in a few
clicks.

Step 1: Load the file: Reload the same part -

SOLID_SEP_ELECTRODES_MM.mcam file.

You can use Home->Statistics to verify that there

are 27 surfaces and 273 trimmed surfaces that need to be
separated.

Step 2: Start SolidSep: From the Moldplus ribbon bar, click

SolidSep to display the Core and Cavity Separation

dialog.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 3: Review Settings: Click Settings and verify the settings are as shown below.

The Settings dialog allows you to organize the splitting process by colors and levels for
easy identification and manipulation.

As normal practice, the cavity (the external shell of the mold) would be what is considered
here as CP Z+ (Construction Plane Z Positive) and the core (the internal shell of the
mold) would be CP Z-.

When the Open Mold option is selected, the CP Z+ geometry will be translated by the
distance specified in CP translation heights above the original location, set to color 10
and moved to Level 2. The CP Z- surfaces will stay in the current location and have its
properties changed to Level 3 and color 4. Any straddle (surfaces that straddle the parting
line of the geometry) or vertical or unknown surfaces will be moved to half the distance
(75 mm in this case) to allow the user to decide which side they belong to and marked
with the corresponding colors and moved to the set levels.

If you are starting with a solid model directly, Moldplus will convert the Solids to a surface
model first and move the solid to the level specified in Converted Solid level.

Upon reviewing the settings, click Done to close the dialog.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 4: Performing the operation: Click Do It to perform the separation.

You are prompted with the dialog that gives the user a warning that the properties of the
surfaces will be changed. This is a friendly warning! Click OK to continue.

The separation takes place within a few seconds and the following will the presented.

The surfaces are now split for core and cavity and displayed according to the settings. You
will notice that there are no verticals, straddles or unknown surfaces (would normally be
displayed in the middle). From the main Core and Cavity menu, you can easily move
surfaces between core and cavity by simply clicking on them. Since this was a clean split,
we don’t have to do anything more to this part.

Step 5: Restore surfaces to original heights: Click on Open/Close to return all the
surfaces to the original Z heights. You are done with the separation part.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

We will now create parting surfaces to the mold edge in 1 click. We can use the pre-sketched
boundary as the mold insert boundary and use the CP Z- or core geometry to create them.
Remember that only one side should be active (either the Core or the Cavity side only).

Step 6: Set the Mastercam levels: Click on the Levels tab on the Mastercam Operations
Manager bar or press Alt+Z to open the Mastercam Level Manager.

Disable Level 2 (the CP Z+ level) to leave only the CP Z- surfaces visible.

Step 7: Start Partsurf: On the Moldplus ribbon bar, click

Auto Partsurf to display the PartSurf dialog.

Step 8: Set stock limits: Click Stock Limits. The

Mastercam Chaining dialog is displayed. Click on any of the
entities forming the stock boundaries to select the chain.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 9: Create the surfaces: Click Create1. This will create the mold edges extensions.
The following should be the result.

With the run-off created, you will need to create the shut-offs for the core and cavity.

We will create the shut-off surfaces using the Moldplus Supertrim functions. Note that these
functions are part of the Moldplus Supertrim tools that are part of the Moldplus Professional
license.

Step 10: Close holes using Supertrim: Click Supertrim1

on the Moldplus ribbon

bar. This displays the
SuperTrim dialog.

Click Closed Hole and select

the Fill Hole option.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Click on the holes to be filled near any edge as shown in the figure. The corresponding
trimmed surface is highlighted. Once the surface is highlighted, click close to or on that
edge.

The hole is filled automatically.

Continue to click the other holes to fill them up by clicking close to the hole to be filled.

Press Esc multiple times to exit the dialog.

You can complete the cavity side and the parting surfaces creation in this manner. In a matter of
minutes, you have completed the core and cavity separation, mold run-off creation and added
shut-off surfaces - powerful time savings tools that could help see an instant return in
investment!

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

ELECTRODE MAKER
This section will cover Moldplus Electrode Maker. There is far more automation and user control
built in to isolating electrodes, inserting electrode stocks, preparing them for machining with
proper extensions for strength and proper burning and finally generating textual and visual XML
reports. The steps outlined will allow you to review Electrode Maker in a matter of few minutes
without having to understand all the details of the Settings.

DEFINITIONS AND PROCESS

We will be referring to geometry here as:

Reference geometry – the selected geometry from the part to create electrodes for.

Extensions – the different electrode extensions performed on the reference geoemtry

Stock Electrode – the inserted electrode stock – usually wireframe geometry along with a holder
attachment.

Electrode Holder – the standard electrode holders from 3R or EROWA.

Step 1: Continue with the same file: Continue with the same file by undoing the fill
surfaces (or turning off Level 1 where all the new surfaces were created) and only keeping
Level 3 (CP Z- level) active.

You will notice there are several ribs and inserts to burn into the core. We will create a few
electrodes from this part – a rough electrode to burn multiple ribs and a few finish
electrodes.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 2: Start Electrode Maker: Start

ElectrodeMaker by clicking ElectrodeMaker V10

on the Moldplus ribbon bar. This will display

the ElectrodeMaker dialog.

If the Electrode Job directory does not exist, the

system will open the Settings Dialog. When you
click on OK and the folder does not exist, you are
prompted to create the folder.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 3: Review and change settings: Click Settings to review and change the settings
for the electrodes created on this part.

Click Part Configuration in the tree and change the settings as shown below:

Click Default to set the Electrodes output folder to set the folder based on the path of
the part

Step 4: Review and change the Machine Settings: Machine settings control how the
ElectrodeMaker outputs EDM machining code for the created electrodes.

Click Machines in the tree and select

the EDM Machine 1 profile.

The machine name that was created is

also selected.

Step 5: Click to show the Select Postprocessor File dialog and select the file
\shared MCAM2019\mill\Posts\MPE_EDM_MACH_2019.PST as shown below.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Change the other settings as shown below:

Step 6: Review the Gap Configuration: Clicking Gaps in the tree. Make sure the settings
are the same as shown below:

Note: The gaps configured in the Gaps settings page are used only for documentation. Electrode
Maker does not create surfaces that are offset from the originals by the gaps set here. You will
need to do this manually in Mastercam by creating offset surfaces or using a negative offset in
the Mastercam toolpath.

Click OK to save the settings and exit the settings dialog. If the folder does not exist, it is
automatically created.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 7: Create new electrode:

Right-click on the electrode list.

From the options, select New Elec

The electrode properties dialog is

displayed.

Click OK to create the electrode.

Next, we will select the surfaces that make up the

electrode. This can be done via the Surfaces Selection
dialog that replaces the Electrode List

Step 8: Select electrode surfaces:

This dialog is shown on clicking OK in step 7.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Click the Electrode Surfaces box to activate it.

The geometry on the active Electrode levels alone are

now displayed. In this case, Level 3 alone. Hold down
the Shift key and select the surface shown.

This will select all the surfaces of the rib automatically.

NOTE: If the entire part gets selected, either check the Isol Boss option OR exit the
Electrode Maker interface and use the Moldplus Autoset Normals and reverse all the
surface normals!

Select the other two ribs as shown. Remember to

keep the Shift key pressed when selecting the
surfaces.

Select the option Show selected surfaces

only to verify that all the ribs are selected. 16
surfaces will be selected.

Once you are satisfied with the selection,

unselect the option and click Accept Selection
to close the dialog.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 9: Add surface extensions to the electrode:

The following dialog is displayed on clicking Accept
Selection in the previous step.

Note that the numbers of surfaces are shown against

each selection.

From here, we will add additional surfaces to

complete the electrode.

Step 10: Create tangent extensions: Double-click on

First Tangent. This will display the Extension
properties dialog.

Select the Tangent Offset option.

Enter 10 for the Edge Offset.

Click Preview to see a preview of the

extension surfaces.

Click OK to accept the surfaces.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Next, we will add draft to the extensions to

make the electrode stronger.

Step 11: Create draft: Double-click

Draft. Change the settings in the
Extension Properties dialog as shown
here:

Click Preview to
verify the draft
is correct and
click OK to
create the
surfaces.

You will notice

that there are
fillet surfaces
created at the
end of each draft
face. The
Bottom Radius
value controls
this setting.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 12: Add stock and electrode holder: Double-click on Raw Stock. This will display
the Stock and Holder Definition dialog.

Under the Holder directory, choose the 3R holder directory first. This can be found under
the following folder structure under the \SHARED MCAM2019\ folder.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Then click the list box and select

3R_54X54X30mm.MCAM.

Next, we will change the stock parameters to

ensure the electrode raw stock is calculated
correctly.

Change the value of Z stock to 2.

Most electrodes will also have chamfers for ease

of setup during machining. These can be created
automatically.

Change the options as shown to the right:

Face XY defines the distance from the machined

sides of the electrode to the raw stock.

Stock XY defines the distance from added from

the extents of the electrode surfaces to the
machines side of the electrode.

Under Stock definition, click Rect. This will

recalculate all the electrode dimensions to suit
the dimensions entered for the stock values.

The preview will update to show the correct

stock sizes. Note the chamfers are shown as
well.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Once you are satisfied with

the electrode stock and
holder, click OK to apply
the stock and holder.

Step 13: Complete the first electrode: On clicking

OK in the previous dialog, the Stock and Holder
Definition will be closed and Electrode Edit dialog is
displayed.

Click End Edit to return to the main Electrode

Maker dialog.

We will now create a finish electrode for one of the ribs. The other ribs can be finished
using the same electrode.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 14: Add the second electrode:

Add another electrode by right-
clicking on an empty area of the
electrode list and selecting New Elec
from the menu.

Click OK to add the new electrode to

the list.

Step 15: Select surfaces for the electrode:

When the surface selection dialog is shown, hold
down shit and select the surface shown:

Select the Show selected surfaces only check box to

verify that only the rib has been selected.

Click Accept Selection to display the extensions dialog.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Create the first extension: Double-

click First Tangent to create the
tangent. Create the tangent surfaces
using the Tangent Offset option and an
Edge Offset of 10 mm.

This edge offset is too large for a

finishing electrode.

You can also delete the extensions by right-

clicking the item in the list and selecting Delete
this level from the menu.

Double-click First Tangent to show the

Extension Properties dialog again. This
allows the extensions to be edited easily.

Change the Edge Offset to 3mm and click

to update the extension.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 16: Create draft surfaces: Double-click

Draft to create the draft with an angle of 1
degrees, a distance of 10 mm and a bottom
radius of 3 mm.

Click OK to create the draft and close the

dialog.

Step 17: Add raw stock and holder:

Double-click Raw stock to start the Stock
and Holder Definition dialog.

Under Stock Definition, note the size of

the raw stock displayed. This will allow us to
select the appropriate holder for this
electrode.

Select the holder 3R_20mm.MCAM. You

can scroll on the image box by clicking on
it and reviewing the holder preview images
to select the holder in addition to the drop
down box where the holder name is listed.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Change Face XY to 2mm, Stock XY to 3

mm and Chamfer to 1 mm.

Under Stock definition, click Rect to recalculate

the stock size and show the preview.

Note the preview shows the holder lies outside

stock.

We will rotate the holder to correct this.

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Under Rotation, unselect the Same as stock option. This will

ensure that only the holder will be rotated.

Click +90 under Angle Holder to rotate the holder. Click

Apply to update the preview.

Note the holder is now correctly aligned to the electrode.

Click OK to create the holder and display the

surfaces selection dialog.

Click End Edit to return to the main Electrode

Maker dialog.

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Note that the second electrode is hidden by the

roughing electrode.

Electrodes can be displayed or hidden by using the

check box against the electrode name OR by
having the Selection Auto option checked in the
right click menu. Then the electrode is highlighted
when you click on the list.

Step 18: Hide the first electrode: Hide Elec-1

by clearing the check box.

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Clicking on the Ref. Geom checkbox will display all the reference geometries used to create the
electrodes.

At any stage of the electrodes creation process, you can check to see which electrodes were
created.

The Holder and Clone options will be disabled when this button is checked. You can only check
the Part on or off to visualize the reference geometries alone.

You will need to uncheck the Ref. Geom option to continue creating more electrodes.

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To create shop floor documentation for the electrodes we have just created, we will use the
Moldplus XML report generation function. This report has all the information needed by the
shop floor to set up and machine the part, including images of the electrodes and their burn
location.

Step 19: Prepare and display the XML report: From the main
Electrode Maker dialog, click Export and select XML report
from the menu.

The XML Report dialog is displayed.

Click Capture checked to capture images of all the electrodes. This captures images of
the electrodes and the part. The images are displayed under Image.

You can verify the images that are captured for each electrode by selecting it in the list at
the left of the dialog.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

The following image shows Elec-1 captured using shading for the electrode in the
isometric mode. The Shaded Elec option is active here. Clicking on Capture will capture
that image alone.

Once you are satisfied with the images, click Make XML to generate the report and view it
using your Internet Browser.

Click Close to close the XML Report dialog.

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To machine the electrodes, they will have to be saved to

individual MCAM files. This can be achieved easily using
Electrode Maker Export function.

Step 20: Export the electrodes for machining: Click

Export and select Elecs to folder from the menu.

This will display the Elecs to

folder dialog.

Click Default to set the

output folder to a folder that
is based on the name of the
current part.

Click the Export Levels

list box and select the
option Surf+Ext: Surf
Holder: no change
option. This will ensure
that all the surfaces and
extensions are on the
same level and the
holder levels are
unchanged from the
part.

Click the Translation

list box and select the
Top Base (Pt1) to
origin option to
automatically translate the electrode’s burn point to the
origin. Select Flip to ensure the electrodes are oriented
correctly for machining.

Click OK to create the electrodes.

This concludes the review of the process of splitting Core and

Cavity and creating 2 electrodes on the same file.

We will review the Electrode Maker on another example file

now and review other options within the Electrode Maker tool.

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USING ELECTRODEMAKER – 0_ELEC4.MCAM

Using ElectrodeMaker to create electrodes has the following workflow:

1. Setting up a job

2. Reviewing and changing machine and gap settings.

3. Adding an electrode

4. Selecting the faces for the electrode

5. Adding the extensions (tangent, draft and bottom radius)

6. Selecting and adding the stock and the holder

7. Exporting the electrodes to a different file for machining

8. Preparing and publishing reports

For multiple electrodes, steps 3-6 would be repeated as often as necessary.

SETTING UP A JOB

Step 1: Load the 0_ELEC4.MCAM file.

Start ElectrodeMaker by clicking on the V10

icon on the Moldplus ribbon bar.

The ElectrodeMaker dialog is displayed.

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REVIEWING MACHINE AND GAP SETTINGS

Step 2: Click Settings to review and change the settings for the electrodes created on this
part.

General Setup (System) should be set as follows:

Click Part Configuration in the tree and change the settings as shown below:

Ensure that the electrode output folder is good. You can verify by clicking on the Default
button to set the folder. If the folder does not exist, you will be prompted to create the
folder when you exit the dialog.

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Step 3: Review and change the Machine Settings. Machine settings control how the
ElectrodeMaker outputs EDM machining code for the created electrodes.

Click Machines in the tree and select the machine profile Fanuc and settings if not
already selected as shown below.

Ensure the post processor is selected as follows and the Burn point location set to
Bottom of Chamfer (PT3)

Step 4: Review the Gap Configuration by clicking Gaps in the tree. Make sure the
settings are the same as shown below:

Note: The gaps configured in the Gaps settings page are used only for documentation.
ElectrodeMaker does not create surfaces that are offset from the originals by the gaps set here.

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ADDING AN ELECTRODE

Step 5: To add an electrode, right-click on

the list of electrodes.

From the menu, select New elec.

Step 6: The Electrode Properties

dialog is displayed. The electrode
prefix is named with the settings
defined in Step 2.

Click OK to add the electrode.

SELECTING THE SURFACES FOR THE ELECTRODE

Once the electrode has been added, the next step is

selecting the surfaces on the part to be burned with the
electrode.

ElectrodeMaker allows surface selection via one three

methods:

1. Manual selection

2. Step by step selection

3. Automatic selection

4. Using Mastercam selection tools

First, use the automatic selection to select the surfaces.

Step 7: On clicking OK in step 6, the following dialog is

displayed.

Activate the Electrode surfaces selection box by

clicking in the box. An active selection box is
highlighted.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 8: Hold down the Shift

key and select one of the
first surfaces of the rib.

All the surfaces making up

the rib are selected and
highlighted in the set dark
orange color.

The selection box will list the surfaces

and list the total number of surfaces
selected.

Step 9: Verify the correct surfaces are selected

by selecting the Show selected surfaces
only check box. This will show only the
selected surfaces.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 10: Click Accept selection to complete the

selection.

The part is displayed again and the ElectrodeMaker

dialog changes to Edit Electrode mode.

The dialog shows the various types of surfaces making

up the electrode and lists the levels the surfaces are
on and the number of surfaces of each type.

You can manage all the surface extensions needed to

manufacture this electrode (tangent, draft extension,
bottom radius, etc.) and build the stock and assign a
holder.

Once the electrode is built, you can also check for

collision detection with the part.

ADDING THE EXTENSIONS

Once the electrode surfaces are created, they need to be

extended beyond the burn depth to prevent unwanted burns on
the part. Extensions can be created automatically in one of many
different ways in ElectrodeMaker.

Step 11: Double-click First Tangent in the

ElectrodeMaker dialog to start adding the first extension.

This will launch the Extension Properties dialog.

Change the options as shown in the figure.

Click Preview to see a preview of the

extensions.

If the extensions are too short, change

Edge offset and click Preview again.

Once the extensions appear satisfactory,

click OK to create the extensions and close
the Electrode Properties dialog.

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Step 12: Review the ElectrodeMaker dialog. Note that the

number of surfaces is now listed against First Tangent.

Next, drafted extensions will be added for the electrode, so that

it can be machined easily.

Step 13: Double-click Draft to start adding

the draft surfaces.

This will launch the Extension properties

dialog for the draft extensions and the
bottom radius/fillet.

Change the settings as shown in the figure

(3 degree draft angle, 20mm draft
extension and 3mm fillet) and click on
Preview.

The preview is displayed and the reference

heights with the extensions are indicated in
the dialog for Z value and height.

Click OK to create the draft

surfaces.

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ADDING THE STOCK AND HOLDERS

The next step is to add the stock from which the electrode will be machined. ElectrodeMaker
can automatically calculate the size needed for the raw stock. In addition, a holder can be
selected from a list of standard holders.

Step 14: Double-click Raw stock. This will show the Stock and Holder definition
dialog.

Step 15: Click the

button in the Holder Parameters group and
select 3R_20MM.MCAM from the list. Make
sure the holder directory is pointing to the
…\Holders_MM\3R folder.

This will change the holder size to the

correct values related to the holder
dimensions.

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Step 16: Change the parameters as shown in the

figure.

Step 17: Click under Stock Definition.

This will update the size of the stock and change all
the parameters of the burn points.

Also, a preview of the electrode and holder is

shown.

The top surface of the stock is hidden so that

the chamfer locations and stock sizes can be
verified.

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Step 18: Click OK to create the electrode.

The electrode is completed and displayed.

The electrode (reference geometry and

extensions along with the stock) can be checked
for collisions from the same dialog.

Step 19: Click On/Off. button.

The button changes color to indicate it is active, and

the slider is now enabled.

Move the slider to the right to move

the electrode.

Click On/Off again to clear the

animation. In this case, the electrode
created does not have any collisions
with the part.

Congratulations! The first electrode is

created.

Click End Edit to close the Edit

Electrode dialog and go back to the
Electrodes list.

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ADDING ADDITIONAL ELECTRODES

To complete the job, more electrodes are needed to burn other profiles in the part. The process
for adding these electrodes will be the same as the previous electrode.

Step 20: Add a new electrode by right-

clicking on the electrode list and selecting
New Elec.

Click OK in the Electrode

Properties dialog to create the
electrode.

Step 21: Click the Electrode Surfaces box.

Hold down Shift and click the surface shown.

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Step 22: Hold down Shift and click the surface

shown.

Select Show selected surfaces to verify that

these surfaces are selected.

Click Accept Selection to close the selection

dialog.

A total of 6 surfaces are selected.

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Step 23: Double-click First Tangent in the

ElectrodeMaker dialog to start adding the
first extension.

This will launch the Extension Properties

dialog.

Change the options as shown in the figure.

Click Preview to verify that the

extensions are correct and click OK to
create the extensions and return to the
ElectrodeMaker dialog.

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Step 24: Double-click Draft to start

adding the draft surfaces.

Change the parameters as shown in the

figure and click Preview. Note that the
draft surfaces are not optimal since
they almost intersect and the fillets are
not clean.

Click Cancel to remove the

preview.

The extensions will first need

to be modified to ensure
continuity before we can create
the draft. This can be done
using the Moldplus tools.

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Step 25: Right-click First tangent in and select Set as

main level from the menu.

This will ensure that the surfaces that will be created

using the Moldplus tools will be created on the same
level as the first tangent surfaces.

Click End Edit to close the Electrode Edit dialog and

return to the Electrodes List.

Step 26: Unselect Part to hide the part – this makes it

easier to create the extensions.

Uncheck Elec-1 as well so that only Elec-2 is

displayed when you close the dialog.

Click Close to close the ElectrodeMaker.

The Moldplus Junction Surface function can be used to create the extensions between the
surfaces.

Step 27: Click JunctSurf on the Moldplus ribbon bar.

This will launch the Moldplus Junction Surfaces dialog.

Make sure the settings are as shown in the figure.

To toggle a setting, click on the button.

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Step 28: Select the edges, in order, as shown in the figure. The junction surface is created
as shown in the figure on the right on the external shape.

Step 29: Select the edges as shown in the figure. The second junction surface is created as
shown on the inner shape.

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Rotate the part view to show the underside of the surfaces. Note the gap that has to be
closed.

Step 30: Change the setting TangMode to N by clicking the

button to toggle the setting.

Select the two edges as shown in the figure. The gap is

bridged as shown in the figure on the right with a flat
surface.

With a few clicks, the gap is patched! Close the Junction Surface dialog by pressing Esc or
clicking on the X on the top right of the dialog.

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Step 31: Start the Electrode Maker again.

Display the part by selecting Part.

Edit Elec-2 either by double-clicking or

right-clicking and selecting Elec Edit from the
menu.

You will notice that the 3 surfaces are created

on the First Tangent level.

Step 32: Double-click Second

tangent to display the Extension
properties dialog.

Change the parameters as shown in

the figure.

You can Preview the extensions if

you prefer.

Click OK to create the extensions.

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Note the second tangent extensions are

also created for the surfaces created
through the Junction Surface tool. This is
because the surfaces are all calculated
from the Tangent surfaces level.

Step 33: Double-click Draft to start

adding the draft surfaces.

Create the extensions with the

parameters shown in the right side.

The draft extensions and bottom radius created

are much cleaner with the modifications.

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Step 34: Double-click Raw stock. This will

show the Stock and Holder definition
dialog.

Click on the blue box for the holder display

and scroll down the images till you select the
3R_50MM.MCAM Holder.

Change the parameters shown in the figure

for the FaceXY value.

Click Square under Stock Definition to

recalculate the stock size.

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Note the stock is added in at an angle since

Auto Angle Fit under Rotation is active.

You will notice that the value for Burn

Point3 is not rounded.

If we want to round the value and adjust the

Z height, we can use a height adjustment
option. Choose the Rounding PT3[Z] using
Z Stock and AddZ.

The following values are adjusted and give

us a rounded burn point value in Z! The
Stock Chamfer is now an integer value. The
difference is
added to the
Add_Z and Z
stock values.

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If you want the PT[3] (burn point

location) rounded to an integer value
and to eliminate the Add Z value (it
leaves a gap in the electrode extension
by the set value), you can re-adjust the
Draft extension value to make up for
this difference. Click on OK to accept
the changes in the Raw Stock dialog
and launch the Draft extension again.
Set the parameters as follows:

Return to the Raw

Stock dialog. You will
notice the values
changed for Add_Z
and Burn Point 3 and
the Z height

You can manipulate the values using the different rounding

methods and get your desired results for the electrode
extensions and stock size.

Click Ok to create the electrode.

Click End Edit to return to the ElectrodeMaker dialog.

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The figure shows the part with the two completed electrodes.

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USING CLONES TO CREATE MULITPLE ELECTRODE BURN POINTS

Often, electrodes have the same profile in multiple locations. Instead of creating multiple
electrodes at each location, the ElectrodeMaker clone feature can be used to copy the electrodes
to the desired locations.

NOTE: The geometry for each electrode is not copied – instead the burn locations are computed
and written to the reports.

Step 35: Right-click Elec1 in the Electrodes list and

select Edit/Create Clone from the menu.

The part is automatically placed in the Top geometric

view and the other electrodes hidden. It is displayed
in wireframe mode.

Step 36: Right-Click on the clones list and select

New Clone.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

This will create a new clone. Note that as long as

the clone name is highlighted in blue as shown in
the right side, the value below are activated.

Step 37: Press Shift and click near the

insertion point for Elec-1. Drag the
mouse in the direction of the new
clone– note the preview displayed for
the clone in yellow.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Note also the dx, dyand dz values under Offset

are updated.

These values can be used to precisely position

the clone.

Enter the values as shown and click Apply.

Note the electrode clone is now positioned

correctly.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 38: Click End Edit to return to the main ElectrodeMaker dialog.

Note the electrode is still displayed.

Switch to the ISO Gview and to Shaded displayed mode.

Check the box for Clones to display the

Clones as a sub-list of the main electrode.in
the list and the clone is no longer hidden.

Note the clone is now displayed in magenta

color.

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EXPORTING ELECTRODES FOR MACHINING

All the electrodes are saved in the same MCAM file as the part. To machine them and create the
toolpaths, the electrodes have to be saved to individual MCAM files.

ElectrodeMaker can export these electrodes automatically.

Step 39: In the ElectrodeMaker dialog,

click Export and select Elecs to folder
from the menu.

The Elecs to folder

dialog is displayed.

Make sure the settings

are as displayed.

If the output folder is

different, click Default to
set it to the correct
folder.

Click OK to export the electrodes to

individual MCAM folder. The file names are
the same as the electrode names.

If any of the electrode files are opened,

note that the electrode orientation has
been flipped for easier machining.

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PREPARING AND PUBLISHING REPORTS

ElectrodeMaker can automatically generate reports for shop floor documentation. The reports are
generated in XML folder and can be opened with any internet browser.

Step 40: In the ElectrodeMaker dialog, click

Export and select XML report from the
menu.

The XML Report dialog is displayed.

Click on Check all and Capture checked to capture the images.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Step 41: Ensure that the style sheet Style1.xsl is selected under XSL Settings.

Click the browse button and locate the file, if a different XSL file is selected.

Click Make XML to create the report and open it in the browser.

Note that the clone for Elec-1 has its burn location listed in the report below the gap
values.

Click Close to close the XML Report dialog and return to ElectrodeMaker.

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Step 42: Click Export and select To machine from the menu.

The Electrode Post Processing dialog is displayed.

Review the settings and click Create Mach. Report to generate the report. If an error is
displayed in the posting process, click on No from the error dialog in order to generate the
output file.

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The report is generated and opened in the default Mastercam editor.

This completes the process for making some electrodes using ElectrodeMaker.

More electrodes can be added to complete all the operations in the part using similar
methods to those outlined in this guide.

For more information on the advanced functions and options available in ElectrodeMaker,
please consult the Online help file.

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STL UTILITIES
STL Utilities from Moldplus offer 2 features integrated into the same interface. .STL file edge
creation and STL file splitting. Large STL files can be split into smaller files for machining or other
purposes using this tool. Edges from parts – especially prismatic parts can be easily created as
well.

STL TOOLS

To use this option, click on the STL Tools option from the Moldplus ribbon bar:

Click on File, New from Mastercam and then click on the icon to launch the interface.

Click on the icon to load an STL file. You are presented the following options:

You can load an STL file into the interface OR if an STL file is already loaded into the Mastercam
graphical interface, you can select the “Mastercam Mesh” option.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

In this case, we will load an external file. Choose the STL file option.

Select the STL_EXAMPLE.STL file provided and also located in the SHARED
MCAM2019\MOLDPLUS\MCAM\MOLDPLUS_EXAMPLES_MM\ folder.

The file is loaded in the STL parts list.

Click on the STL_EXAMPLE name in the path list to highlight the file. The part will be selected and
grid settings from the Split tab used to highlight the splitting process.

Set the values as shown above to create the Split grid. Also check the Close Bodies option to
close the split model.

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Based on the Visualizer options settings for Shading, Split Preview and Closed
Bodies checkbox, the display will be dynamic when you select any of the grid lines and start
dragging it along the containment box.

Clicking on any of the grid lines allows you to dynamically move the line segment AND preview
the split area dynamically.

If you zoom in close, if the STL body can be closed, a brown shaded face is displayed to indicate
that the body can be closed. In the image below, the arrow points to the section of the file where
the bodies will be closed when splitting the STL file.

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When you are ready to split the STL file, click on the Split icon. The STL file is sectioned (and
the bodies closed based on the setting) based on the grid lines AND automatically colored
differently! The STL part list is now populated with the 2 split STL components below the main
part name as part of the group. This allows you to split the file and perform further actions on the
sub components.

Clicking on one of the split parts allow for further action (additional splitting) without having to
exit the interface. Splitting the second part will result in the following:

The Undo/Redo buttons on the top of the dialog allow you to go manage the operations. Click on
the icon to undo the last split. To save the split parts, you can right click and have many
possible interactions.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

You can choose the Save the file as a Mastercam Mesh or Export as an STL file to the desired STL
output directory which can be configured in the Export tab.

You can click on Create Edges to create the edges of the selected part.

The Save tab allows for the following settings for managing which level to save the meshes to in
Mastercam, choose the types of edges to create, set the colors for the edges, etc.:

The Edges created are currently linear segments only.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

The Export tab allows you to select an Export folder for the STL files.

The Disconnect option allows for separating STL components that are not connected to one
another.

Clicking Disconnect will result in the following part files.

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FIXTURE DESIGN
Moldplus Fixture Design allows you to create the geometry for quick interlocked support plates to
mount parts for trimming or other finishing tasks.

Load the LASER_FIXTURE_PART.MCAM file from the SHARED

MCAM2019\MOLDPLUS\MCAM\MOLDPLUS_EXAMPLES_MM\ folder.

Launch the tool using the icon or using the Moldplus menu, select the Create Fixture
option.

The first tab in the dialog asks you to select the grid layout lines. Note that you need to create
the grid lines as wireframe geometry and store them on a separate level.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Click on the button. This will launch the Mastercam selection

feature. Window select all the red lines as shown below.

As soon as the lines are selected, a preview of the fixture support using the default parameters
are immediately displayed.

The tab now switches to the Settings. All parameter changes are immediately updated! Change
the Plate thickness to 12 mm. The plates preview are instantly updated.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Change the Plate thickness back to 12mm.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

Click on the Chamfer tab. You can decide if you wish to create a Chamfered edge for the plates
(default enabled) and change the values as shown. In the image below, when it is disabled, you
will get the following result.

Check the Enabled and ensure that the values are as shown. You will see the update for the
chamfers.

Click on Free space tab. Here you can change some of the internal gap calculations for the
plates.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

For holes or internal gaps, the plates are automatically offset by a set distance. In this case, by
the Height and Width. You can change the values if needed to get deeper or shallower offsets if
needed.

The Base plate option allows the creation of the Base plate to secure the connecting plates.

If the “Enabled” option is unchecked, the base plate is not created.

When it is enabled, you can create the base plate for the fixtures.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

The Settings tab only offers a Gap tolerance control for now. This helps to get better results for
the fixture plate creation.

Now that we are done reviewing the parameters and once we are satisfied with the preview, you
can click on the Output tab.

As default, all options are checked.

Stacked Holders creates all the plates as 2D wireframe and stacks them all with the origin as
the reference. Note that each plate wireframe is named different and stored on individual levels.

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 Moldplus Quick Start Guide

This allows for quick machining of these plates!

Nesting creates the 2D wireframe geometry in a nested format to allow for cutting the parts
from a large sheet using a waterjet or router. All these geometries are named and stored on the
same level.

The Assembly option creates surface geometry for all the plates. Individual Solids are created
for each of the plates.

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The Base Plate creates the Base plate wireframe geometry on the set level (default 400).

The resultant plate will have the following small slots created to fit the plates as mortises and
tenons. The right image shows 2 plates and how they would connect with the base plate.

A single plate with 4 anchors will be created as shown in the image below. The final set of fixtures
are created as shown on the right image.

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The plates can be created as Surfaces or Solids.

If the part level is hidden, the following is the result of the plates. For this part, 18 plates that are
stored as 18 Solids.

CONCLUSION
This concludes the Moldplus Quick Start Guide! For any further details on the product, please
refer to the Online help.

Any questions, comments or suggestions, please email [email protected]

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