MASTERCAM X5 SURFACE HOW TO

In most cases, no single tool path will give you uniform results everywhere in the same operation. Using SF Contour, your going to get different surface finishes on the faces depending on the slope anyway. Program those upper faces using a different strategy, say blend, flowline, parallel and so on also using depth limits. If this sounds like to much BS, set your depth limits to start at a negative value that is greater than your tool radius (for SF Contour) and keep adjusting the depth until you get uniform results. BTW, using dummy drive surfaces can be an excellent way of controlling how a tool enters and exits the cut without using directional controls or tangential line length extensions, which can easily crud up a pristine tool path. This method can produce dummy drive surfaces much quicker depending on the geometry. You can also use the edges of the surfaces, create curves around them, offset the curves inward by a amount greater than your tool nose radius then extrude new faces upward. Now when you program the toolpath, include all those newly trimmed surfaces and use the depth limits in the toolpath, of course setting the top to Z0.0. When your satisfied with the results, look at the surfaces closely and make sure they do not overlap. If the top edge has a rad on it, you will have to get creative and create vertical surfaces in that area that will work. Trim those surfaces to the adjacent surface or edge curves that you create. Next, extend those surfaces so that they go through the adjacent surface completely.

Extend all those faces well above the part. To extend them, copy the original surfaces to a new level.

06 rad on tool, extend your surfaces by at least. Knowing the radius of your tool, extend all those faces well above the part by at least the tool radius.Д®X. As you've found out, extending those surfaces above the part will smooth it out some. The reason the tool is hopping around is because it is trying to cut tangent to those faces at the top 1st. I'm guessing that the part your trying to cut with SF Contour has faces around the perimeter with different slopes and or edge geometry at the top. Is there a tool in Mastercam that could make a checkout of drive surfaces giving a response about inner flowline direction of surfaces checked and giving the chance to modify such direction?ДЄny suggestions to help me in understanding how Mastercam approach what highlighted above?ДЄre there some exhaustive tutorials clearing out these doubts? Sometimes I get an error message telling me 'Surfaces selected not aligned or ruled' also in case the surfaces selected, at first sight, look like flowline ruled in the same direction. How does Mastercam interpret the drive surfaces as flowline ruled?

MASTERCAM X5 SURFACE HOW TO

I also need help in understanding how to use rough and finish flowline toolpaths properly. My goal is to have a toolpath which follows smoothly the drive surfaces selected (without fake stock value) since these surfaces are part of finish machined 3D geometry. If I set up the stock to 0.02mm the toolpath is almost smooth and acceptable but I don't understand why I have to introduce a fake stock of 0.02mm to have the toolpath almost acceptable. The toolpath doesn't follow smoothly the drive surfaces and presents a lot of 'break and retract motions'. I have set up the stock to 0.0mm and kept the rest of default parameters. The result is that the toolpath is enough even and smooth and follows smoothly the drive surfaces pattern selected.ДЄs second operation, I have used surface finish countouring by selecting the same drive surfaces and containment boundary used for roughing operation. Granted that I am a beginner in using mastercam, I need some help in understanding the methodological approach needed to implement surface toolpath (rough and finish).ДЄs case of study I have got a set of surfaces describing a 3D open contour.ДЄs first operation, I have used surface rough contouring by leaving a stock of 0.3mm and using a boundary 2D chain as containment boundary (the tool is restrained to path internally the containment boundary).

Mastercam x5 surface