|
|
What’s
New in Mastercam Lathe Version 9.1
|
Welcome
This document is a summary of enhancements completed for Lathe Version 9.1. The primary focus of Version 9.1 is the release of the Router product. At the same time, we are incorporating just a few new features that could be done without impacting our plans for Version X. In the course of developing a new Lathe product, we have not added many new features or addressed many requests for Version 9.1. We have fixed a number of bugs that were necessary fixes while trying to impact future Lathe product development as little as possible. The bugs and requests we have addressed are listed in this document.This version release is part of our ongoing software improvement plan as we progress toward Mastercam X.
Listed below are the Lathe V9.1 product enhancements.
· Backplot
· Verify
· Requests Addressed by Database Number
· Bugs Addressed by Database Number
A new function was added in Backplot that allows you to display a 3-dimensional shaded tool. To use this function:
1. Go to the Backplot menu (Main Menu, NC Utils, Backplot or the Backplot button in the Operations Manager).
2. Toggle Show tool to Y.
3. Toggle Verify to N.
4. Choose Display, select the Appearance tab, and select Shaded in the Tool section.
The following picture shows an example of a shaded tool in Backplot.
In Version 9.1, TrueSolid verification is now supported for Lathe Mill/Turn toolpaths.
Also, when using Verify in Lathe Version 9.1, please note that all ID tool holders (round and rectangular) are represented as rectangular shank tools and all rectangular dimensions are actual size. Round shank holders are represented with the rectangle thickness equal to the insert + 0.125mm or 0.05 inches and the width equal to the shank diameter specified in the tool description.
The verification results are
correct to the actual shape specified in the tool description and part
boundary. However, when verifying operations using a round shank tool holder,
you may see that the rectangular shape representation will appear to collide
with the workpiece, when in fact, no collision has occurred. This is a visual
representation only and no collision will be reported, because the verification
is using the round shank profile for collision detection and reporting.
In addition, there is a known problem when verifying metric Lathe threading toolpaths. The Speed/Quality slider bar on the Configuration dialog box must be set to one of the two highest Quality settings (all the way to the right) for the thread profile to be displayed, as shown on the following picture.
There is a new post update utility called UPDATEPST9.DLL which will alter Lathe and Mill/Turn-type posts. Since Version 9 is a major release, posts that have been written for any earlier version must be updated to ensure proper functionality and safety. Even if your post was previously updated for use with Version 9.0, you do want to update it again for use with Mastercam Version 9.1. If a post from a release prior to v9.0 is used, Mastercam will issue a warning to you with instructions to run this DLL file. This function is found under the NC utils, Post processor menu.
The following changes are made if you run the DLL file:
Questions 159, 1503, 1520, 1521, and 1530 are added to all post processors.
159. Show first and last
position as fully compensated in simulation? N
1503. Write transform
operations (0=transform ops, 1=source ops, 2=both)? 1
1520. Display a warning when
cutter compensation in control simulation finds an error? N
1521. Number of controller
look-ahead blocks for CDC in control? 2
(Note: The 1521 question is for future use.)
1530. Ignore work offset
numbers when processing subprograms? Y
The 1530 question directs Mastercam to ignore the work offset numbers when processing transform operations for subprograms. If the response to this question is Y (yes), transform toolpaths will create a single subprogram number even if the work offset numbers do not match in copied patterns. This happens frequently with rotate transform toolpaths. Ignoring the work offset number prevents identical subprograms from being generated.
Questions 3010 and 3011 were added to Lathe and Mill/Turn post files during the update to Version 9.0.
3010. Minimum inch/revolution
feedrate? .002
3011. Minimum mm/revolution
feedrate? .05
If these questions exist in the Lathe or Mill/Turn post that you are updating AND the answers (the values after the ?) are exactly as shown above, they are replaced with the new settings shown below. If these questions do NOT already exist in the post, they are added as shown below.
3010. Minimum inch/revolution
feedrate? 0.0001
3011. Minimum mm/revolution
feedrate? 0.0025
Lathe and Mill/Turn post files also have the following new question added:
3030. Enable canned roughing
undercuts selection option? N
Lathe and Mill/Turn post files have the following obsolete question removed:
108. Name of associated Mill
post?
This new post switch variable is
added to all posts (except Wire posts):
skp_lead_flgs : 1 #Do NOT use v9 style contour flags
This "demotes" the new
style contour flags (like Wire has had) so the post does not see any different
values than it was used to. If you alter your post to use the new style contour
flags in Version 9.1 Lathe, be sure to change the answer for "skip_lead_flgs"
to 0 (zero).The addition of this flag is
very important.
For information on what this update procedure does to the post processor, see the UPDATEPST9.HLP help file in the Chooks directory.
Post Numbered Questions Information
The new names for these files are Mill9.PNQ, Lathe9.PNQ, Wire9.PNQ and Router9.PNQ. PNQ = Post Numbered Questions. These files provide additional information about the numbered questions in the post processor.
Support for Full 360 Degree Arcs
With some simple changes to the post, it is now possible to output full circles as a single 360-degree arc move instead of two 180-degree moves. Refer to the Post update documentation mentioned below for details.
Additional Post Changes
All new post information specific to Version 9 is documented in a file called Post Processors - What's New in V9.PDF. This file is installed in the same directory as the What's New files for each product (C:\Mcam9\Whats New).
9926: Added Backplot support to simulate sub-spindle operations.
12994: Added an edit control to the Tool parameters dialog box for the variable 'lstation.' It is written out to the 1016 line on parameter 14 (same as Mill). This parameter is used to indicate the turret position or station.
15372: Support has been added for a bar stop operation. This is handled in the Miscellaneous Operations Stock advance feature and is supported with specific post configurations.
17081: Added support to set a different tool clearance for ID operations than for OD operations. The ID operations need a very small clearance to avoid collision warnings, but the OD operations need a larger clearance for safety. The tool clearance can be set separately for each operation. The following picture shows the available options, which can be accessed from the Lathe Job Setup dialog box.
17912: The Version 9 Lathe Tutorial has been published using metric parts, metric tools, and metric parameter values. This version is supplied in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. Contact your Mastercam Reseller to obtain a copy.
18142: Allowed the boring bar tip compensation to be compensated in X or Z so the tip is moved correctly for the orientation of the tool.
18165: Added support in Verify for Mill/Turn in TrueSolid mode. This includes the ability to dynamically pan, rotate, or zoom.
18262: Added the ability to control plunge cuts within a canned
cycle. Not all machine tool controllers can handle undercuts, so you will need
post question 3057 to enable undercutting only when the controller supports it.
Plunge parameters are now available in canned rough. See the following graphic
for an example.
18528: This is the same as request #18262 and has been implemented.
18532: When using the Rotary axis Unroll function, you could create a toolpath without entering a diameter value, thus using the default setting of 1. This would sometimes cause an incomplete toolpath or an error. Now a diameter value must be entered in the Rotary Axis dialog box, or you will not be able to exit the dialog box.
19327: Added
a warning to Miscellaneous Operations if you do not select geometry. It isn't
always necessary to select geometry, so a warning is a good idea.
19639: Decreased the minimum value in CSS and feed rate fields to accept any 5-decimal place value. The minimum feed rate is set using post questions 3010 and 3011, and has been adjusted to allow for the lower feed rates.
21038: Same as request # 19639 and has been addressed.
21251: Enabled the "% of material CS" field when defining a drill in Lathe. This option was previously disabled. This allows for more control of the RPM based on a user-defined percentage.
19412: Added the ability to control the distance of the 45-degree clearance move in Groove Finish toolpaths. In Quick Finish toolpaths, the only control is adjusting the Tool Clearance value in Job Setup. Note the image below.
19422: Adjusted the default step amount in the Groove Rough
parameters. In metric mode, the default step amount had been 2.0mm. This amount
is too big for most groove toolpaths and can result in stock collision errors.
This has been corrected, and the default step amount has been set to a
percentage of the tool width.
19464: In the LATHE9.TXT file, menu 1 {"View Lathe Tool Geometry:” "&File save", "&Level save", Continue"} has been corrected to "&Continue".
19544: A specific Lathe file was causing Mastercam to crash when
verifying a groove toolpath. This problem has been corrected with a new
verification API from LightWorks.
19647: Corrected the Lathe view matrices to handle arcs in View 12
(left-handed matrices). Lathe did not handle arcs in View 12 correctly – you
had to recreate the arcs in a different view.
19875: Adjusted the Overlap option in Roughing toolpaths so that it behaves the same on arcs as in all other situations.
20112: Adjusted the algorithm in Canned Rough and Canned Finish toolpaths so that they use the same Roll around corners value and output the same profile to the post processor, instead of the finish toolpath being output in Longhand code.
20132: Roughing toolpaths occasionally did not cut a selected
profile completely down to the centerline. The same applications worked
correctly in Version 8. Starting the chain at the centerline was causing stock
boundary failures, but has been corrected.
20155: Same as Bug #19647 and has been corrected.
20167: Same as Bug #20132 and has been corrected.
20192: When analyzing a spline, the Start Z and End Z values
displayed in the prompt area were incorrect if the Cplane was set to +DZ. The
values were correct if the Cplane was set to Top. This has been corrected.
20203: If you edited a tool used in an operation, it caused the operation to be marked for regeneration. If you regenerated the operation and posted it, the maximum spindle speed in the NCI was set to 0 (zero). If you then opened the operation, the maximum spindle speed was set to 5000. If you then closed the operation without changing anything, the operation was marked as dirty, because the maximum spindle speed had changed. This problem has been corrected.
20216: In a Lathe operation, the tool could feed from the reference
point when it should rapid due to the cut depth of the first cut. This has been
fixed so that if no cuts are made at the first cut depth, the tool rapids to
the start of the second cut depth.
20255: Fixed the situation where if the system units changed when a part is loaded (for example, from inch to metric) and a new tool was created, it would default to the wrong units. This has been fixed by reinitializing the lathe tool class after the MC9 file is read so the units match.
20257: The Groove toolpath was causing a “tool collision on offset chain" error if you had the tool back offset number enabled. The toolpath was correct, but the error message was wrong. This has been fixed so you only get a warning on a real collision.
20334: Using the Operation Manager, Get from Library feature, you
cannot import all operations from a specific file. This is a sample file (QUICK FINISH.MC9) and the custom tool
has been repaired, and the error has been corrected.
20386: Changing the Lead in/out on a Finish operation was causing improper collision warning messages. This has been fixed so you only get a warning on a real collision.
20397: Selecting a tool will set the default rough direction and
compensation direction of a toolpath. You can then change parameters, like the
cut direction, to utilize the tool in a different way. But after changing the
toolpath parameters, if you reselect the tool again, the cut direction would be
changed back to the original setting. This has been addressed by not setting
parameters from the tool when the tool has already been selected.
20407: Same as Bugs # 20132 and 20167 and has been corrected.
20428: Arc moves in Rough and Finish toolpaths can get broken into
two moves depending on the plunge parameter settings. When Clearance angle is
used, the arc move was broken. When Tool width was used, the arc move is not
broken. This has been corrected so that the arc move does not get broken when
using Clearance angle.
20594: Corrected Canned ID roughing toolpaths so they can no longer pass an incorrectly defined boundary on to subsequent operations.
20598: Fixed the “Illegal operation page fault in Kernel32.dll” error message when verifying with TrueSolid or Standard mode in metric.
20615: In the C-axis Face contour parameters tab, the Multi Passes button has a Machine finish passes radio button, which would not remain selected when repeatedly entering this dialog box. This has been corrected.
20625: When creating a C-axis cross drill toolpath, the rotary axis default is Y-axis. If you changed the rotary axis default to C axis in your configuration file (lathe9.cfg, lathe9m.cfg, etc.), it wouldn't work. This has been corrected.
20631: Corrected the “corrupt file” error message that you received
when reading an MC7 file in Version 9.0. The file would read into Version 8.1
correctly. This has been corrected by not looking for certain custom tool
parameters when reading older files, as this aspect of the software has changed
between versions.
20646: When using Y-axis rotation with a face drilling toolpath and
drilling parallel to the axis of rotation, you would get a G80 between the
holes, but this code was incorrect. Drilling with rotary axis now checks to see
if the drill direction is parallel to the axis of rotation. Previously, it only
checked this setting for a face drilling operation.
20647: In face drilling, if you switched from C axis to Y axis in
the Rotary Axis dialog box, the settings were not kept. In cross drilling, if
you switched from Y axis to C axis in the Rotary Axis dialog box, the settings
were not kept. This has been corrected so that the rotary axis options are not
forced based on toolpath type. Tip: If you want C-axis motion, then use face
drilling or Mill drilling. If you want Y-axis motion, use cross drilling or
Mill drilling. If you want no rotary motion, then use Mill drilling.
20674: When creating a C-axis cross drill toolpath, if you opened the Tool/Construction plane dialog box, the operation was marked as dirty and the origin position changed. This was changed to Mill Bug #20676 and has been fixed.
20729: In the Chain Manager dialog box, when selecting Add chain
from the right-click menu, you did not have the option to select a solid chain.
Solid chaining has been added for all Lathe functions. You do not have to have
a license of Mastercam Solids for solid chaining to work.
20747: Corrected the Cplane/Gview display in the Secondary Menu. In Lathe, if you changed the Cplane to +XZ, the Secondary Menu showed +XZ. If you then changed the Cplane to –XZ, the Secondary Menu now showed 3D. It should have showed –XZ instead. If you selected Gview Top, the Cplane on the Secondary Menu changed to -XZ.
20787: Corrected an incorrect feed rate mode (IPM instead of IPR) on Groove Finish toolpaths. The proper value was output with Groove Rough toolpaths. If you posted both toolpaths, you could see where -0.02 in the rough toolpath became 0.02 in the finish toolpath. This only happened with chained grooves, not 1 point, 2 point or 3 line grooves. This has been corrected to output the feed rate with the right units.
20788: Same as Bugs # 20155 and #19647 and has been corrected.
20794: A Drill toolpath that ended at the same Z depth as the stock
boundary created an improper stock boundary. This has been corrected.
20797: In the Lathe Tools dialog, the help button did not work on all the tab pages. It worked on the turning, boring and custom tool tabs, but didn’t work on the groove, thread or drill tabs. This has been corrected in the help files.
20913: Reordering operations in the Operations Manager could cause improper tool motion in specific instances. This has been corrected.
20957: Same as bug #20747 and has been corrected.
20965: Same as bugs #20132, #20407, and #20167 and has been corrected.
20966: When re-entering a dialog box, the system did not return to the same tab on the dialog box. This has been changed so that you return to the last dialog box tab that you were working with.
20977: In lathe drilling toolpaths, drill points are commonly around the outside of a cylinder and points on opposite sides were incorrectly filtered out as duplicate points. The default now sets Duplicate point checking to Off to fix this problem.
20982: The Stockvw C-Hook is now part of the Lathe software and no longer works as a separate C-Hook. The DLL has been removed from the C-Hooks directory for Version 9.1
21021: Repaired the Renumber tools option in the Operations Manager right-click menu (Options, Renumber tools) so that it renumbers both Mill and Lathe tools.
21038: Same as Request # 19639 and has been corrected.
21095: Corrected the Version 9 Lathe sample part "Sub Spindle
Demo2 - mm.mc9" so the spindle speed in all of the drill operations is no
longer 0 (zero).
21169: Using the Stock transfer operation in a part file, and translating the solid with the stock to a new position while selecting not to "blank original geometry" and "offset by” 10 levels, the part does not end up on level 11. There is some data on level 21, but it is not visible. This has been corrected.
21174: Same as Bug #20729 and has been corrected.
21176: When regenerating toolpaths in a part file with a solid
model in both spindles, the solid flashes back and forth between the 2
spindles. This has been corrected.
21182: When importing toolpaths from another MC9 file using the Import Setup button in Lathe Job Setup, the home positions were set to the system defaults. This has been corrected, and the original operation values are now maintained.
21183: When importing toolpaths from another MC9 file through the Operations Manager, the home positions were set to the system defaults. This has been corrected, and the original operation values are now maintained.
21199: Mastercam was crashing between the first toolpath and the third toolpath in a specific scenario. This has been corrected.
21204: When setting the Overlap on the Finish Parameters tab for Groove toolpaths, manually selecting the overlap position was causing improper toolpath creation. This has been fixed so you cannot select an option that will not work correctly.
21205: Same as Bug #20966 and has been corrected.
21229: Using Lathe v9.0 SP1, if you clicked the Help button on the dialog that appears when the "Adjust Contour Ends" button is selected on the Finish Parameters page on a Lathe Finish toolpath, you received the error message “Cannot find the context id #7194”. This has been fixed in the help files.
21242: The new v9.1 Verify with TrueSolid crashes on a certain lathe part file. Also, if TrueSolid is turned off, the part switches to a vertical orientation when isometric view is selected. But with TrueSolid, it shows a horizontal orientation when isometric view is selected. This has been corrected.
21260: Same as Bug #20112 and has been corrected.
21320: When Cplane was set to +DZ and more than one point in the graphics window had a diameter coordinate of 0, then the relative D and Z distances between the points were missing from the Analyze results. This has been corrected so that if one or both of the points are on the centerline, the diameter value is now shown.
21334: Plunge parameters are now available in canned rough. This is the same plunge parameter that is used in regular rough toolpaths. The only difference is that plunging in an undercut is disabled, because most machines do not support plunging in an undercut in canned roughing. But you can enable plunging in an undercut by setting post question 3057. This has also been added to the help files.
21334: Help documentation has been added for the new lathe function called “Wall Backoff” in groove finish and canned groove finish toolpaths.
21405: Help documentation has been added for the new Plunge parameters function in canned rough toolpaths.
21414: If programming a Stock Advance using Tool Stop, LSOF should be called with the NCI as shown in the following example:
1001
1111 100 2 9 9 5000 8 0 -0.01 0 0. 0. 0. 5. 0. 10. 1 0.
911
0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.
912
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
902
0 1 0.222 0. 0. 0. 1.375 -0.02 -0.01 0. 0. 0. 0.
This was a bug in the NCI file
and has been corrected. The rules for a tool change require that we always have
the rapid move (Gcode 0 or 1) after the tool change line (Gcode 1000, 1001,
1002). This is a required format and applies to all toolpath types.
21461: Rough and Finish toolpaths have gouges at the radiused corners. Using Backplot with Verify on, you can see it inverts the corner radius. This has been corrected.
21471: A warning stating "There are overlapping entities in the geometry" occurs randomly depending on the .CFG file being used. This has been corrected.
21501: Verify TrueSolid or Standard mode can cause an illegal operation page fault in Kernel32.dll when doing a C-axis toolpath. This has been corrected.
21505: Regenerating a locked operation in Lathe causes a debug message, "unknown gcode". This has been corrected.
21519: Extending a contour with cutter compensation could create errors. This has been corrected.
21600: The toolpath is incorrect with the stock recognition set to “use stock for outer boundary”. This has been corrected.
21629: Generate a groove toolpath using chain and have extend/shorten start of contour turned off. Then use extend/shorten start of contour and add a distance. The extend/shorten start of contour is still turned off. This has been corrected.
21662: Verify shows a gouge in a multiaxis drill toolpath that Backplot and Mill Verify do not show. This has been corrected.
21707: Using a canned roughing cycle (face), there have been inconsistent rapid moves when "Extend contour to stock" is enabled. This has been corrected.
21708: When creating a cutoff toolpath and adding a radius in the parameters, the radius would not always be included in the toolpath. This has been fixed.
21784: When the compensation on a facing tool is changed to center, the facing operation does not output any finish passes. This has been corrected.
21841: In chain groove finish, in the lead in/out dialog, the options for Extend/shorten and Add line have been disabled because these options are already on the groove shape page. This has been updated in the Help files.
22001: The Draw Tool function does not work on 2 specific types of tool holders (right-hand and left-hand ID Groove holders). This has been corrected.
22002: Button tool compensation in Lathe rough toolpaths is to the center of the tool no matter what type of compensation you pick. This leads to programming errors if you choose any compensation type other than center. This has been corrected.
22036: When using the new shaded tool option in Lathe Backplot, the shading doesn't take effect until you exit and re-enter Backplot. This has been corrected.
22348: A specific part file posts correctly when the ops are canned rough, canned finish, and drill. But it doesn't post right when the ops are canned rough, drill, and canned finish. The operations have been swapped so that the canned rough is intersected by the drilling operation. The G71 (roughing) comes out correct but the canned finish (G70) disappears and is substituted by a subprogram. This was fixed by allowing the feed rate to be different between canned finish and canned rough.
22349: If the toolpaths are ordered as canned rough, canned finish, and drill, the correct codes are produced (G71 and G70 codes). But if they are ordered as canned rough, drill, then canned finish, there is no G70 code produced for the canned finish cycle. This was corrected as follows:
If a canned finish profile does not match the canned rough profile, then a pattern recall is not possible. In the past, we would write the canned finish as a subprogram instead of a pattern recall. This is not what people were expecting so they though the post didn't work correctly. We now have an error check when the profiles don't match. The first check is for matching tool nose radius.
The second check is for matching profiles. In the following picture, the rough and finish tools have the same tool nose radius but different insert angles. Depending on the shape of the contour, the profiles may be different. In this case, the plunge angle into the groove will be different, so a pattern recall is not possible.
If this happens, you will get the following message:
