MASTERCAM NEWS - BLADE EXPERT

Mastercam Blade Expert simplifies the toolpath creation

process for any multi-bladed parts, including fans, propellers,

impellers, turbines, and marine screws. There is no limit to

the number of blades, splitters, or sub-splitters that can be

programmed.

Most of these parts are key components in a number of grow-

ing industries, including power generation, transfer, and pro-

pulsion. Blade Expert eliminates guess work, gives you

smooth toolpaths, and a dramatic reduction in programming

time.

Below are a few highlights of Blade Expert:

o A variety of powerful and flexible multiaxis roughing strategies

o All toolpaths are trimmed to the in-process stock for best efficiency

o Precise cut pattern control on blade, fillet, and floor finishing

o Automatic tool axis control, ensuring smooth machine motion

o Focused control on all air-moves, transitions, extensions, and linking

o Automatic collision avoidance between the part, fixture, and all tool components

o Full machine simulation to aid the user in getting the most out of the machine

o The best Reseller network in the industry, providing the best support in the industry

"Blade Expert has a clear, precise user interface which follows the consistent flow of all exist-

ing Mastercam 5-axis toolpaths," says Gary Hargreaves, VP, Business Development. "This new

tool in our toolbox has been fully tested and it is backed by 28 years of industry experience.

When you join the Mastercam family, you not only get superior tools, but you also gain a part-

ner in manufacturing solutions so you can cut any part with precision and confidence."

Here are some of the features in Mastercam X6 :

o Smart Hybrid Finishing: Hybrid finishing intelligently blends two efficient cutting techniques

in a single toolpath.

o OptiRough Toolpath: Mastercam's new 3D surface high speed OptiRough toolpath supports

cutters capable of machining very large depths of cut. OptiRough is a new technique designed

to remove large amounts of material quickly using its successful dynamic milling motion.

o New Dynamic Milling Techniques: Dynamic milling constantly adjusts the toolpath to ensure

the most efficient cut possible and allows use of the entire tool flute length, often eliminating

the need for multiple depth cuts.

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News - Up Coming Events

Manufacturing 4 The Future Booth # 1849

Where: Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (map)

When: Wednesday, Apr 25 & 26, 2012 Booth 137

New England's Unparalleled Resource for Medical Device and Biopharma De-

sign and Manufacturing Regardless of your unique medical device and equip-

ment design and development objectives, get immediate, hands-on access to the

products, services, and technologies you require for every stage of your prod-

uct’s development lifecycle.

Mfg4, the world-class event and conference that brings together the aerospace,

defense (including arms), medical and energy industries, is produced by The

Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). SME’s mission is to “acquire and

distribute manufacturing knowledge.” Because of that the organization is well

known all over the globe as the premier source for manufacturing knowledge,

education, and networking. SME’s core values are evident in every aspect of

Mfg4, where sharing knowledge and networking are the key products. SME is

uniquely qualified to pull together the major players in 4 powerhouse manufactur-

ing groups, and facilitate the exchange of ideas and information to advance in-

dustries and individuals.

Where: Connecticut Convention Center - Hartford, CT (map)

When: Tuesday, May 8, 2012

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Quick Mask for Groups

This new Quick Mask provides a shortcut to the Groups Manager dialog box for ge-

ometry selection. Instead of selecting All, Group Manager, you can simply click this

toolbar button and then double-click to quickly select all geometry assigned to a

group.

Override Solid Face Color on Import This new option, located in File, Open, Options

or Settings, Configuration, Converters, forces the colors of imported solids to take on

the current system color. This overrides any face or feature colors that have already

been applied to a solid.

What’s New In Mastercam - Quick Mask

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What’s New In Mastercam - 2D HST Dynamic Toolpath Improvements

The 2D HST Dynamic toolpaths (Core, Area, Rest, and Contour) include several en-

hancements in Mastercam X6: Variable Toolpath Radius The 2D HST Dynamic tool-

paths currently use the toolpath radius value as a hard value for both arc on/off motion

and sharp corner smoothing. At times, the tool cannot fit into narrow channels or be-

tween islands due to the toolpath radius size. Instead of using a smaller toolpath ra-

dius to fit into these areas, which limits the efficiency of the arc on/off motion, these

toolpaths now automatically adjust the toolpath radius in these areas. This allows the

tool to fit into tight areas and mill deeper in sharp corners. You can enter a minimum

toolpath radius on the Cut Parameters page.

Zigzag Motion Support

With this new feature, you can now use zigzag toolpath motion for open passes to

optimize your dynamic toolpaths. The toolpaths use the toolpath radius to

smoothly exit and enter material during direction changes. When machining

closed contours, the toolpath defaults to climb milling. Note: This change does

not apply to Dynamic Contour toolpaths.

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2D High Speed Toolpaths (HST) - Basic

Overview of HST. This will cover 2D HST showing you

a step by step orientation of the feature in Mastercam.

3D High Speed Toolpaths (HST) - Basic

Overview of HST. This will cover 3D HST showing you

a step by step orientation of the feature in Mastercam.

Date & Time Place

May 8, 2012 1pm-3pm Cimquest - Sterling, MA

Date & Time Place

April 10, 2012 9am –11am Cimquest - Sterling, MA

June 27, 2012 1pm-3pm Windsor Locks, CT

Feature Based Machining - FBM & FBD

- Basic Overview of how to use FBM & FBD to assist in

your machining process, this will cover set up and a step

by step orientation of the feature in Mastercam.

Date & Time Place

April 10, 2012 1pm-3pm Cimquest - Sterling, MA

May 30, 2012 1pm-3pm Windsor Locks, CT

June 12, 2012 9am-11am Cimquest - Sterling, MA

Upcoming Events From Cimquest New England

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Understanding Machine & Control

Definitions - Basic understanding of how Machine

and Control Definitions' interact with Post processors

Date & Time Place

May 8, 2012 9am-11am Cimquest - Sterling, MA

Date & Time Place

TBD Cimquest - Sterling, MA

Date & Time Place

April 25, 2012 1pm-3pm Windsor Locks, CT

June 12, 2012 1pm-3pm Cimquest - Sterling, MA

Mastercam Setup Sheet - Basic introduction into

Mastercam's new set up sheet and active reports.

Upcoming Events Cimquest New England

Work Coordinate System (WCS) - Basic Overview of how WCS's work and how to create,

name and save them.

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UPrint Applications

1. Prepare the file. Create your 3D model in CAD software, then click “print.”

CatalystEX software converts your CAD system’s STL output into 3D model

printing instructions, including support structures, that guide the uPrint Printer ex-

trusion head.

2. Print your model. uPrint Printers use patented Stratasys FDM® (Fused Depo-

sition Modeling) technology to build your 3D model and its support material,

layer by layer, from the bottom up on a removable modeling base.

3. Remove supports. Take your printed model out of the uPrint Printer build

chamber, pop it off the modeling base and dissolve away the soluble support ma-

terial. Then, your model is ready to use, or ready for any post-processing you

want: drilling, tapping, machining, sanding, painting, even chrome plating.

A basic uPrint or uPrint Plus 3D Printing System includes everything you need

to start making 3D models in durable ABSplus plastic.

For a price less than you’d expect, you get a uPrint or uPrint Plus Personal 3D

Printer with one material bay, CatalystEX software, modeling bases, ABSplus

model material, soluble support material and a start-up kit with cables, parts and

tools. Just unpack, set up, install software, load materials and start making 3D

models.

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Mastercam Tech Tip Knowing Zip2Go

Zip2Go

Zip2Go is a file compression/decompression utility built right into Mastercam. It is similar to WinZip but has the advantage of being optimized for Mastercam; It packs your current .mcx file, configuration data, machine definition files and postprocessor in one tidy bundle… 1. To get started open a Mastercam file

with some toolpaths in it.

2. Click Help-Zip2Go Utility

3. A dialog box opens with some option boxes.

4. Click the Create Zip2Go button

and a moment later the upper white area of the window will display a list of files packed in the zip2go file…

5. Click the green check to complete the process. The file has a .Z2G extension will be stored by default in the My Documents folder.

While the zip2go window is still open you can remove files by highlighting them and pressing the delete key.

You can add additional files in the command menu.

Or open an existing Z2G from the file menu

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Mastercam Basic Lathe - April 5-6, 2012@ Cimquest Sterling MA Design, interface & configuration. project setup, Toolpaths & NC output.

Mastercam Basic Mill - April 9-11, 2012@ Windsor Lock, CT Design, interface & configuration. project setup, 2D Toolpaths & NC output.

Mastercam Intermediate Mill - April 12 & 13, 2012 @ Cimquest Sterling MA 2D HST, 3D geometry, Workplanes, Fixture Offsets, 4-Axis Indexing

Mastercam Advanced Mill - April 18-20, 2012 @ Cimquest Sterling MA Surface creation & manipulation, 3D toolpaths, multi-surface toolpaths & verification

April 11, 2012 @ Cimquest Sterling MA - Session 1 - 9am-12noon

April 11, 2012@ Cimquest Sterling MA - Session 2 - 1pm-4pm

April 25, 2012@ Windsor Lock, CT - Session - 9am-12noon

Upcoming Mastercam Training

Upcoming Mastercam Tech Days