How To Make A Left Handed Part From A Right Handed Model???

[61SedanMan]

O.K.....I am trying to be lazy here. I have an intricate part that I make for the drag racing industry. I made my model for right handed people and have written tons of code (Mastercam) that requires 7 fixturing points to complete. I am getting requests for a left handed model. Is there any easy way to make a mirror image part? It seems to me that keeping the Y's the same and reversing the X's would do it. Is there a setting that allows this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[HuFlungDung]

I'm not sure how often it works out well to do mirror image by sign reversal. If it matters to you whether the tool is climb milling or not, then it most likely means that you would want to redo the toolpath directions in CAM. But for hole pattern type positioning, it would probably make sense to use mirror image on the machine.

[Geof]

If there are no circular interpolation moves and no tool compensation mirroring one axis can work except as Hu points out you finish up doing conventional milling.

With circulars or tool comp things don't work. At least in my experience.

[61SedanMan]

Excellent points. I hadn't thought of the fact that I would be pushing the cutter rather than dragging it (there goes my surface finishes). I guess there is no easy way of going about this. Thanks.

[Geof]

Is it not possible to click the "Make Mirror Image" tab in Mastercam?

Do any CAD/CAM systems have this ability, to pervert a model?

[61SedanMan]

If there is, I can't find it. That would be a powerful tool, wouldn't it? Something that would automatically regenerate all toolpaths to give you mirror image parts. For $15,000, I would expect Mastercam to have something like that.

[flashno]

I agree with the others, using mirror or sign reversal at the machine will give mixed results - I wouldn't, on what's evidently a complex part.

But Mastercam CAN do this - just not with 1 or 2 mouse clicks. Exact method will vary depending on your version (8, 9, X, X2?), but it's basically, select all entities, Xform, Mirror, X axis. Regen all your toolpaths.

Then use backplot / verify to see what you have. Hole paths usually come out OK, as do *MOST* pockets. Contours generally retain original offset side, but since the MIRROR command changes the direction of the chain, you may need to reverse each one to have the tool on the correct side of the contour, and retain climb cut direction. Surfaces like flowlines can also change cut or step direction. It takes a little time to go through, but it beats the heck out of starting over!

As to the question of, should it be easier for $15K? I'll leave that one alone... but it WILL do what you want.

Ed

[Geof]

Originally Posted by flashno I agree with the others, using mirror or sign reversal at the machine will give mixed results - I wouldn't, on what's evidently a complex part...... ......But Mastercam CAN do this - just not with 1 or 2 mouse clicks. As to the question of, should it be easier for $15K? I'll leave that one alone... but it WILL do what you want. Ed

I guess it is the $50,000 CAD/CAM packages that do the single click mirroring.

[flashno]

Originally Posted by Geof I guess it is the $50,000 CAD/CAM packages that do the single click mirroring.

Spoken like a die-hard G-code programmer! Whom I have great respect for, BTW, as an old G-coder myself. But I niether bash nor praise Mastercam, it just happens to be what I know & use now. It is what it is. Just trying to help the original poster, who has M'CAM, just needs some direction.

Ed

[cncgooroo]

If this is on a Haas, you can just do mirror image on machine and if the operator is familiar with machine I would feel ok about it as long as he was.
But he will have to mirror part zero also, it is a little tricky, but it does work well.

Myself, I would mirror it on machine, and it would have to be very complex for me not to. As far as mastercam ..... cant help on the mirror thing.

[warrenb]

G52.1 (X or Y) will mirror a part about the axis you want to mirror on fadals. On my super old Tree there's a command to mirror but forget. I have NEVER run across a controller that will not let me mirror g-code without the CAM software. You'll just have to poke around your controller handbook.

[-Chris-]

I dont know what version of mastercam your useing but when i want o make an opposite of somthing ive allready programed i save my orginal to a new file name ( so you dont screw up the org.) and then mirror that geometry about the y-axis. That gives you your opposite part, then i go to the operations menu. you'll notice that all are red X'd out. I then go to each operation that need cutter comp and pick the chains by right clicking , a menu drops down and one of the options is to reverse chains click that. do this for each conture or pocket op. Then go back to the main operations menu and select all and do a regen. If you did it correctly all your cuts should be climb cuts Then repost I hope this makes even a little since.
and that it helps -Chris