Estimating machining time

[wildcat]

Is there a quick way in Mach3 to get an estimate of the running time of a program? I have been putting Mach into Offline mode and running the program but that obviously is not a very quick way.

Thanks

[joecnc2006]

Go TOOLPATH, then SIMULATE TOOL RUN...

[HayTay]

Click on "Toolpath" button at the top of the screen (or press Alt-4 keyboard combo). On the Toolpath screen click the "Simulate Program Run" button under the G-Code display window. See the "Estimated Program Run Time 00:00:00" display for the estimated run time.

That's all there is to it.

Have fun...

[wildcat]

Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. Still takes a while to get an estimate but a heck of a lot better than simply letting the program run offline. FWIW: I tried the following program as an initial test and Mach3 1.84 never finished it. Seemed to get stuck around line 966. I only tried the simulate mode.

http://www.industrialhobbies.com/Pro...eaf_clover.txt

[HayTay]

Thanks! ...an initial test and Mach3 1.84 never finished it. Seemed to get stuck around line 966. I only tried the simulate mode.

You're welcome! The unregistered versions of Mach2/Mach3 will only process 1000 lines of g-code. No doubt this is why it "seemed to get stuck around line 966."

It won't take you long to realize that Mach3 is one heck of a program and well worth the $160 US. My demo version lasted less than a week before I whipped out the credit card and purchased a license. From reading other Mach2/3 user posts, a week seems to be about the average time to purchase.

Good luck with your projects.