Display a Fixture

[Smrtman5]

In Mastercam (x4) is there an easy way to display a fixture, like a vise or a chuck? Something where the machine would know its a crash if the tool intersected it.

I guess one could add it in under the stock option in verify, but that seems like cheating.

Under the machine definitions it seems like one can display the entire machine if there was a part file for it. Can you? Does anyone do this?

Thanks

[Superman]

A quick and dirty way is to combine both your stock and fixture as one solid, ( your solid must be joined together-seperate STL parts will not work ), and create a ( very coarse resolution -in the Save as "options" ) STL file and use that file as the stock
( selection of that file is in Verify options---shape=File, stock file = the file you just created.....if an alarm about watertight comes up...select the "use as is" )

[cadcam]

Sorry at this time there is no fixture checking in the toolpaths. a few of the advance 5 axis paths have an option to check tool against fixture.
in some of the paths you have holder detection and you can at the fixture as part of the path. like in the HST surface paths.
Other wise do as you thought.
(I guess one could add it in under the stock option in verify, but that seems like cheating. ) and I am not sure were this is cheating. is there such a thing in programming. :-)

[Smrtman5]

Haha, I guess its not cheating if it accomplishes the goal. :-p

Thanks!

[ahunter9624]

Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't X5 going to have a machine simulation in it? If so how capable is it and is it an addition we have to pay for or is it on the X5 install disk?

[Smrtman5]

That would be pretty cool if it were the case.

What other new features are slated for X5?

[ahunter9624]

go to the mastercam website and it has all the new stuff on there. My rep says X5 is due this fall so any time now hopefully

[nikolaiownz]

I would like to know how to get a vise in my mastercam programs.. Do i have to draw them myself or is there a feature in mastercam x5 to do it?