Volume

[mace]

A simple volume milling seq. time took to generate about 3 mins.
rgh and finish in this op 6061 al.

Ill try to explain in under one page

In Pro e volume milling is creating a solid mass around features on reference part that you want to machine puting excess material before the reference part using any shapes to create the mass then trimming volume to reference part leave more or less excess to decide on how many passes are need to rough to the part and after roughing is done there are parameters to finish all in one sequence.

[Rekd]

I'm not quite sure what the function of VOLUME is. Could you elaborate?

'Rekd

[cadman]

Originally posted by mace A simple volume milling seq. time took to generate about 3 mins. rgh and finish in this op 6061 al. Ill try to explain in under one page In Pro e volume milling is creating a solid mass around features on reference part that you want to machine puting excess material before the reference part using any shapes to create the mass then trimming volume to reference part leave more or less excess to decide on how many passes are need to rough to the part and after roughing is done there are parameters to finish all in one sequence.

Good to see someone who's passionate about his software. I've seen your posts and suggest you might try to explain things a little better. You are kind of hard to follow. Anyways I think you are trying to say in your other posts that ProE machines faster because it will create stock shapes other than squares and cylinders and will calculate from those shapes. Just my 2 cents, but in Gibbs you can designate any shape as stock or as a fixture too, and I assume other systems have similar capabilities too. And looking at your example here, any system will machine those same toolpaths. Feeds & speeds are largely what will determine machine times here.
I've seen ProE in action and I like the cad side, Which I'm considering to switch over from SolidWorks, but I wasn't impressed with the cam side.

cm

[Rekd]

Originally posted by cadman Good to see someone who's passionate about his software. I've seen your posts and suggest you might try to explain things a little better. You are kind of hard to follow. Anyways I think you are trying to say in your other posts that ProE machines faster because it will create stock shapes other than squares and cylinders and will calculate from those shapes. Just my 2 cents, but in Gibbs you can designate any shape as stock or as a fixture too, and I assume other systems have similar capabilities too. And looking at your example here, any system will machine those same toolpaths. Feeds & speeds are largely what will determine machine times here. I've seen ProE in action and I like the cad side, Which I'm considering to switch over from SolidWorks, but I wasn't impressed with the cam side. cm

+ 1 on all accounts.

Mastercam does the stock shape as well. It also does, (I believe, judging from the vague description of volume,) that kind of pocketing, as well as many many others. It also does what it calls Re-Machining or RestMilling, where you can define 'cut' stock either by a previous operation, or by a user defined tool size. It will check areas that can't be hit with the big tool, and hit only those areas with the smaller one.

How are the posts with ProM? In Mastercam, you can control literally EVERYTHING, including ways of launching external programs, (Excel, and populate it with tool and part data for setup sheets), custom drill cycles which I can use to generate 'drop-stops', engraving cycles, deep hole peck drilling using IJK, etc etc etc without ANY edits to the NC files.

It's virtually limitless what you can do with it. The learning curve is months, not years, it's affordable, it's extremely popular with one of the best support groups I've seen for ANY cad/cam software.

The only thing I've seen so far is the associativity with rev changes, which Mastercam does, but probably not as well as ProE with ProM. But to me that's not an issue. The cost savings would take me decades to justify spending that kind of money.



'Rekd

[mace]

About the price difference Our MasterCam dealer just gave me quote of $12,900 for level three Plus 2 to 3,000 for post that works in 4-5,axis He said that" it will not give good toolpaths in 4 to 5 axis without this post."(prizim Eng. P.A.)

Thats alot of change from what i understand Gibbs is up past that $20,000 for full package solids and every everything and not really a good design software ,But i never used it that is just hearsay. (can someone post prices for Gibbs)

My quote from Proe today is $3995. Many modules are included in this design foundation Prodetail, proreport to name a few and $10,999 for Pro nc and VERICUT level 2 this package is indexing to 4 and 5 axis live tooling lathes 4 axis EDM GPOST post processing GREAT program $8,000 if you buy it from Austin NC you can create custom 5 axis post in 15 minutes all done in a JAVA console

Full Blown NC Machining is $20,000 but you get level full Vericut also and Expert Machinst (seperate machining programfor 2 1/2 axis)

nice bundled computer and proe for industry use
http://www.thepentagoncorp.com/Pages/buyonline3.html

For A company Buying software I dont see Pro e as being an outragously huge price difference (plus you get other programs built into nc machinig)

Our Pro e paid for itself in 6 monthes of owning it because of the new clients it attracked that wanted to to bussiness with us because we owned it and used it.

But what it comes down to is preference If i never used Pro e I would be posting How great mastercam is.

MasterCam is good Software for home users and small shops I still do like it for simple jobs.

But all large machine shops here in Maryland have switched to Pro e I have worked for many of the large Companys And everyones buzz is Proe.


P.S. I dont know how to do the stock removel then in master Cam Can you post a demontration please i Would like to see this

Mace

[Rekd]

Wow, those prices are considerable less than I remember from a couple years ago.

To do remachining, create 2 pocket or contour ops, 1 with .500 em, the second with .250 em. Create geometry with .125 radii. Generate the toolpath with T1, then with T2.

In the dialog for the second tool, look on the bottom left of the second tab, you'll see a drop down list. Select Remachining from it and click the button below it and set your settings. (You can turn off the display and confirmation of the results)

'Rekd

[mace]

No not remachining all cam systems do that.
You said "Mastercam does the stock shape as well. It also does,"

Stock removel remove the stock like you said in your post so that stock shows material removed for referencing on future operations or sequences

[Rekd]

OIC, my bad..

This is done via .STL files in verify. You can either define your own shape, (fixturing, clamps, vises etc), and export it as an STL, or you can use the previously cut operation and save it as an STL. (There's really no need for the latter method, because you can verify all operations at once using custom WCS')

When defining your own stock shape, create a model of the fixture, then convert it to .stl. Then in Verify, open the options, on the top left there's a check box for FILE under Shape. Click it and select your stl file, bada boom, bada bing!

'Rekd

[mace]

This is what i am talking about in this exploded veiw
Green = stock part was once rectangle in the begining of nc program

Each sequence has removed material from stock.

If i go back to seq 3 material removels from 4 to end of part become blanked you cant see them if i do a vericut nc check in seq #3 all models all AUTOMATICLY exported to vericut g code is loaded and material removels are suppresed (blanked ) from 4 to end of program this allows you to watch one seq. cut at a time. And NOT have to watch the whole operation (which is to time consuming.



As for Cadcams statement " any system will machine those same toolpaths. "

You are incorrect Myself and 4 other programmers have been tying all morning to get a similar toolpath in MasterCam 9.0 is failing during 3 degree ramp in to 2 pockets and cuttercomp on 6 different features we program pockets in mastercam one at a time for this reason quit time consuming.

Ok rather than doing feature by feature comparison of cam sytems let me to the best of my ability try explain the basics of pro nc.

As i feel like i must answer all remarks about what i am demonstating it is to time consuming

The reason for these posts are to Educate anyones interest in this product.

P.M. me if you would like detailed graphic info by email

[Rekd]

No Mr. Cad cam I will have comparison of features side by side Examples of proe to mastercam not complexity of parts As i can program anything in mastercam that i program in pro e As lead programmer of my the company i work for i must stay up todate in mastercam to train the people that use it that dont know how to update themselves so i am extremly fluent and prepared to show honest differences between the two packages. In no way shape or form am I tring to get in a pissing battle with anyone what you will see is facts only. Let the people that read learn the differences and make there own opinions and go from there. Pro engineering wildfire is avilable to anyone for none profit use (home use)for under 500. usd. So ithink you will see alot of interesting things start to happen in this forum in the future and I will be here to make sure the facts are in . And to help others learn and troubleshoot there issues

Also I believe this is ptc forum not mastercam or Gibbs!!!!

Relax, it's ok...

You said you wanted a comparison, you're getting one. I'm curious about how well they compare, and for me to have to post in the MC forum to compare it's features to something in THIS forum is, to say the least, non-productive..

Now I think I'm getting the jist of what you're trying to say after 3 or 4 tries; You can skip over toolpaths in verify, but still have the stock cut away as if that had ran already. Correct? Yes, you can do this in mastercam; as I said, when you run an operation, save as stl, then use that as stock. (A couple more clicks, but it can be done)

'Rekd teh let's keep it friendly, shall we?

[pronc]

stock removal in pro/man is fully paramatric. it will update when there is changes. when you have a very complicate part with hundreds of stock removal as you go along if something changes all the stock removal will change. am i correct Mace?

[hardmill]

Originally posted by mace As for Cadcams statement " any system will machine those same toolpaths. " You are incorrect Myself and 4 other programmers have been tying all morning to get a similar toolpath in MasterCam 9.0 is failing during 3 degree ramp in to 2 pockets and cuttercomp on 6 different features we program pockets in mastercam one at a time for this reason quit time consuming.

How about letting us look at those toolpaths you say are
bombing out. Upload it to the ftp site, so us Mcam users
can see what your talking about.


PEACE