Just saw this very impressive machining video on Practical Machinist forums.

A very nice example of using machine and the tools to their full potential.

I have been several times asked to add a right-angle triangle to the Geometry calculators list.

And every time i dismissed the idea because there is already an oblique triangle calculator, which works exactly like a right-angle if you set one angle to 90 degrees.

Basically i was being lazy to add it because i felt like users of my software should not be so lazy and use the Oblique triangle calc instead...

Finally someone asked for the Right Triangle in the new Suggestions form (the blue balloon on the bottom task bar) and having no way to contact the author (suggestions are anonymous) i have decided to finally implement the damn calculator!

So. Enjoy, guys!

Also in this update I fixed one glitch with the S&F Calculator as well.

You can download the update over here: http://hsmadvisor.com/

Huge "Farewell to MasterCAM x9" HSMAdvisor Hook update has been released.

The MC 2017 has been out for a few month now and because it has received quite mixed reviews from the machinist's community, i decided to release one more big update to our MCx9 hook before starting to fully work on adapting it for MC 2017.

This update v1.402 is a double update. The hook version has now caught up to the standalone AND we have some new features in standalone HSMAdvisor as well.

Here is a quick video showcasing most of the new features:

What is new and improved in this HSMAdvisor update

• New Hardened D2 and M2 Steels
• New 17-4 and 13-8 Stainless Steels in various conditions
• Mew DB Contents Tree in Select Tool Dialog
• Plunge Speed Lock
• New Free GD&T Reference Tab
• Updated Look and functionality of Scientific Calculator
• Updated look of all Geometry Calculators.

Whats new and improved in HSMAdvisor Hook:

• Improved Toolpath import and export
• New Improved Select Tool/Cut Dialog with Side Contents Tree
• Plunge RPM lock for toolpaths, that do not support Plunge RPM different from the main RPM
• Ability to choose which data is read and written into the toolpath.
• Full ToolDB Functionality including editing and saving tools is now free.

As usual Here you can download the latest updates: http://hsmadvisor.com/ 

Questions, troubles? Let us know via email or our support forums!

Regards. 

Hello Frends,

After the latest changes in HSMAdvisor and addition of free features lots of people ask me to clarify (repeat?) what those are.

So those include:

1. Thread Reference.
2. All Geometry Calculators (Bolt Hole, Triangle, etc)
3. Screw Reference.
4. All Tool Database functions including access to Speeds and Feeds page where you can edit parameters of the tool.
5. Full Acess to Speeds and Feeds for One material (1018 steel)

Basically ALL functions except Speeds and Feeds calculations are included for Free.

Check it out here, if you haven't already : http://hsmadvisor.com
Regards!

This is 21st century and we all live in the age of the Internet.

While some software developers claim to use it for the benefit of the customers they in fact only care about license protection benefits it can provide.

Here is how HSMAdvisor Speed and Feed Calculator uses the big WWW for the benefit of its users:

1. Tool Database and Cutting Data Sharing
   Not many users realise that simply placing the Tool Data Base file on a shared network drive or service like DropBox or Google Drive will keep their Tool DB in sync on all of their computers running HSMAdvisor.
   Oh, regarding the "running on multiple computers" thing.....
2. Floating License allows users to run a single seat of HSMAdvisor on multiple computers non concurrently.
   All you need is internet connection! Permanent Licenses do not even need internet connection at all.
3. Cloud-Hosted Machine Profiles.
   Machine Profiles are important part of out calculator tool. Among other things they allow to prevent machine stalls and resulting machine damage and tool breakage.
   You can upload your Machine Profiles to HSMAdvisor Cloud for Public or Private access.
   Or you can request a machine profile to be added and I will upload it for you to easily download.
   All within the HSMAdvisor Machine Definition dialog!
4. Cut Cloud. The place to get other Machinist's experience at your fingertips.
   Another great feature that we are actively developing right now is the Cut Cloud.
   It allows Machinists to share their cutting experience with other HSMAdvisor users.
   It is still in development but shortly we are going to populate out public online library (Cut Cloud) with cutting data from popular tool manufacturers.
   Anyone running HSMAdvisor will be able to just dial in their cutting tool, connect to the Cloud and see how others run their tools in similar cutting conditions on similar machines.
5. Immediate and Accurate Licensing.
   A few times I got emails from disappointed machinists who were not aware of HSMAdvisor and thus chose a competing software product.
   They all were complaining about misleading Licensing schemes some software developers were using that hindered their work. Things ranged from not being able to register their seats for hours after completing the purchase to having to keep their computers online almost uninterruptedly (despite claims it could run offline for weeks) to keep their software running.
   HSMAdvisor uses transparent Permanent and Floating Licensing scheme that will not leave you hanging.
   All purchases are handled automatically and our new customers do not need to wait for a next business day to get their purchase functioning.
   We constantly work on making your experience as flawless as possible and do not linger on past achievements.

There is a lot more work planned and already in progress.

In the age when everyone is talking about how internet is turning the world around we are doing our small part in making it happen!

Thank you, everybody for your support and feedback!

As unhappy I am to learn that something may be wrong with the software I develop and love, negative feedback is essential in learning whether i am doing everything right.

So a couple of days ago I received an email from a somewhat disappointed user. 

He (lets call him Peter) was complaining that HSMAdvisor calculator gave him "excessively high" speeds and feeds for his 3/4" 4 flute 3.0 LOC  end mill in aluminum.

With the data Peter entered he was getting around 10000 RPM(SFPM 2117) and the feed of 270 inches per minute while usual practice in the shop was side-milling aluminum at that (2.8" axial) depth at only 325 SFM

After double-checking the numbers I replied that in fact his numbers seemed very slow and if for some reason he HAD to run that slow (heck, i machine most steels faster than 325 SFM) due to some conditions, perhaps, he was ought to change the conditions themselves.

This is what I am getting for Peter's end mill setup:

This update fixes the no-message shutdown when your trial expires!

I would like to congratulate all Canadians and all our Canadain users in particular today.

Wishing peace and prosperity to us all.
Have a nice and safe long weekend!