A few days ago one of FSwizard:PRo users questioned me over how FSwizard works.

The way SFM calculates seemed off to him.

As a result i made a quick sketch for him, that i thought i would share here.

Omar was asking me how come SFM seemed wrong for a 1" dia ball-nose cutter when making shallow depth cuts.

The sketch above shows exactly why.

On the left part we see a cutter engaged into the material to the depth equal to its corner radius.
At that depth the maximum effective diameter is achieved. So an old good RPM=4xSFM/Dia formula would apply.

But at shallower depths, effective diameter of the cutter is reduced.

At 0.1" depth of cut, effective diameter would only be around 0.6"

In fact it goes to zero at the very centre. So a higher RPM will be required to achieve the recommended cutting speed.

In the same thread i also explained how DOC/WOC balancing works.

So if you are interested - read on.

Here is the thread http://zero-divide.net/index.php?page=forums&shell_id=170&article_id=4590

Have just released another update to FSWizard for mobile devices.

Version 1.26 available now for Android and in a week for iOS adds Countersink/ Drillpoint Calculator.
It allwos to enter tool diameter, Tip angle, and a diameter of countersink reqiured.
It outputs Depth required to achive such diameter.

Also Thread size dropdown list was fixed.
It was showing wrong thread sizes when calculator was loaded with thread form other than UNC.

In other news i have spent a whole day trying to upload updated FSWizard to the iTunes appstore.

Every time i make an update for iOS i dread that very thing.
Every time i have to spend anywhere from several hour to several DAYS trying to upload an already finished app.
Sometimes i have to restart my computer, sometimes clean the project , sometimes i need to dance around singing voodoo songs....

Apple, YOU take 30% of my profit, I pay YOU 100$ a year just for the privelege of designing apps for your devices.
Can YOU please make the damn thing work THE first time i try it?

Drillpoint wizard

This update is mainly a bug fix and has some usability improvements.

New Things

• Persistence in Threads Tab
  Now Threads Page will stay the way you left it when you shut down the program
• Persistence in column selection for Drill Chart for both the Treads Page and Tap Tool on FSWizard Page as well.
• Capture Wizard can now capture target windows with dynamic controls. (Still working on SprutCAM integration profile that required this feature)

Fixed and Improved things

• Tapping tools had a bug in metric mode. Now it is fixed
• Text color for selected row in myCut Database page is now white on blue background. Which makes things easier to see.
• Capture Wizard is now a lot faster and should be less prone to hang ups.
• Improved Machine Limits behavior
  Power Overload now causes feedrate to reduce.

HSMAdvisor has got a brand new CAD/CAM integration profiles manager.

It is now possible to import/export profiles to and from HSMAdvisor.

For now i only had time to add SurfCAM 5.2 to the list. MasterCAM x2 is coming a little later.

While using Capture Wizard yields very satisfactory results in most cases, it does not take a long time to set up either.
The whole procedure of creating a brand new profile takes just about 30 minutes.

If you created your own profile for a CAM system that is not already in the lest, please send it to my e-mail address: cnc@zero-divide.net or create a thread on the support forums. There you can upload XML files directly.

I would like to add it to the next release for everyone to enjoy.

Very good things happen to those who contribute!

If you need any help figuring out CAD/CAM integration. please refer to "HSMAdvisor Tutorials" category of this site, create a thread on support forums, or send me an email!

Another week another update!

A few days ago a topic popped up in CNCZone's BobCad-CAM forums regarding why speeds and feeds in above mentioned BobCAM were so crazy and unworkable.

Users were complaining and raving about such a "simple" thing like a good speed/feed calculator being missing from there.

This is actually a trend in pretty much any other CAM software package.

They sell tool to create toolpaths.
Many give tools to create 2D geometry and even real solids.

But very few CAM packages offer anything that even remotely resembles working starting cutting parameters.

It does seem bizarre and strange. But every CAM program "knows" type of material being worked on. It knows type of tool, its diameter and length.
It even knows flute length, cutting depth, width, ramp angle... pretty much everything.

But given all that they are unable to combine all this data and produce Speed and Feed that would not either break the cutter or melt it into the work-piece!

Anyway. Back to the topic.

Someone on that forum thread mentioned my old FSWizard.
It sparked quite a lot of interest, and i popped in and dropped a link to the latest version of HSMAdvisor, so that they actually try and see what a good calc can do.

As a result i have received a ton of emails filled with suggestions and thank-yous.

Apparently many did not even know anything about it and were surprised how well it worked for them.
One guy who just bought a license even said that his copy already paid for itself several times over within the first couple of days of using it!

To thank for enthusiasm, i quickly implemented some of those suggestions and i am now releasing them in this version 0.710

New thing are

• Adjustable font size and style. (in Settings) Allows to adjust global application font.
• Adjustable default values for Speed&Feed Overrides, Tool Productivity, Deflection and Torque Limits. (in Settings) You can now set values to which overrides reset by default.
• New Plunge Feedrate field shows up for milling tools.
  Non-Center cutting tools like Indexed endmills etc. will have plunge feed equal Zero.

Thanks everybody for support and suggestions!

As usual you can download the latest release on the Download page.

After almost 2 months since the last release the next update has just been uploaded to the google Play Store.

Version 1.32 follows in the footsteps of the HSMAdvisor.

It now too has latest material definitions and an updated custom material drop-down list.

This list now expands to the size of the screen overriding default Samsung's scroller (that they stole from iPhone).

Biggest update yet is a new Tap and Form Tap tool types.
You can now get not only cutting speed and feedrate for taps, but also calculate the best drill size for desired thread percentage.

New material list Tap Tap hole parameters

Hello guys,

I have just uploaded a newest update to HSMAdvisor v0.702.

One of the users reported several problems over this weekend and i have just fixed them.

I strongly encourage anyone who has downloaded previous version to download and install this update.

It adds UN thread type and fixes "strange" cutting speeds for stainless steels and fixes graphcal bugs caused by "Larger font size" settings on your desktop.

Also i have reset all trial counters, so that anyone who still does not have a license has another 30 days to try my software!

NOTE. THIS INTEGRATION MECHANISM HAS BEEN DEPRECIATED AND REMOVED FROM HSMADVISOR.

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR MASTERCAM X9 AND MASTERCAM 2017 HOOKS FOR MASTERCAM

One of the most requested features in HSMAdvisor has long been integration with various CAD/CAM solutions available on the market.

There are two possible ways of achieving said task.

First way: using CAD/CAM API to create plugins to enable HSMAdvisor to "talk to" various software packages.
This road could produce the best results, however implementing it would be laborous and results not always very convinient to use.
Also developer(me) would have to create plugins for many dozens of cad/cam software packages. Muliply that by the fact that with each CADCAM release, a new version of plugin would need to be produced, tested and debugged. This work is for a whole software department and would call for a product far more expensive than what a lot of my customers could afford.

Second way: Grab tool, speed and feed data directly from the CAD/CAM window, process it and then update required information when the calculation is done.
This solution is easyer to implement and could prove to be the most convinient for user as well.

Need i tell you that i have chosen to go the easy way?

Without further delay let me introduce the first Speed and Feed calculator that can be integrated with a CAD/CAM solution by a user himself!

This is How it Works

Step One: User launches CAD/CAM solution. We will use MasterCAM x2 in our case.

A toolpath is programmed the usual way, a proper tool is selected and when it is time to enter your speed and feed data you launch HSMAdvisor.

On FSWizard page you first select

Lately there have been a lot of really interesting HSM topics on PracticalMachinist forums.

In one of them a guy who owns his own resharpening business posted a video of his endmill milling a block of D2 hardened to over 60 RC.
The forum topic is located here First try on D2 62Rc(video)

Here is his post so you know what we are talking about:

In the ensuing discussion i posted my own take on how and why HSM works

HSM works in many ways.

1) Reduced cutting time per edge per revolution allows it to cool down more.
2) Chip thinning allows to increase chipload (advancement per tooth per revolution)
3) Increased depth of cut combined with shallow radial positively affects deflection. Tool bends less as it is more rigid towards the tool holder.
4) Higher cutting speed actually reduces cutting forces as heat generated in the cutting zone makes it easier to shear off a layer of metal. Yet because the time of contact is so small, most of the heat is carried away with the chip.
5) Higher RPM also allows to get rid of hot chips faster thus further reducing heat transferred to the tool.
6) Higher feedrate actually reduces relative cutting speed.
7) At high axial engagements more than one flute is in contact with the workpiece at different points along the axis of the tool. This too helps combat vibrations and chatter.
8) You are using more of the tool than just its tip, so technically you can do more work with one tool before it gets dull.
9) lastly it looks cool as hell and is very impressive. Whenever we know visitors or bosses are coming we try to make sure some HSM is going on even if application does not merit that
I am not sure if the air that is moved by the endmill is doing much, but i suspect he didn't mean exactly that.

The best online cnc speed and feed calculator FSWizard is now available as an app for iPhone and Android.

CNC Milling and Turning Speed and Feed Calculator For Machinists on the palm of your hand!

Go To FSWizard Online Calculator

Note: Certain HSMAdvisor Licenses Include FSWizard PRO For Android for Free!!
Check out our HSMAdvisor Web Store for Details

Absolutely the best handheld CNC machinist's speed and feed calculator around.
Calculate cutting conditions simply by choosing your work and tool material.
No need to know any numbers. 
FSWizard will automatically use recommended cutting speed and chipload.

* Made by a machinist for machinists * 

Improve productivity and optimize cutter life.

* Milling, Drilling, Tapping and Turning
* Suggests optimum cutting depth and balances cutting parameters.
* Supports Chip thinning and HSM machining.
* Required Power estimation, Recommended Depth/Width of Cut for extra-long cutters.
* Built in tap drill calculator to calculate not only cutting speed and feed , but also drill dia in accordance with desired thread engagement.
* Drill and Tap charts for both imperial and metric systems.
* Oblique Triangle Calculator
* Fillet Calculator will find tangent points to a circle and two lines
* Machinists Bolt Hole Circle and Line Calculators

It just does it all.

*Milling Tools: Solid EndMill, Indexed End Mill and FaceMill, Solid and Indexable drills
*Drilling Tools: Jobber Drill, Hi-Performance Parabolic Drill, Spade Drill, Reamer
*Turning Tools: Profiling and Grooving

Please try the Free FSWizard Lite first to confirm your device capability.
Also huge thanks to those who go through the trouble and leave a review.
Good reviews mean more sales and more incentive for me to further improve on this app.

FSWizard Lite and FSWizard PRO are iPhone/Android machinist calculators that do not require internet connection.
PRO version has all the latest material lists and speed and feed technology.

Lite version has all the same features, but it only has tool steel, mild steel and aluminum in its material list. It still has all the tool types and tool materials found in online and standalone versions
Both Lite and Pro  versions have unlocked tapping data.

Lite versions have limited geometry calculators.

This app is intended not to replace but to complement my much more powerful standalone Windows application called HSMAdvisor.

FSWizard LITE Free
FSWizard PRO $49.99
FSWizard PRO $39.99 Multiplatform License for iOS and Android Purchase through PayPal

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