Before we start milling away our stock we first need to get down to the required depth.

This is not a problem with external features when we can plunge outside.

When machining closed pockets, however, we need to find a way to get down to the machining depth first.

As usual there are several ways to get the job done. The plunging methods listed here are not ordered by their preference.

For various machining operations on different materials some may be more preferable than others.

Straight Plunging into a larger Pre-Drilled hole

This is one the best ones in my opinion.
Very few machining modes can compete in effectiveness with drilling and this method will get you the best combined tool life on most materials and (in case of many deep pockets) the least machining time, even when tool change time is factored in.

I have just uploaded the latest update to HSMAdvisor hook for MasterCam x9 and 2017.
This is a catch-up update to the latest HSMAdvisor improvements.

Additionally i promised few guys a tutorial on how to easily install the hook into MasterCam 2017

So here it is:

Please excuse my lack of artistic prowess.
Hey, You can be ANYTHING but you can not be EVERYTHING

And i am more of a technical guy who, perhaps, lacks the hypnotizing narrating skills of a salesman :)

It has finally Happened!

I have just released the first ever HSMAdvisor hook for MasterCam 2017!

You can download it over here: http://hsmadvisor.com/index.php?page=HSMAdvisor_for_MasterCAM

I ran it through its paces in the last couple of days and made sure it functions just perfectly.

However, be careful and should you notice any funky things please let me know!

Regards.

HSM with MasterCam Dynamic Milling has long been one of my favorite toolpath strategies when machining hardened and tough to machine steels.

The job at hand was to machine out a 5" disk out of pre-hardened 4340 steel. About 43RC hard.
Due to an island in the middle (leaving only 3/4" room for the tool) I could not use a bigger indexed cutter, so i decided to use the adaptive clearing toolpath.

I started out by calculating Speeds and Feeds with HSMAdvisor and come up with the following starting parameters:

Full depth, at 10% engagement.

Which worked just fine. But the tool was not new and I decided to sacrifice it in the name of science and maxed it up to see how long the tool was going to handle it.

So I adjusted the cutting speed to 170% and feed to 150% (which accounts to heavy roughing):

To be honest I was not sure the tool was going to last very long, but it exceeded all my expectations!
It lasted for about 2 hours and completed the whole run of more than 20 pieces.

I even took a video cutting one of the parts:

Note how there are no sparks coming out. This is because the chip is thick enough to not overheat. This works both ways. Chips stay cool and due to their larger mass carry most of the heat away from the cutting edge.

After the end of the run (and it was not new to begin with) the tool looked like it could do as much!

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. 

One of HSMAdvisor users asked me for help figuring speeds and feeds for machining stainless on his underpowered Tormach 700.
He volunteered to send me a model to work on, so I decided it was a good opportunity to make a learning video and share it with everybody.

I must say programming for such a low-power machine is a lot harder than for a full-blown production VMC where you are not worried about stalling your machine with anything under 1" in diameter:

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.

We are actually listening to our users!

Have you ever wondered how much tool life can deteriorate when using coolant with High-Speed Machining (HSM)?
Or maybe you never really saw the boost in tool life when using HSM techniques because you had to use coolant?

Well, here is a test result I just got from running the same tool at the same Speed and Feed with and without coolant.

We all know what the CNC Milling Machine spindle is used for - to hold the tool. But it is old and boring. Everybody does that.

Here are the 6 interesting and maybe less common ways to utilize machine spindle, increase productivity and solve some problems you never thought you had.

Use your Spindle as a fan to blow chips and coolant off of your work-piece, table and fixturing.

I saw this little gadget at a local IMTS show and it was quite cool. It is installed into a tool holder like a regular cutting tool would be and at the end of the program you can call the it up and run a little table-cleaning program to make your work a lot cleaner!

I would like to announce the launch of a brand new product called HSMCode.

HSMCode combines the power HSMAdvisor speed and Feed calculator, its advanced Tool and Cut Database and the new functionality of HSMCode into one seamless product!

What does HSMCode Do?

HSMCode allows you to create ToolPaths from imported CAD or Solid geometry with ease.

All you need to do is pick features that need to be machined and HSMAdvisor will pick the most suitable tool, calculate proper speeds and feeds and then HSMCode will generate the G-Code for your machine

As simple as that.

You can also create additional geometry using an in-built CAD designer and Simulate your Toolpaths to verify the correctness of your work.

The sales will begin in a couple of months on June 31 2016!

Please contact me if you would like to test the early demo version, affect the development of the software and (depending on the value of your input) receive your Lifetime Subscription for free!

Cheers!

It does not annoy me anymore!

Originally this part was programmed for and machined in 6061 aluminum, but when production run came, material was changed to HRS and then to SPS (4140).

Luckily reprogramming using HSMAdvisor hook for MasterCAM is a bliss.

Mere 5 minutes and all speeds, feeds, depths of cut, etc. were changed to safe and productive values.

New Material