New and updated features

• New workpiece materials
  Cutlery stainless steels have been added
• Better scaling and control positioning on "Speeds and Feeds" page
• Tool Database page now displays Libraries in multiple rows, which makes it easier to find stuff.
• HSMAdvisor now installs by default into "Program Files (x86)" folder
  It will still copy data files into your "AppDataRoamingHSMAdvisor" folder. So it will still pick up your old tool library and license file.
• HSMAdvisor.ZIP archive now does not contain installer files, but rather ready-to use application folders, which you can unpack and use without installation.

As usual check our downloads page to get the update.

Now i know you are wondering when i will release updates to the mobile versions as well.
That should (hopefully) be done by this Monday.

Cheers!

We have 2 new calculators available on Reference tab.
It is Oblique Triangle Calculator and a Fillet calculator.

I also fixed Floating Window's missing fields.

I have finally bought a proper microphone and was able to record a tutorial video, where i show a way to calculate speeds and feeds for pocketing in D2 tool steel and also calculate ramping feed rate.

during my meetings with shop programmers i have found out that some people did not really understand the functionality behind Helical Ramping calculator. A more detailed video on Circular Compensation and Ramping to follow.

This video is already on my YouTybe channel:

We have finally reached version 1.00!

Here is a list of new and improved features:

What's New

• Material Drop-Down list now shows 'X' on the row when the current Library Tool has Custom Surface Speed and Chipload settings.
• Load Tool dialog box now has Tool Type Icon. The same column shows a readable Operation Type Icon for finishing, roughing, etc.
• Drilling Tool Types now allow user to enter a custom Pecking value
• Milling Tool Types now have Editable Plunge RPM and Plunge Feedrate
• Milling Tool Types' updated Circle/Ramp Dialog now allows to specify whether ramp settings apply to Plunge feedrate of Milling feedrate

What's Improved

• Custom Speeds and Feeds tab on Edit Tool Dialog was improved with new buttons to reset custom Surface Speed and Chipload settings
  Glitch with certain diameters in metric mode being missed is fixed
• Load Tool/Cut Dialog box' Search was improved
• Load Tool/Cut Dialog box now features much improved tool and cut list with better readability and usability
• Ballnose Tools have been improved to better show changing effective diameter for different depths of cut.

Now, because a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some screenshots as well.

Updated and Improved Load Tool/Cut Dialog:

Note new Tool Type and Cut type Icons in the third column.Read More 

One of the latest additions to HSMAdvisor speed and feed calculator is the ability to set manufacturer-recommended speeds and feeds for work-piece materials and groups of materials.

Here is a YouTube video walk-through showing how to add S&F tables into the program https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJOgWfgy99U

HSMAdvisor uses Brand Name and Series Name to assign speed and chipload tables to tools.

A new "Speed and Feed Source" (S&F Source) indicator has been added to quickly tell user which speed and feed table is being used right now.

Read More 

What's new:

• Revised chiploads for smaller endmills.
• Revised recommended Depths of Cut for different material types for endmills with various number of flutes.
• Improved Deflection model to include cutter lead angle.

In this update i have re-visited speeds and feeds area of the calculator.

Recommended Depth of Cut and Deflection calculation was revised.
At the same time Chiploads for endmills smaller than 3mm or 0.125" were reduced in half.

This resulted in most things regarding actual Speeds and Feeds remaining the same, but i believe this update works better as it considers material type and number of flutes to calculate recommended depth of cut.

Also Deflection calculation was changed for tapered endmills

Manufacturing seems to be going back to North America, but thousands of college graduates who finish various CNC -related courses have a very shallow understanding of metal-cutting processes and forces involved.

Frankly i believe Speeds and Feeds should be a separate subject all together.

To help students fill the gap, I am offering US and Canadian educational facilities help with setting up their classes with free HSMAdvisor seats.

Update: Countries of EU and England are now included into the offer!

The total maximum number of seats handed out will be limited to 200.

If you represent a college or a university and want to sign up, please send me an email with your name, position, and number of seats requested.

My email address is cnc@zero-divide.net

I will set up your license and reply with information on how to obtain the license keys.

If you know a place that could benefit from this offer, please share this message.

Eldar Gerfanov, developer of HSMAdvisor and FSWizard machinists calculators.

We all love getting positive feedback on anything we do.

For example hearing "good job" from our bosses. Or "nice work" from our co-workers....
Okay, Okay bosses do not normally tell anyone "good job", but anyway that would be nice!

I also like reading e-mails which people all over the world send thanking me for my work on FSWizard and HSMAdvisor calculators.
Telling their success stories and suggesting new features.

Most seem very surprised when they send a question on weekend and receive an answer withing a couple of hours.

Often people send pictures of their work and links to their own web sites.

It is nice that more and more professional machinists are using my software, but seeing it help create a work of art is a special feeling.

One of recent customers Daniel Gentile, uses HSMAdvisor to calculate cutting parameters for his custom knife production business.

Here is what he has to say:

HSMAdvisor enables me to efficiently do the math that saves me not just a lot of time as I can confidently often use higher speeds but also a lot of money, as I tend to break less of those expensive 2 and 3mm carbide tools that see a lot of use on my folder production. Also because I work with a dozen different materials - from D2 steel to Titanium to Bronze - and a lot of different cutter types and finish requirements it's just nice not to have to work with "guess-work" for the feeds and speeds.

Daniel Gentile, owner of FERRUM D Gentile, custom Knives & forging classes.

Here is a link to his web site.
https://www.dgentile.com/

Here is a link to his portfolio page filled by pattern welded forged blades and katanas!
https://www.dgentile.com/portfolio.html

If you are a fan of old school forging, custom knives and basically anything to do with knives and blacksmithing, you have got to check it out!

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.

I have just completed revising HSMAdvisor's material library.

Around 20 different materials have been added.
Some speeds and feeds were adjusted as well.

New library is not yet available in the official release, but you cen get it as a separate file from here

Just scroll to the bottom of the page there and download the file.
Instructions of how to use it are there as well.

Once a new update is ready to be published i will include the new library into the official release.

The list of added materials includes Toolox, Weldox and other pre-hardened steels.

Also graphite was added to hard non-metals.