HSM Machining

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We have many helpful articles over at HSMAdvisor Help portal. But beacuse of that very reason not many website visitors actually read any of them.
It is a pitty that most advanced users will never actually visit the help section, because they already know how to operate HSMAdvisor.

And this particular one, I believe, is too useful (I just updated it to include more info) for my customers and other machinists to keep it burried in some help section that few ever read.

So here you go:

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

Attached Image

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.

Being as vast and as complex as it is HSMAdvisor Tool Database may seem overwhelming for many users despite all the benefits of using it.

To address this issue I have just added a new category to our HSMAdvisor on-line Help resource called Tool Database & Tool Inventory

Here is a the opening article of that category:

Quote:

An integral part of HSMAdvisor is its very powerful Tool and Cut Database also known as Tool Database

Tool Database allows you to not only store your tools in one convenient location sparing you the time needed to key-in your tool type, size etc.
It is very extensible and since its inception has grown both in size and functionality.

With every update the list of its features keeps growing and at present it can (among many other things) do the following:

Store and Edit geometric Tool data, Including automatic creation of tool data from a sample tool entry.
Store/Create/Manage Custom Tool Manufacturer Cutting data using Manufacturer Brand/Series names
Store and Manage Tool Handling data like: Number of Tools in stock, Ordering Vendor Information, Physical location in the shop
Set up Low Tool Stock warning levels and add tools, that are low on stock to a Request List to be ordered.
Create and Export customizable Tool Request Orders for use in purchasing.
Restock received tools into the Tool Database
Attach Cutting Data (Known as just "Cuts") to tools for various cutting scenarios in different materials.
Store complete MasterCAM Tool and ToolPath parameters for easy importing/Exporting of MC operations
Organize Tools into Libraries
Share a single Tool Database between many HSMAdvisor seats in real-time.

In the following articles we will describe the main functions of the Tool Database

In all there are 5 articles in there already describing many of its functions in detail.
Please check them out if you are not sure what the Tool Database does and how to use it.

And as always: when in doubt - ASK :)

HSMAdvisor the Hook for MasterCAM x9 has had massive changes since the last update

Completely redone Operation Import/Export functionality
Added "Insert Operation" command (Add it to MasterCam toolbar through Customize->Toolbars->HSMADVISOR->select item,select toolbar-> Add..)
Reworked MC Toolbar Icons
Better tool Recognition
Added support for ALL milling (2d, 3d, HST) operations.
Fixed a huge number of problems including those with coolant, tool numbers and some unsupported operations.

HSMAdvisor hook for MasterCAM currently supports only MC x9.

Due to large amount of work I have done on x9 hook I decided to not port it to support x8. I simply have no time resources to do so. I only have one life you know!

Later versions of MasterCAM will, however, be fully supported.

Every month we are getting a good amount of feedback and suggestions.

Everything is getting prioritized and eventually implemented. Urgent stuff is getting done fast. And other "nice to haves" are getting pushed down according to their usefulness / difficulty (yes, everyone secretly wishes my program could also edit and create HSM g-code :)).

It is amazing, but almost half of HSMAdvisor's features were originally suggested by our loyal users!

The latest update HSMAdvisor 1.213 addresses some of the feedback I have received last couple of months.

So the New features are:

Smart Depth and Width of Cut (DOC/WOC) suggestion (user suggested)
Compressing of Shared Tool DataBases
Display of Stock status on Tool DataBase tables (user suggested)
Various little improvements like new Heli-Coil reference, better DOC/WOC calculation better multitasking, etc. (mostly based on user feedback)

Let's go over the most important ones here:

Recently i have received a very interesting suggestion, which i would like to discuss with you, guys.

A HSMAdvisor user wants to be able to create quick G-Code snippets based on the Tool and Cut information that HSMAdvisor has.

G-Code Wizards will allow you to quickly create a stub program for various standard machining operations.

For example you calculate speeds and feeds for drilling.

Then you have the ability to create a G-Code program based on your input like so:

T15 M6(T15 1/2" HSS Drill)

G54 G0 G90 X[Hole1_X] Y[Hole1_Y] S1500 M03

G0 G43 H15 M08

G81 G98 X[Hole1_X] Y[Hole1_Y] Z[Depth] F15.0

X[Hole2_X] Y[Hole2_Y]

X[Hole3_X] Y[Hole3_Y]

G80

G0  Z0.5 M09

G0 G91 G28 Z0 M05

All with a few clicks of a mouse.

This piece of code with minimal modifications you can then quickly insert into your program.

What do you think about it?

As a developer of a very successful line of speed and feed calculators I sometimes get questions like : "I calculated speeds and feeds for a conventional toolpath. Got 5.5 cubic inches MRR(Material Removal Rate). And then I calculated S&F for the same endmill with HSM parameters turned on and got almost the same amount of MRR! What is even the point in using HSM parameters?" -they ask.

I would like to clear some things up for my friends.
In this article I will explain exactly WHY HSM machining is better and HOW to achieve better productivity and tool life.

For starters here are the main features of a HSM-capable cutter:

As usual there are several components of HSM that need to be present in order for it to work to its fullest. These are:

a) Machine
b) Tool
c) Workpiece geometry
d) Workpiece material

I intentionally did not number these as each one of those is equally important.

I have just uploaded the latest version of HSMAdvisor

In this one I made some changes (again) to the layout of the FSWizard tab.

Changes were made according to Your feedback, so i hope you guys like it!

As you can see from the screen shot above Tool Type selection drop-down lists have been moved to the Tool Data panel.
This was made to make it more obvious which values get saved and loaded when user does operations with saved tools.

For the same purpose Saved Cut drop-down is now located on top of all cut parameters that it affects.

The top-most panel (Workpiece) now contains Machine and Tool Library drop-down lists.

I urge everybody to download this update as it fixes all of the existing issues regarding layout changes.

Also in the previous version, when Trial version gets expired, the Splash Screen blocks the License Activation dialog, which would make it impossible to purchase a license or enter your license information.

This glitch and many others have been fixed and i would like to ask everybody to download the latest release as soon as possible!

Cheers!

There is more than one way to skin a cat!

Previously i have showed how to machine multiple pieces out of a flat plate holding only on to 0.010" thick material on the outside of the part. (here)

But there is more than one way to do it.

Sometimes your part is so hard to hold, that using tabs or skin is the best, or even the only way of machining something.

Very often, working in prototyping, I have to make only one single part and designing and producing special fixturing is also not feasible.

Here is how you can easily machine a difficult-to-hold part from both sides without using a separate fixture:

Setup: Put or part in vise. Make sure to square off at least two sides contacting the jaws for accurate positioning and minimum distortion.

Program part normally. Perform as many operations on the first side as possible.

When machining outside profile, machine to the exact depth of your part.

Here is how your part might look after completing the first OP:Read More

I have been asked to create a tutorial on how to work with the tool library, so here it is.

myCut Tool Database is quite a unique thing.

It not only contains all of your tools, but also each and every tool can have multiple operations or "Cuts" attached to it.

Everything is very simple.

Database contains Libraries

Libraries contain Tools

And Tools contain Cuts

Each entity behaves according to specific rules and "knows" specific kind of data.

Please read more to learn how it all works.Read More

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In case when i am not the copyright holder, you may want to contact proper owner of material. Anyway, they are freely available on the Internet.
If you hold the copyright right for any of the materials on this site and want them removed, please contact me here

Resources and Software For High-Performance CNC Machinists

CNC Machining Tool Material and Coating Application Guide

So here you go:

A Total Guide into Plunging and Ramping

Straight Plunging into a larger Pre-Drilled hole

The New Help Category: Tool Database & Inventory

HSMAdvisor 1.214 Hook for MaserCAM x9

HSMAdvisor the Hook for MasterCAM x9 has had massive changes since the last update

Machinists Spoke and We Listened

So the New features are:

Let's go over the most important ones here:

Suggested new feature to HSMAdvisor: Quick G-Code Wizards

Key factors Determining Success of High Speed Machining (HSM)

HSMAdvisor v0.950

Fancy Skin Work in Vise

Working with HSMAdvisor myCutDB Tool Library

I have been asked to create a tutorial on how to work with the tool library, so here it is.