The latest version of HSMAdvisor v2.8.3 is now available as a plugin for Mastercam 2025

As always you can get the latest version here:
https://hsmadvisor.com/hsmadvisor_for_mastercam

HSMAdvisor v2.5.11 for MasterCam 2023 is now available at https://hsmadvisor.com/hsmadvisor_for_mastercam

The HSMAdvisor core was also updated for all Mastercam plugins from 2019 to 2023

Huge thanks for everybody who continues to contribute to this software and refer it to your colleagues!

Your ideas, your feedback, and your support are awesome.

Cheers!

Tonight I released the latest version of HSMAdvisor and the plugin for Mastercam 2022, 2021 and 2020

Most of the issues reported by our users have either been fixed or otherwise addressed.

It has bug fixes and an improved tool creation routine.

Additionally, the Tool Path Write dialog now has an option to disable the toolpath regeneration and the actual values that will be written in the toolpath:

The Save button saves the current state of checkboxes as default.

Mastercam plugin can be downloaded here: https://hsmadvisor.com/hsmadvisor_for_mastercam

The latest standalone HSMAdvisor version is available here: https://hsmadvisor.com/download

It has some back-end improvements plus additional materials.

Please let me know if you have any feedback or questions!

Inhouse Solutions has released their latest version of MasterCAM 2022 just this past Monday ...

I am sure it has lots of improvements, which I didn't yet have time to explore because I was busy porting the HSMAdvisor plugin to the latest version.

Without further adieu. Please download the HSMAdvisor hook for the latest Mastercam over here:
https://hsmadvisor.com/?page=HSMAdvisor_for_MasterCAM

As usual, please report any issues or suggestions to our support forums and/or my email!

Cheers!

As a software developer, I am always looking for quality feedback on my software and ideas.
Sometimes it is useless like "speeds and feeds are wrong" or "my cutters are breaking" without explaining what they think is wrong. 
However, the feedback is often thorough and helps propel HSMAdvisor development by miles ahead in a very short time frame.

Here is the HSMAdvisor workflow step-though by our user Jake. He posted on the support forums as an answer to another user's question. And I thought it was so good, I asked his permission to post it on the HSMAdvisor website Help section:

I've been using HMSA for about 3 years now (maybe more) and have running it down to a pretty quick science.

If I need to create a new tool I do the following:

Press reset, select tool type and fill in all parameters as accurately as possible. I click the DOC and WOC labels to set them back to default then I press the "Add Tool" button. This will bring the naming/inventory box up. I only ever fill in the the "Comment" field as this is what the tool database uses to search for tools. Once this is done I click the save button. I use multiple databases (Flat End Mills, Radius End Mills, Jobber Drills, etc) to keep thing a little more organized in my head, however this is absolutely NOT necessary...you can have 1 giant library if you want. I never delete a tool once it is defined. This makes it SUPER fast to toss a tool into a holder and get some quick feeds/speeds by just searching for the tool. It also allows me to go back and search for a tool that I have used in the past. If it is in my HSMA library, it is most likely in one of the many places tools end up hiding in my shop.

If you have the tool saved it is as simple as pressing the "Load Tool/Cut" button. Once your tool database has popped up you can simply start typing and it will find any tools with a "Comment" that matches what you have entered. It's really fast and works really well once you get used to the steps...I can type in "3/8" and get every 3/8 endmill I've ever run to come up on the screen. To make this easier on myself I always include the decimal size as well (I run quite a few regrinds) so I can type in "0.3425" and it will bring up that particular end mill instantly.

Now that your tool is defined and saved you are ready to get some cutting data. If you pick the materials list drop-down you are able to type your material in to do a quick search. I work with 6061, 7075, A2, D2, some CPM, and some plastics. All of them have come up without fail by just starting to type the material designation into the drop-down bar. Once your material is selected you can start entering cutting parameters. I pretty much always enter a DOC and then click the label for WOC to get the recommended width for the depth I am taking. I can then take this WOC value and tweak it until I max out my MRR using a combination of HSM and Chip Thinning. If I need to helix into a pocket I bring up the Circle/Ramp calculator. It is rather self-explanatory, however, you need to make sure you enter your ramp angle every time. It doesn't save a default and can give you a wonky plunge rate if you aren't careful to get the right data entered. If your pocket is going to be larger than 2xD of your tool I just enter the diameter that it will cut during the ramp. Something like 195% of the tool diameter so as to not leave a nub in the center. I also lock the spindle speed and plunge spindle speed so they are the same. I used to use different speeds for them however my machine has a gearbox that doesn't shift from low to high reliably while running a program.

Next, I verify all the green/red bars are in the "safe zones." I leave the deflection/torque sliders at the default of 70%. With long end-mills, I tend to back down the deflection limit and lower the speed slider significantly.

Finally, I can take the calculated values from the top right box and enter them into Mastercam. I tried to set up the integration between HSM and MCAM years ago but it kinda shoehorned the functionality of HSMA from my standpoint. I use 2 monitors and leave HSM on one and MCAM on the other so I can bounce back and forth. If you only have 1 monitor there is a button for a "Floating Feed/Speed" window that will stay on top of MCAM and allow you to get the data moved without tons of switching programs on a single screen.

So that's the basic workflow I use for HSMA and MasterCam. It is not a perfect system but it is really quick. I can grab a tool I have defined in the past, select material, type in DOC, and have workable numbers to start from. It takes about 10 seconds....this program works exactly like my brain does.... it's almost weird how natural it feels.

Sorry if this is an overwhelming post on a necro thread, it is so much harder to explain how to use the software than it is to just....use the software. lol.

Jake

This February CamInstructor.com hosted a virtual webinar event mostly dedicated to advanced MasterCAM programming.

They called it the Big Event.

I myself watched at least 2 streams. But since it was a whole day thing, only missed a few.

Luckily they published all the videos on their web site:

Check it out before the link expires or they take it down!

I have just released a big update for our HSMAdvisor for MasterCAM.

Plugin v2.1.12 now supports Mastercam 2021, 2020 and 2019

Features for all versions are now aligned to the latest HSMAdvisor code!

Check it out here: https://hsmadvisor.com/?page=HSMAdvisor_for_MasterCAM

Cheers!

Finally got my proLIGHT CNC Mill running with UCCNC control software.

Chose that over mach3/4 because uccnc software seemed better made. Unfortunately, it too has bugs.

Most importantly, executing gcode.
Instead of running all codes in a block simultaneously, it does them in the incorrect order.

For example, code like

Instead of going to X0 Y0 defined in offset #54, it will go to coordinates of offset #55!
Only after executing that line, the offset will change to G55.
Similar issue with

Don't need to tell you this may lead to crashes.
So I changed the MasterCAM's post processor to output some of the codes in different lines.

Hopefully, devs will fix this issue soon.

In other news, I have just finished the first 2-tool piece.

It was a miniature skull figure made out of aluminum:

I got 150 bucks for machining that for a guy I met in a Facebook group. Nice!

The smallest endmill was 1mm ball nose, and it held up perfectly at max RPM of 5000 and feed rate of about 25ipm.

The DOC and stepover were about 0.004"

Now I wish it had a 20k spindle. If I could run at 100ipm, it would make a quick work of that little piece.
This way, it took 1 hour, which is not too bad either.

Cheers! 

I just uploaded a new standalone and Mastercam 2021 hook version of HSMAdvisor Machinist Calculator.

In it fixed the issue with the loading of older database files and updating DB UI.

Also from this point on HSMAdvisor will switch to Semantic Versioning in the following format: major.minor.build

• Major: big update that makes older version non-forward compatible.
• Minor: a minor update that does not break any existing functionality
• Build: a bug-fix that does not add new features, but fixes the existing ones

Check out the latest version here: https://hsmadvisor.com/?page=Download

Have an enjoyable and safe weekend, everybody!