Mastercam Maintenance — Providing Value, Productivity, and Savings to Mastercam Customers

Since the inception of the Mastercam Maintenance program in September 2003, CNC Software has provided several updates for our Mastercam Maintenance customers. Below is a list of some of the tools we have made available to you since the beginning of the program.

The following was added with the release of X4

Narrated video highlights of the functionality new in Mastercam X4

• Many level manager improvements
• Translator Version Updates
  • ACIS – R19
  • AutoCAD® DWG, DXF, DWF – 2009
  • AutoCAD Inventor IPT, IAM, IDW – 2009
  • CATIA® V5 – R18
  • KeyCreator® – V6
  • Parasolids® – 19
  • Pro/E® – Wildfire4
  • Rhino® – 4
  • Solid Edge® – ST
  • SolidWorks® – 2009
• New dynamic planes and transformation
• Viewsheet improvements
• Wireframe feature recognition in chaining
• New user customizable setup sheet
• Autohide toolpath manager for backplot/verify
• Surface fillet enhancements
• Simplified 3d transform function
• Multi-thread support
• Tree style 2d toolpath dialogs for better ease of use
• Holder definition added to 2d toolpaths
• New Dynamic mill toolpath
• Multiple FBM enhancements including:
  • Circle milling and helical boring for large holes
  • Pre drilling of pilot hole only
  • Hole mapping
  • Creation of operations independent of geometry added
  • Selection of common features added
  • Better sorting of spot drill toolpaths to minimize tool changes
  • Slug cutting added to milling
  • Added additional depth of cut for outside of part
• Toolpath refinement added to 3d surface toolpaths for superior finishes
• New minimum tilt added to multi-axis toolpaths
• Multiple materials now supported for Generic Mastercam ATP
• Bump nesting now supported in geometry and toolpath nesting
• Multiple chains in a single Lathe groove toolpath now supported
• Dwell on finish grooving added
• Separate feedrates for rough and finish grooving for more control
• Tool inspection check points added to Lathe grooving
• New turned profile creation utility, supports spinning or slicing
• Round boring bars now displayed in verify
• New Wire interface for Agievision controls

The following was added with the release of X3

Narrated video highlights of the functionality new in Mastercam X3

• Feature Based Machining
• New automatic feature based milling of Solids
• New automatic feature based drilling of Solids
• Supports SolidWorks solid history data
• Translator Updates:
  • Parasolids® – 19
  • ACIS – R18
  • AutoCAD® DWG, DXF, DWF – 2008
  • AutoCAD Inventor IPT, IAM, IDW – 2008
  • CATIA® V5 – R18
  • KeyCreator® – V6
  • Pro/E® – Wildfire 4
  • Rhino® – 4
  • Solid Edge® – V20
  • SolidWorks® – 2008
  • Inventor® 2009
• Swept surface improvements
• New auto-sync for Wire
• New 2d high speed toolpaths
• Core mill
• Area mill
• Rest mill
• Blend mill
• Peel mill
• New controlled engagement facing toolpath
• Enhanced HST holder definition
• Multi-axis speed improvements
• New ability to save STL as a mesh entity
• True Solids 5-axis verify now included at no extra charge
• Improvements in Lathe machine definitions
• Support of single file ATP processing
• New ability to nest block drill toolpaths to a restricted area
• Engrave toolpaths now supports multiple entry points
• Multiple 4-axis Wirepaths in 1 operation now supported.
• New Sculpt Organic Surface type in Art.
• Improvements to Art manager
• Art shading and material mapping improvements

Mastercam X2MR2 (October 2007)

Narrated video highlights of the functionality new in Mastercam X2MR2

• New modeless levels manager
• Multiple swept surface improvements
• Added ability to translate a mirrored toolpath
• New 2D peelmilling toolpath
• New boundary tools to assist in 3D machining
• Added 3 - 5 axis toolpath conversion
• Speed improvements in highspeed toolpaths
• Added common line cutting in Nesting
• Added Saw toolpath in Mastercam Router
• Multiple improvements in Mastercam Art
• Added support for SolidWorks 2008 files

Mastercam X2MR1 (March 2007)

• General enhancements
• Added Windows Vista support
• Viewsheets added to help with multiple views and levels
• Added support for Parasolids V18
• Added support for Inventor IDW files and DWF files
• Added support for Solidworks assembly files
• New auto tabbing option for Mill and Router
• Tool “stickout” added to HST holder definition
• Holder clearance added to HST toolpaths
• Trochoidal machining included with HST Area Clearance and Horzontal Area toolpaths
• New multiple head parameter page for Router HST toolpaths
• Z-Oscillation added for Mill and Router
• Solids selection now supported in Advanced Multi-axis and Wire
• Double-sided nesting now supported
• Enhanced stock setup for Lathe
• New tree control dialogs for Wire
• Art: Greatly improved operation generation speed

Mastercam X2 (October 2006)

Narrated video highlights of the functionality new in Mastercam X2

• Change recognition
• File Tracking
• Support for SolidEdge V19, AutoCAD 2007, and SolidWorks 2007
• New Quick Mask options
• Undo and Redo of Solids creation/transformation
• New extend of trimmed surfaces
• Totally redesigned ATP (Automatic toolpathing)
• New 3D High Speed toolpath types
• Trochoidal motion added to Core Roughing HS toolpath
• Rest Material added to all HS toolpaths
• New “rib cutting” 3D toolpath function
• Check holder C-Hook added
• Several new specialized design and machining techniques added to Mastercam Art.
  • New Celtic Weave and Pattern on Contour (Pearling) art surface creation.
  • New predesigned textures, randomized textures, and custom textures.
  • Cylinder milling with a true spiral cut, leaving no seam.

Mastercam X MR2 (May 2006)

• New AutoCursor functionality to allow faster user input
• Auto incrementing backup file creation
• New project directory function
• New toolpath display options in Toolpath Manager
• A new option that will allow users to manually set feeds and speeds and never have them automatically reset because they changed tools, material, or default files.
• Improved nesting report to move from a text based file to a PDF report, with graphics
• Mastercam X Art introduced on the X platform
  • Art Manager that handles models with a live history tree
  • Create art base surfaces from an unwrapped cylinder
  • Extensive Art tutorials and an introductory Art video
• Improved selection of multiple solids
• New Backplot options for viewing toolpaths
• An enhancement has been made to the high speed toolpaths that will decrease the processing time of existing toolpaths
• Added cutter comp activated above the part
• New high speed Rest Rough toolpath
• Added inside to outside in high speed Scallop toolpath
• Completely new suite of 5-axis toolpaths
  • Collision protection of tool shank, arbor and holder
  • Robust tool vector control
  • New toolpath types
  • When programming a 5-axis toolpath and selecting Compensate to Surfaces, you now have the option of selecting a surface or set of surfaces in the file or selecting an external CAD file (including STL).
• Speed improvements in Nesting
• Wirepath editor added in Mastercam Wire

• New hot keys introduced for chaining
• Silhouette boundary c-hook for quick and easy tool boundary creation from Solids or surfaces
• New toolpath editor
• Thread Mill: added multi-pass rough and finish capability
• New suite of high speed toolpaths
  • Core roughing
  • Area clearance
  • Waterline
  • Scallop
  • Horizontal Area
  • Raster
  • Pencil
• New high speed toolpath dialog allows users to change strategies without having to re-select geometry
• Holder definition added; user defined or choose from a library to gouge check the holder during toolpath generation
• Enhanced Backplot
• Improvements made to Nesting and aggregate machining
  

Mastercam X (August 2005)

• New easy to use interface
• Configurable toolbar states allow users to customize Mastercam
• All new masking
• Configurable right mouse button
• New sketcher:
  • Live entity creation allows users to preview work before finalizing
  • Same power, fewer selections
  • Preview all transform functions
• Unlimited undo and redo
• New surface types: Net surface and Fence surface
• Support for tapered and convex tool types in surface machining
• Unlimited negative stock to leave, including flat cutters
• Improved STL machining
• Auto facing in Surface Rough Pocket toolpath
• New Surface Pencil toolpath includes multi and unlimited stepover
• Greatly improved Backplot
• WCS supported in stock definition
• New Mastercam editor
  

January 2005

• STEP translator available at no charge with Mastercam X, but available now to all Maintenance customers
• New Port5ax C-Hook giving users 2 ways to provide better control with Flow5ax toolpath, uniquely suited for engine porting operations
• Support of lollipop, slot, and dovetail cutters in Multisurface Rough and Finish Contour
• Support of lollipop, slot, and dovetail cutters in Flowline
• New facing controls with Rough/Pocket/facing controls (enabled with tpcfg)
• New Blend settings in Finish/Project/blend/along (enabled with tpcfg)
• Faster performance in Finish/Project/blend/along (enabled with tpcfg)on parts without steep walls using new projection technique
• New Minimize Tool Burial option in Finish/Contour & Rough/Restmill (enabled with tpcfg)

November 2004

• Added support for SolidWorks 2005 files
• Added support for SolidEdge V16 files
• Added support for Parasolid V15.1 and V16 files
• Improvements made to Rolldie application
• Improvements made to AutoCAD DWG/DXF translator in AutoCAD 2005

September 2004

• Minor enhancements made to several multi-surface toolpaths
• Added CheckHolder C-Hook. Allows user to check for interference between tool holder geometry and surface or solid model
• Enhancement made to helix bore toolpath
• Enhancements made to the labeling functionality of Nesting
• Enhancements made to the Mastercam Visual Basic Editor
• Enhancements made to 4 and 5 axis multiaxis toolpaths

June 2004

• SAT Converter updated to add support for ACIS kernel (R13 SP3)
• AutocCAD Converter updates ability to import DWG and DXF files containing solid entities
• ProE Converter added support for Pro-E Wildfire II
• SolidWorks converter improvememts to pre-SW2004 parts with multiple bodies
• DesignTracker8 supports installation for Autodesk Inventor files

May 2004

• Added SolidWorks Direct translator enhancement that allows edge curves on imported models from SolidWorks 2004
• Added enhanced support for linear and circular arrays when using SolidWorks Direct translator

April 2004

• Introduced dramatically faster processing times for z-level toolpaths of up to 400%. Planned for the release of Mastercam X, these toolpaths have been added for:
  • Multi surface Rough Pocket
  • Multi surface Rough Contour
  • Multi surface Rough Restmill
  • Multi surface Finish Contour
• New toolpaths deliver better finish for machining STL files
• Introduced smoother high speed multisurface pocketing with variable stepover
• Added tangent ramp stepover to reduce tool motion.
• Added Shank and holder collision detection for drive and check surfaces in the following 5-axis toolpaths:
• Curve5ax
• Swarf5ax
• Flow5ax
• Msurf5ax
• Automatic removal of “fish-tail” tool motion when using Flow 5-axis toolpath that works with all supported cutters including shank and holder
• Added “Rev2Rev C-Hook to help remove noise from reverse engineered surfaces
• Added “Swept2r” C-Hook to allow modification of Swept2D toolpath
• Added “TCPoint” C-Hook to convert points to Wire Thread or Cut type points
• Updated ACIS translator to handle more files
• Improved handling of Levels in files with Solids
• Added support for Inventor 8 files
• Improved handling of files with large notes made with TrueType fonts
• Improved handling of Pre-Solidworks 2000 files
• Improved translation of STEP files into surfaces
• Improved True Shape Nesting speed performance
• Improved sorting capabilities in Toolpath Nesting

November 2003

• Support of lollipop cutters in Rough pocket and rough/finish contour
• Support of slot cutters in Rough pocket and rough/finish contour
• Support of dovetail cutters in Rough pocket and rough/finish contour
• Undercut support of lollipop cutters for drive/check surfaces in flowline
• Undercut support of slot cutters for drive/check surfaces in flowline
• Undercut support of dovetail cutters for drive/check surfaces in flowline
• Added minimize tool burial option in Finish/contour & Rough/restmill
• Better control of blend settings in Finish/Project/Blend
• “Quick” option added to Blend for parts without vertical walls
• Improved tool motion at sharp corners in Scallop, Shallow, and Leftover
• Added Joinsel C-Hook to speed selection of large numbers of entities to join
• Added Quickflat C-Hook to help create tool center boundary geometry on flat areas of surface or solid models for machining.