Featured Stories
Everything You Need to Know About CNC Machining for Injection Mold Making
What is injection molding? Injection mold making is the go-to method for mass-producing plastic parts. The process is streamlined to maximize cost savings and part production. First, pelletized material is placed into a heated container to turn molten. It is mixed with a helical screw to maintain a smooth consistency and to speed up the heating process. The liquid is then pumped – or injected…
Multiaxis FAQs with Multiaxis Product Owner Dylan Gondyke
Dylan Gondyke is the Mastercam Multiaxis Product Owner. He grew up in Eastern, Connecticut and entered the manufacturing industry at the age of 16, where he was immediately drawn to programming and process automation. His early experiences during the technology shift of the mid-2000s spurred a passion for building better tools and workflows for the end-user. He worked for aerospace companies across New England before…
3 Mastercam Mill Features You Need to Know
The majority of modern machined parts are produced with milling, in which a rotating cutting tool advances into the workpiece to cut away excess stock. Milling software is CAM (computer-aided manufacturing or computer-aided machining) software that specifically focuses on mill techniques. We developed Mastercam Mill Solutions to provide powerful, stock-aware toolpaths and machining strategies for milling operations. It offers wireframe, surfaces, solids, and mesh design…
Electric Vehicles and CNC Machining: What You Need to Know
The push for electric vehicles (EVs) is nothing new, but few expected the arms race Tesla would spark in the automotive world with their aggressive development. Now, IHS Markit predicts that 25 percent of all passenger vehicles sold worldwide will be electric by 2030. Others predict that even more will be sold by then. Currently, the inventory of automobiles, in general, is less than demand…
Post Processing for CAD/CAM Software: Your Complete Guide
CAD/CAM software is a combination of computer-aided design (CAD) software and computer-aided machining (CAM) software. CAD creates the design geometry, and then CAM takes the design intent and produces optimum toolpath strategies to subsequently drive the CNC Machine. Most CAD/CAM systems are machine-independent, meaning the user is required to pass the intermediate format (Cutter Location, CL Data) through a post processor to produce the correct G-Code for…
Mastercam 2023 Public Beta: 3 Features to Explore
The Public Beta program for Mastercam 2023 is now available. Here’s a look at how to participate in our Public Beta program and the top new features we’re most excited for you to try in Mastercam 2023 Public Beta. How To Access Mastercam 2023 Public Beta If you’re a maintenance user, you can log in to your Mastercam account and download the free Public Beta…
5 Ways to Improve Productivity with 5-axis Machining
Multiaxis machining is defined by the motion of the cutting machine. A multiaxis machining center can move either its cutting tool or workpiece not only along the three basic linear axes (X, Y, and Z), it can also use the rotary axes (A, B, and/or C) around each of the linear axes. With 5-axis machining, programmers can take advantage of the three linear axes and…
CNC Machining for the Medical Industry: What You Need to Know
The medical manufacturing industry faced a war on multiple fronts during the pandemic. Just as demand for medical supplies like masks and respirators was at its highest – and unexpectedly, too – employment dropped and supply chains were broken. Manufacturers were expected to continue to produce high-quality, high-precision medical products even as they struggled to acquire materials, staff their shops, and even ship the finished…
5 Mastercam CAD Features You Need to Know
CAD software, or computer-aided design software, is the tool that designers, engineers, and programmers use to model parts virtually. With CAD, you can create models from scratch, modify and optimize existing models, and even reverse-engineer physical parts. When a shop uses its CAD software efficiently, it can maximize output, part quality, and profits. Find out how to get the most out of your Mastercam CAD…
Milling, Turning, and Mill-Turn: What are the Differences?
Choosing which kind of CNC machining to use — mill, lathe, or mill-turn — can be overwhelming. All three techniques are forms of subtractive manufacturing; they cut material away rather than add material on, unlike additive processes like 3D printing. But what sets them apart from each other? Mostly, the answer lies in how they remove that material and which piece rotates: the cutter or…
How to Download CAD/CAM Software for Free
Manufacturers use CAD/CAM software to create parts ranging from those small enough for delicate surgeries to those so large they require a crane to move. The CAD portion – or Computer-Aided Design – allows users to reverse engineer parts from physical samples, virtually modify existing parts, and create entirely new models from nothing. The CAM – or Computer-Aided Manufacturing – creates code to run the…
What is Swiss Machining?
Swiss machining is similar to conventional turning on a lathe, but the difference lies in how the stock material is moved and supported. A standard lathe with a fixed headstock is designed only to spin the stock material; aside from its rotation, the material is held perfectly still in its collet. The cutting tool is the part that moves along the material to make the…