Wire Training Tutorials

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Mastercam“X4TrainingTutorialsWireApplications
Date:August6,2009
Copyright©19842009InHouseSolutionsInc.Allrightsreserved.
Software:WireMastercamX4
Author:MarianaLendel
ISBN:9781926566399

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Acknowledgements

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 TABLEOFCONTENTS









GettingStarted .................................................................................................. A1

Tutorials

Tutorial#1,2DGeometryContour ..................................................................... 11
Tutorial#2,2DMultiContour ............................................................................ 21
Tutorial#3,3DGeometryand4AxisWirepath ................................................. 31
Tutorial#4,PunchAndDieCreatedFromtheSameWorkPiece ........................ 41
Tutorial#5,MultipleTabs .................................................................................. 51
Tutorial#6,NoCoreWirepath .......................................................................... 61

GeneralNotes.................................................................................................... B1


 TUTORIALSERIESFOR






TUTORIAL#2
WIRE2DMULTIPLECONTOURS












WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

Objectives:

TheStudentwilldesigna2Dimensionaldrawingby:

Gettingafilealreadycreated.
Deletingtheouterrectangle.
MirroringthegeometryaboutYaxis.
Creatingarectangle.
Modifyingthegeometrybybreakingalineintwopieces.
Creatingpoints.

TheStudentwillcreateaDieusingtheContourwirepathby:

Settingthewirelibraryforskimcuts.
SelectingthecontoursusingWindowoptions.
SettingtheparametersinContourParameterdialogbox.
EditingtheNCIfile.

TheStudentwillcheckthetoolpathusingMastercam’sBackplotandVerifyverification.


























 Page22 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

GEOMETRYCREATION
USEFULTOOLSTOSTARTTHEGEOMETRYCREATION

Beforestartingthegeometrycreationweshouldcustomizethetoolbarstoseethetoolbarsrequired
tocreatethegeometryandmachineaWirepart.SeeGettingstartedpageA4.

BeforestartingthegeometrymakesurethattheGridisenabled.Itwillshowyouateachmoment
whereisthepartorigin.SeeGettingstartedpageA5fordetails.



Toolpaths/Solidsmanagertotheleftofthescreencanbehiddentogainmorespaceinthegraphic
areafordesign.PressAlt+Otoremoveit.

 Page23 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP1:GETTHETUTORIAL#1FILE

File
Open
Select“YourName_1”









SelecttheOKbutton. 

STEP2:SAVETHEFILEWITHADIFFERENTNAME

File
Saveas
Savethefileas“YourName_2”
SelecttheOKbutton.







 Page24 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP3:DELETETHEEXISTINGWIREPATH

SelecttheDeletealloperations,groupand
toolsbutton.

SelecttheYesbutton.






STEP4:DELETETHEOUTERRECTANGLEANDTHETHREADPOINT

ChangetheGraphicViewtoTop. 
SelecttheFiticon. 
ToselecttheentirerectangleHolddowntheShiftkeyandselecttherectangleasshownbelow.


 HolddownShiftkey
 andselectthisline







Notethattheentirerectangleshouldbe
highlighted(yellowcolor).


SelecttheThreadPointasshowntotheright.

SelecttheDeleteentitiesicon 
Selectthe
SelecttheRepaintbutton. 
ThreadPoint







 Page25 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP5:JOINTHETWOCOLINEARLINES

Edit
JoinEntities
[Selectentitiestojoin]:Selectthelinesasshowninthepicture.




 Selectthefirstlinehere




 Selectthesecondlinehere

SelecttheEndSelectionbutton. 


STEP6:MIRRORTHEGEOMETRYABOUTYAXIS
StepPreview












Xform
Mirror
[Mirror:selectentitiestomirror]:HolddownShiftkeyand
selectthechainasshown.

Notethattheentirechainshouldbehighlighted(yellow
color).
 HoldtheShiftKeyand
 selectthechainhere

SelecttheEndSelectionbutton.

 Page26 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2


EnabletheXaxisintheMirrordialogbox.
MakesurethatCopy,PreviewandFitareenabledasshown.
Youshouldseethepreviewedgeometryasshownbelow.















SelecttheOKbuttontoexitMirrordialogbox. 
SelecttheClearColorsicon. 

STEP7:CREATETHEOUTERRECTANGLE

Create
Rectangle
EntertheWidth=8
EntertheHeight=5.5asshowntotheright.



MakesurethatyoupressEnterkeyonceyoutypethevalues.

[Selectpositionoffirstcorner]:SelecttheFastPointicon. 
Enterthecoordinates:4.0,0.50(Enter)
SelectFiticon. 
SelecttheOKbuttontoexitthecommand. 







 Page27 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP8:CREATEWIRETHREADPOINTS

SeepageA7toA9intheGettingStartedchaptertocreatetheThread/CutPointstoolbar

SelecttheCreateWireThreadPointicon. 
SelecttheFastPointicon. 
Enterthecoordinates:2.0,0.45(Enter)
SelecttheFastPointicon. 
Enterthecoordinates:2.0,0.45(Enter)

SelecttheOKbuttontoexitthecommand. 


Thefinalgeometryshouldlookasshown























STEP9:SAVETHEFILE

File
Save

 Page28 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

WIREPATHCREATION

STEP10:MACHINESELECTIONANDPROPERTIESSETTINGS

TodisplaytheToolpathsManagerpressAlt+O.

Machinetype
SelectWire
SelectWIREDEFAULT.WMD


















STEP11:CONTOURWIREPATH

Toolpaths
Contour
EnableWindowintheChainingdialog
box.












 Page29 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

Selectoptions 
EnableBreakclosestentitytothreadpoint.
SelecttheOKbuttontoexittheChainingOptions. 
[Contour:selectchain1]:Createawindowasshownbelowbyselecting
thefirstcorner(upperright)andtheoppositecorner(lowerleft).



Selectthiscorneras

approximatestartpoint


[SketchApproximateStartPoint]:Selectthelowerleftcornerofthegeometry.


SelecttheOKbuttontoexittheChainingdialogbox. 













 Page210 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP12:SETTINGTHECONTOURPARAMETERS

SelectandsettheWire/PowerparametersandenableAssociatetoLibraryasshownbelow:
SelecttheOptionsbutton (OnlyafteryouselectAssociatetoLibraryWilltheoptionsbutton
show.)

























TheWireParameterstabspecifiesthepowersettingslibrary,workoriginpoints,miscellaneous
values,andcannedtextfortheoperation.



ClickontheSelectLibrarybutton.






 Page211 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SelectthePowerlibrarythatyoucreatedinTutorial#1.















SelectOKbutton. 

SelecttheOKbuttontoexittheEditLibrarydialogbox. 

SelecttheCutParameterspageandmakethechangesasshowninthefollowingscreenshot.





















TheCutsdialogboxpageletsyoudefinethetypeandnumberofcutsyouwillmakeinthewirepath.
Youcanseupthetabwidthandtheskimcutsthatwillbecutafterthetab.EnableResetpass
numberontabcutstoensurethatthewirecutsthetabusingthepowersettingsoftheroughing
pass.

 Page212 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SelecttheCompensationpagetosetthecompensationtypeanddirectionasshown.















SelecttheStopstosetthecontrolstopcodes.















StopcodesettoAsgluestopcreatesanoptionalstop(M01).

 Page213 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SelecttheLeadspageandchangetheparametersasshown.






























LeadinandLeadoutdeterminethemovesthewiremakeswhenitentersandexitsthepart.
MastercamWiregeneratestheleadinandleadoutforeachpassaroundthewirepath.












 Page214 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SelectTab/FinishLeadsandchangetheparametersasshown.




























Tabcutsandfinishcuts(skimcutsaftertab)canhaveleadinsandoutsoftheirownandcanhave
settingsdifferentfromthecontourleadinandleadout.FormoredetailsseeGeneralNotes,Wire
pathparameters.













 Page215 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SelecttheTaperpageandmakesurethattheparametersaresetasshownbelow.























TheTaperpageallowsyoutocutpartsthathavethesamegeneralshapeinbothXYplane,thelower
contour,andUVplane,theuppercontour.

SelectFlushingandturnitON.





YourmachinedefinitionmightbelimitedtoasimpleOn/Offtoggle.Youcanalsoturnonseveral
differentcoolantoptionsatthesametime,ifyourmachinedefinitionallowsit.

SelecttheOKbuttontoexittheWirepathContourparameters.



SelecttheOKbuttontoexittheChainManagerDialogbox.






 Page216 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP13:VERIFYTHEWIREPATHUSINGBACKPLOT

MakesurethattheWireContouroperationisselected,
otherwiseclickontheSelectalloperationsbutton.








IntheToolpathsManagerselecttheBackplotselected
operationsbutton.


ChangethegraphicviewtoIsometric. 
SelecttheFiticon. 
EnableonlyDisplaytoolintheBackplotparametersasshownto
theright.


SelectthePlaybuttonasshownbelow.




Ifyouwouldliketowatchthetoolpathrunslower,insteadofPlay,selectStepforward.Holddown
theSkeyonyourkeyboardorkeeppressingtheStepforwardkeyandyouwillbeabletoseethe
entireprogramatthespeedthatyouwish,andbeabletostopitatanytime.













 Page217 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

EnableQuickverifytoseeshadedwire.





SelectthePlaybuttonagain.


















ToexitBackplotselecttheOKbutton. 

STEP14:MODIFYTHEWIREPATHTOCUTTHETABSSEPARATELY(NODROPOUT
METHOD)

SelecttheParametersintheToolpathsManager.




 SelectParameters








 Page218 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SelecttheLeadspageandenableTabCuts(nodropoutmethod).






















SelecttheOKbuttontoexitWireContourparameters. 


Tabsthatuseeitherthelineandradiusor(2)lineandradiusmovescombined

withanoverlapcancreateasliverorslugofmaterial.Usingthenodropout

methodeliminatestheslug.




SelecttheRegeneratealldirtyoperationsbutton.











 Page219 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP15:VERIFYTHENEWWIREPATHUSINGBACKPLOT

SelectBackplotbuttonandsettheparameterasshowninSTEP13

ChangetheGraphicViewtoTop. 
SelectthePlaybutton.
SelectZoomTargeticon. 
[Pickpointtozoomfrom]:Selectthepointasshownbelow.








 Selectthispoint





 Selectthepoint
 atthiscorner

[Chooseasecondcornerofyourzoomingbox]:Selectthepointatthecornerasshownabove.
Thewirepathshouldlookasshown.




SelecttheOKbuttontoexit
Backplot. 


Changethegraphicviewto

Isometric. 

SelectFiticon. 

SelecttheOKbuttontoexitthebackplotinterface 

 Page220 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP16:ESTABLISHTHEPARTSTOCK

SelectStocksetupintheToolpathsManager.
Changetheparameterstomatchthefollowing
screenshot.



 SelectStockSetup

































SelecttheOKbuttontoreturntotheuserinterface .



 Page221 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP17:VERIFYWIREPATHVERIFICATION

ExpandtheToolpathsManagerifnecessarybydragging
therightside.


 Drag
SelectVerifyselectedoperationsbutton.





SelectOptionsbutton. 








EnableCuttercompincontrolandRemovechips.













SelectOKtoclosetheverify
optionsmenu. 



 Page222 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SettheVerifyspeedbymovingthesliderbarinthespeedcontrolbar. 

ChangetheGraphicViewtoIsometric. 

SelectMachinebuttontostartsimulation. 





Thefinishedpartshould
appearasshowninthe
followingpicture.

 SelecttheDie







EnableTokeep(oneonly)andselectPickbutton.
Selectthedieasshownabove.
















SelecttheOKbuttontoexitPickachip. 
SelecttheOKbuttontoexitVerify. 

 Page223 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

STEP18:RUNTHEPOSTPROCESSORTOOBTAINTHEGCODEFILE

SelectthePostselectedoperationsbuttonfromToolpath
Manager.


InthePostprocessingwindow,makeallthenecessary
changesasshowntotheright.






 NCfileenabledallowsyouto
 keeptheNCfileandtoassignthe
 samenameastheMCXfile
 Editenabledallowsyouto
 automaticallylaunchthedefault
 editor.


SelecttheOKbuttontocontinue. 



EnterYour_Name1tosave.

SelecttheOKbuttontosave. 

















 Page224 


WIREX4   TUTORIAL2

SelecttheredXboxattheupperrightcornertoexittheMastercamXEditor.




























STEP19:SAVETHEUPDATEDMCXFILE

File
SelecttheSavebuttontosavethefilewiththesamename. 












 Page225