STU 1211 Rhino > MasterCAM Workflow Tutorial

2017-09-27
TA: Greta Ruedisueli

Rhino

1 – Open a new empty Rhino file

2 – Set units to inches

3 – Import geometry to be milled. Keep geometry as simple as possible. Join surfaces or meshes ahead
of importing geometry. If necessary, project curves to surfaces or keep them above the surface for
appropriate tool paths. For Workshop 2, you will only be working with simple surfaces, but you may
want to add complexity for future models.

Note: Laying out geometry in rhino logically to serve specific tool paths can limit the amount of time you
need to model in Rhino. Buildings for example can be cut by just utilizing curves which outline the
building and by setting the curves as containments in MasterCAM. See examples on the FabLAB website
for further details.

4 – Build stock at 1:1 in Rhino. 3”x3”x15” on the origin, at 0,0,0.

5 – Rescale geometry to sit within stock. MasterCAM measures precise units. The surfaces must match
the stock edge alignments perfectly.

6 – Keep clean layers. Organize stock, surface, and containment separately so that information can be
easily assigned and hidden when assigning tool paths in MasterCAM.

MasterCAM

0 – Download the MLA Template: SIMPLE_FOAM_TEMPLATE_EMPTY_4-7.5x7.5 to your computer.

1 – Open the template and import geometry from rhino by going to file > file merge pattern and
changing the file type to rhino.

2 – Overview of MasterCAM interface

- Rotating around model

- Switching between ISO view, etc.
- Location of tool paths
- Where to add tool paths
- Layers are called Levels

3 – Set stock properties.

- Assign a bounding box by selecting an x, y, and z face from your stock layer.
- Press enter
- Sizes will appear in inches and note that they should match your stock size 3”x3”x15” – if
they do not – return to rhino to verify and rescale any dimensions.

4 – Under layers, hide the stock layer so you can more easily see the layers you are assigning tool paths
to. In this case, the surface and containment layers.
STU 1211 Rhino > MasterCAM Workflow Tutorial
2017-09-27
TA: Greta Ruedisueli

5 – Set toolpaths. For this model, you will have three basic toolpaths to set. You may want to add more
complexity for later models.

Surface Rough Parallel: this will always be your initial pass of any material, wood, foam, etc. It is
a rough, unrefined pass, to remove excess material

- Set Geometry
- Drive: the surface to be engaged with. You will select four surfaces.
- Check: Curves to be boundaries – areas you do not wish to cut. A good example of this
would be selecting curves which define buildings. There are no checks in this file. Leave
empty.
- Containment: Bounding extents of the drive. Select outside curves as chains.
- With the folder checked green – click on the “backplot verify selected operations” icon
- With the folder checked green – click on “verify selected operations”
o In the preview window check all stock and collision conditions when you run the
preview

6 – Set remaining toolpaths.

Contour Ramp: Contour toolpaths cut lines along chains (cruves) in your model. In this model
the contour ramp is designed to cut two lines to serve as guidelines to precisely cut the model
later on the bandsaw into four models.

- Set Geometry
- Chains: can be selected by individually clicking or dragging a window. Can be removed by
individually selecting and deleting if you select something you do not want.
- Backplot and then verify all selected operations

Surface Finish Parallel: A more refined pass at the model.

- Set geometry
- Drive – set four surfaces
- Containment – outside of bounding box

7 – Select and verify all operations.

- Verify there are no collisions.

- Keep file mill time under 30 minutes. A good standard is to multiply the cnc mill time by
three as changing tool paths and setting up stock in the fablab takes time.
STU 1211 Rhino > MasterCAM Workflow Tutorial
2017-09-27
TA: Greta Ruedisueli

Helpful Advice for thinking ahead:

- Let the toolpaths do excess modelling work for you. Consider how curves may want to be
projected to the surface or floating above depending on the tool path utilized. This can limit
the need to model excess items, such as buildings, which can also keep the file lighter. Think
about what you want to achieve with your CNC file before entering Rhino to simplify your
rhino workflow
- MasterCAM can remember earlier operations which were deleted or changed with meshes.
Always create new rhino files and import select geometry in rather than importing excess
geometries into MasterCAM.
- Refer to the FABlab website for example rhino file geometries and MasterCAM templates.
These are helpful for exploring toolpaths, file setup, and good layer management practices
which will make file output more efficient.
- Outside the CNC lab are sample models which have tool paths and step overs described on
the backside.
- Models can be milled more efficiently with fewer tool changes. However, the same tool can
also be used to operate multiple toolpaths – a contour and surface finish for example.
- You will likely have to go back and forth between Rhino and MasterCAM as you learn the
software, make changes in Rhino and then open a new MasterCAM file to re-import
geometry. Don’t get discouraged, this is an unfortunate part of the workflow.
- Drape is a useful command in rhino to quickly create a single fresh surface from more
complex, or separate surfaces and meshes in rhino.

Future toolpaths to consider:

- Scallop – creates radial patterns

- Surface Finish Parallel – experiment with creating smoother or variations with stepover and
tool size transitions
- Pockets – create depressions for building insertion
- Contour 3D – create depth cut lines which follow the surface topography
- Drill – create holes the size of the drillbit