Post processor question for preparing program to old CNC mill/lathe

[Abrasive Machine]

Hello
This might be a long question but i do need the help.
I was currently assigned to change our cad software from Solidworks to fusion 360 because something changing to windows 10 and computers need to be changed, something too expensive for Solidworks something.
I am the design engineer who is now the expert in fusion 360.
management wants the Machine shop to also use fusion instead of MasterCam (I am not a machinist and dont know the exact details) but the machinist told me that he used a post processor in MasterCam and he needs that to work in fusion 360 for it to work. we have an old Fadal mill and a old mori lathe that he currently used rs232 lo load programs to.
and my question is has anyone here used fusion 360 to program their old mil and lathe loading the program with RS232. how did you get your post processor to work?
if anyone can point me to who/where can I get help on this?
thank you for the help.

 

[Dan from Oakland]

Wow! Ok- #1- your MC Posts are never going to work in Fusion, so realize that from the get go. You will need to go locate post processors in the Fusion post library that are specific for your machines. Finding a Fadal post in the Fusion library should be simple. You don't say what control is on your Mori lathe, so you might have to use a posr generic to the control. Once you get your Fusion post processors, you will need to program some tool paths for both machines and sit down with your machinist and go over the code, compare the output to the MC programs to confirm the details like tool change positions, offset calls etc. If you have MC, I'm at a loss to understand why you are dumping MC and going to Fusion for your CAM. Same goes for the SW to Fusion for CAD, but...………
You are aware you can model in Fusion and export a solid into MC?

 

[Human]

Be a reasonable engineer and provide controllers' model/year and a sample of a functional NC program for both Mill & Lathe (the ref mastercam ones).

That's 4 Items, w/ 2 attachments:

1) Mill Controller
2) Lathe Controller
3) Mill sample NC program
4) Lathe sample NC program

And most likely some here will be able to guide you a little better. Solidworks, Fusion, AlibabaCNC, WalmartCad is irrelevant at this stage, you'll need to customize your own postprocessor at the end of the day (ref to the mastercam ones). By informing on those 4 items, chances someone have them for Fusion already. Try your luck...

 

[Abrasive Machine]

the main reason is money.
somehow it will cost us over 30K to keep Solidworks (i dont know why/or how) management is saving money by transferring to fusion 360. that includes not buying the newest MasterCam either because fusion is much cheaper.

 

[Human]

We get the product shilling part, thanks.

Attachments?

 

[mhajicek]

the main reason is money.
somehow it will cost us over 30K to keep Solidworks (i dont know why/or how) management is saving money by transferring to fusion 360. that includes not buying the newest MasterCam either because fusion is much cheaper.

What version of Mastercam do you have? If it's recent enough to run on Windows 10, why not keep it without paying maintenance? Can you afford to lose access to your CAM when Autodesk's authentication servers are down or your internet is out?

 

[Garwood]

My Mastercam runs on a 2008 XP computer. It's cheaper to buy $50 computers than pay for newer software I don't need.

 

[Human]

damn... wicked stuff

 

[Abrasive Machine]

Be a reasonable engineer and provide controllers' model/year and a sample of a functional NC program for both Mill & Lathe (the ref mastercam ones).
That's 4 Items, w/ 2 attachments:
1) Mill Controller
2) Lathe Controller
3) Mill sample NC program
4) Lathe sample NC program


HELLO
Sorry for the delay, there was a confusion as to whos job is it to do this.
but here's the info.
1) Mill controller is a Fadal CNC88 machine model is VMC3016
2) Lathe controller is a MORI lathe with a Fanuc 10T controller.
3) attached called Mill-Plate...
4) Attached called Lathe-Alum...

Thanks all for your help.

 

[Abrasive Machine]

Wow! Ok- #1- your MC Posts are never going to work in Fusion, so realize that from the get go. You will need to go locate post processors in the Fusion post library that are specific for your machines. Finding a Fadal post in the Fusion library should be simple. You don't say what control is on your Mori lathe, so you might have to use a posr generic to the control. Once you get your Fusion post processors, you will need to program some tool paths for both machines and sit down with your machinist and go over the code, compare the output to the MC programs to confirm the details like tool change positions, offset calls etc. If you have MC, I'm at a loss to understand why you are dumping MC and going to Fusion for your CAM. Same goes for the SW to Fusion for CAD, but...………
You are aware you can model in Fusion and export a solid into MC?

Hello,
I was just looking at the machines in the fusion 360 library. Fadal isnt even listed in the manufacturers. would a haas VF1 be close enough?

 

[lastrada]

Hello,
I was just looking at the machines in the fusion 360 library. Fadal isnt even listed in the manufacturers. would a haas VF1 be close enough?

Are you looking in the right place?
Go here: Post Library for Autodesk Fusion 360 | Autodesk Fusion 360
Then under the "any vendor" drop down menu, Fadal posts are listed.

 

[Abrasive Machine]

Are you looking in the right place?
Go here: Post Library for Autodesk Fusion 360 | Autodesk Fusion 360
Then under the "any vendor" drop down menu, Fadal posts are listed.

Yes, thanks for the link,
I downloaded the one available for the Fadal and ill have the machinist give it a shot to see how it works for out machine.
Thank you for that link!

 

[Billy_C]

the main reason is money.
somehow it will cost us over 30K to keep Solidworks (i dont know why/or how) management is saving money by transferring to fusion 360. that includes not buying the newest MasterCam either because fusion is much cheaper.

This is ass backwards. You, as the engineer, needs to do a time study to figure out what will cost the least when all said and done then take that to management and tell them what's up. There is a lot of leg work to do here, easily outweighing the potential software savings. Crashing your Mori because of a messed up generic post and ignorant implementation will instantaneously out weight the benefits of switching.

There are lots of shops capable of making a transition like this pretty seamless but the folks that spearhead a transition like this are on the ground floor. They've done the research and know exactly what it's going to take, then tell the bosses "we should switch to -EFG- software because of -456- potential savings and it's going to take -A-, -B-, and -C- to do it in -123- amount of time."

 

[Billy_C]

Rant aside, Fusion is pretty easy to figure out and for simple lathe and 3ax mill this transition probably does make sense. Check the fusion library or just hit them up in the chat before you buy the software to see what support they'd be willing to give you.

 

[Billy_C]

Regarding RS232, that process shouldn't change. Are you using a little desktop app to send-receive the programs to the machine? If so, that will be same except the programs will be generated with Fusion not Mastercam.