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Mastercam Post Processor for Star SR20R II - Happy Hollidays

avongil

Aluminum
Joined
Dec 31, 2014
Location
Easton, PA
If anyone is interested in programing a Swiss machine with Mastercam here is a post that works very well. I have been working on it since 2016 (over 60 hrs of work) - Consider it 95% complete.

Complete:
Turning H1, H2
Milling Cross Tools
Milling Face Tools
Milling Back Tools
Threading

Untested:
Head 2 on Front Tools untested
Polar Interpolation


I have placed the download link on the bottom of this site. I plan to get the users manual up as soon as possible. Maybe faster if there is any interest.

What is the catch?

The link above contains an unlocked, plain text post. There is not enough information out there on how to program these machines, hopefully this will help get someone started.
There is also a common misconception out there that one must purchase expensive and complicated Swiss software to program complex parts. Not so, full mastercam milling toolpaths work awesome on the Star.

I ask three things:
If this works for you please share your experience.
Please share your post if you modify it for another machine.
Please do not pirate Mastercam.

This post makes code that runs on the machine with Zero hand editing. Here are some basic instructions.

* - a sample file is included. Post all operations and you will get two streams of code.

* - there is a "transfer" folder in there. You must have this in the same folder as your mastercam file. The mastercam file looks for the transfer folder then dumps the info you have there into your program.

* - open up Star_SR-20RII_H1_001.NC and modify the top
* - open up Star_SR-20RII_H2_001.NC and modify the top
This is the header for head one and head two.

I will update the site as soon as I can with mill turn examples and instructions on all its features. If you follow the sample part, you should be able to get her done.

* - a note on how I program Mastercam Lathe. I have never seen it done like this, but this is key to this post. For side 2, make a transfer toolpath and put zeros in all the values. For every toolpath in head2, make sure your axis combination is set to lower right and set your origin to the back of the part.
 
Thank you for contributing this! A friend has small, Swiss turning business with a number of different machines and one is a Star. I have been hounding him to try CAM because his parts are getting more and more complicated but he keeps stumbling on the price because "he can do it in his head" LOL! Perhaps I can get him connected with a VAR who has Swiss experience and can show him the productivity gains he can achieve.
 
Awesome. I hope to have some videos up very soon.
The problem is always the same - lack of information sharing. I will try my best to share as much info I have in the upcoming months on how to program and set up a Star.

This is exactly what I think is happening in the Swiss CAM industry. Smaller companies are becoming held up on the $25K startup price for complex software to program these machines that 98% of the time do not require synchronization. Even if they do you can still knock it out with manual inputs right in CAM without having to have to hand edit the final code.

I hope to help people in this area, it is far easier to use CAM to knock out swiss programs. Especially ones that have milling.

I have not worked at a Mastercam dealer for 4 years now, but at the time Mcam lathe was $5K. Might seem like a bunch of money, but its cheap compared to all your other options and it gets the job done quickly with minimal fuss and geometry creation.

I love the Mastercam community. It is filled with awesome info and ideas. The only thing I ask is that you buy it and don't pirate.


AG
 
Is this (sharing posts) ok? Isn't a post usually a paid for item...? Just curious as most times when people ask for posts here they are quickly told "ask your re-seller!"
 
I wrote it starting from the included Generic Fanuc 4x dual spindle lathe post so it's no issue.

You are told to ask a re-seller mainly because if you are asking in a public forum you probably have a pirated version.
 








 
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