Mastercam WCS Origin

Fully Defined · Jan 30, 2019

I work for a carbon fiber bicycle company. Our VMC recently came back online after being down for some time, and I'd like to start machining molds on it. I've gone though several different CAM applications, and it's looking more and more like I'll be using Mastercam X5, which we already have. I learned Mastercam X7 in school years ago, but I'm struggling with something I don't think we worked with.

Mold halves for any particular component on the frame are created with the origin maintained from the original bicycle skeleton sketch, so from each tool's perspective their origin would seem somewhat random. I need to make it so that if I click the top view, I am looking into the mold cavity with Y along the left side of the mold and X along the bottom. Currently the top view looks at a corner of the mold with the front as the left side and a different corner as the bottom.

If I click WCS, then View Manager, then Solid Face..., it only allows me to select the Z. I need to define X and Y too, and neither are currently parallel or perpendicular to X and Y. I'm not sure where to go from here.

Here's the top view currently:

And the right view:

The top view is obviously wrong, and the right view shows the bottom.

Can you walk me through changing these views?

greggv · Jan 30, 2019

In Mcam 2018, under transform, there's a command "move to origin" I'm sure such a command exists in your version of Mcam. Just click the top left corner ( or where ever you want the origin to be ) and you're in buisness.

Fully Defined · Jan 30, 2019

greggv said:
In Mcam 2018, under transform, there's a command "move to origin" I'm sure such a command exists in your version of Mcam. Just click the top left corner ( or where ever you want the origin to be ) and you're in buisness.

There is no corner. The chamfers are modeled.

Is it possible to define X and Y by a side or an edge?

Fully Defined · Jan 30, 2019

To be clear, the origin is unrelated to any of the geometry of the part, with perhaps the exception of what was the TOP plane when it was an .SLDPRT file in Solidworks. It appears to be the back view now, after exporting it as a STEP file and importing into MCAM X5.

I am completely baffled how to associate the sides with right and front views. Totally lost. PLEASE HELP!

TKassoc · Jan 30, 2019

Just orient the part in a Solidworks assembly and import it to Mastercam from there.

Fully Defined · Jan 30, 2019

TKassoc said:
Just orient the part in a Solidworks assembly and import it to Mastercam from there.

I definitely tried that, but after a million tries I gave up.

In fact I tried this from the beginning. I exported a STEP to a folder, then opened that STEP in Solidworks and did a move/copy feature. Despite trying every conceivable combination, it never opened in Mastercam in the correct orientation.

Shouldn't this be simple? I just want to associate planar faces with WCS views! From what I see, my options are to pick the Z face and hope my X & Y line up. What if they don't?

Fully Defined · Jan 30, 2019

I found a very good explanation on this page, but just like 100% of other posts I've found on the topic, there is no coverage of examples when I need to associate three sides to WCS views. It's always the Z and done.

Easy going on Mastercam: WCS, T Plane & orienting the Part

precisionmetal · Jan 31, 2019

Veteran Bicycle,

I'm not sure this helps you, but will mention just in case.

I use Fusion 360, and I model in it, and also do CAM in it. I can design something that is completely skewed in X/Y... with no relation to the global origin. When I switch to CAM, I have multiple choices on how to orient X/Y/Z, and can also select the origin either from "stock" box points or "model" box points (or actually can just be a point in space if I've drawn something in the design view that places a point "somewhere" which I can select).

MasterCAM is surely as, or probably more capable than Fusion 360, so you should be able to orient X/Y/Z anywhere you want, and also make any point on stock, model, or otherwise... your origin.

If it's any help, I can make a quick screen recording of how I do it, but ideally someone with MasterCAM will jump in and do that for you, which would be more relevant.

PM

Mike1974 · Jan 31, 2019

I am using X6, not sure if it is the same in X5. On the bottom toolbar you should see in the lower right some buttons, 3d/2d, Gview, Planes, WCS, level, etc. Click on the WCS button, select 'dynamic wcs', then select a corner of your part where you want your origin to be. From there, you can manipulate X Y Z axis however you like and drag them around, or enter an angle value. Note: This will create a new view in the plane manager, it does not actually move the part (which will be a good thing if you want to do any assembly type things), use this new view as your plane for machining and your toolpaths will be good to go.

Larry Dickman · Jan 31, 2019

I haven't used MC in a while, but from what I recall, you rotate the view the way you want it, then from the view manager you hit the "=" sign. That then becomes your top view.

Fully Defined · Jan 31, 2019

Mike1974 said:
I am using X6, not sure if it is the same in X5. On the bottom toolbar you should see in the lower right some buttons, 3d/2d, Gview, Planes, WCS, level, etc. Click on the WCS button, select 'dynamic wcs', then select a corner of your part where you want your origin to be. From there, you can manipulate X Y Z axis however you like and drag them around, or enter an angle value. Note: This will create a new view in the plane manager, it does not actually move the part (which will be a good thing if you want to do any assembly type things), use this new view as your plane for machining and your toolpaths will be good to go.

Thanks for the tip.

There are no corners! The chamfers are modeled.

Mike1974 · Jan 31, 2019

Veteran Bicycle said:
Thanks for the tip.

There are no corners! The chamfers are modeled.

Create a couple lines, use the trim function to extend one of them (or join both if you like), then select the corner.

Or if you know where you want it, create a point and use that.

Fully Defined · Jan 31, 2019

I added a coordinate system in Solidworks, and exported the STEP file including the coordinate system.

Is there any way for Mastercam to respect that coordinate system when I open it?

Mtndew · Jan 31, 2019

Mike1974 said:
Create a couple lines, use the trim function to extend one of them (or join both if you like), then select the corner. Or if you know where you want it, create a point and use that.

This is what you want to do, along with Mike1974's previous explanation.
Translate Dynamic is the function you're looking for.

OR
Create a new plane, call it whatever you want, right click that plane,select edit,and move the datum to where you want, and also rotating it.
It's very confusing at first, but once you see how it works it's really simple.

Fully Defined · Jan 31, 2019

Mtndew said:
This is what you want to do, along with Mike1974's previous explanation.
Translate Dynamic is the function you're looking for.

OR
Create a new plane, call it whatever you want, right click that plane,select edit,and move the datum to where you want, and also rotating it.
It's very confusing at first, but once you see how it works it's really simple.

I think I figured this out.

I went back to the tooling master in Solidworks and removed the chamfers. Lesson learned.

Then I used Dynamic WCS and had to manually rotate the axes to align with edges. I'm happy with the result.

Thanks to all who have chimed in.

precisionmetal · Jan 31, 2019

VB,

Not sure how others "model" parts, but I almost never model chamfers. In F360, they are much easier to program and cut if the corners are left sharp. Also, you may be able to just "suppress" the chamfer features in SW (rather than delete) and export your model with them turned off.

PM

Fully Defined · Jan 31, 2019

precisionmetal said:
VB,

Not sure how others "model" parts, but I almost never model chamfers. In F360, they are much easier to program and cut if the corners are left sharp. Also, you may be able to just "suppress" the chamfer features in SW (rather than delete) and export your model with them turned off.

PM

Exactly what I did. Chamfers around the top edge are easy to program in HSM with a contour toolpath, but I've never figured out how to chamfer corners without having them modeled.

I also changed my method slightly since posting above.

I decided to draw a line coincident to the centers of the left and right edges, and use its centerpoint as the origin. This way I can keep my corners chamfered.

Then I hide the line.

StirlingMachine · Feb 3, 2019

Also you don't necessarily need to sketch the new lines for the origin. If you drop the origin on one of the corners formed by the chamfered edges, align one axis along the edge adjacent, you can then drag it in a straight line along that oriented axis out into space and snap it to another edge and it'll align.

For example, if you were trying to align to a lower left corner that was chamfered, you could drop the origin onto the 45 degree corner where the chamfer meets the edge you want to align with the X axis (horizontal edge). Then align X axis of the origin to that edge. Then grab the straight part of the arrow for the X axis and it allows you to drag it while maintaining the relations you just established. And it'll snap the origin in line with the edge you want to use for the Y axis.

rickyt · Feb 11, 2019

Im pretty sure Solidworks front plane is Mastercam top plane.

stargrit · Feb 12, 2019

In fact I tried this from the beginning. I exported a STEP to a folder, then opened that STEP in Solidworks and did a move/copy feature. Despite trying every conceivable combination, it never opened in Mastercam in the correct orientation.Shouldn't this be simple? I just want to associate planar faces with WCS views! From what I see, my options are to pick the Z face and hope my X & Y line up. What if they don't?

Mastercam WCS Origin

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