Mastercam’s Maintenance Release Delivers Toolpath Control

By DE Editors

CNC Software (Tolland, CT) released Mastercam X2’s Maintenance Release (MR2), which is said to offer improved toolpaths for high speed machining and multiaxis enhancements.

The new Peel Milling Toolpath, which delivers high-speed cutting to 2D projects, moves the tool in and peels away material, layer by layer. It supports efficient constant climb milling by using a trochoidal type of motion with accelerated back feed moves when the tool is not engaged in material.

The Operations Manager pane can now float to a different area of the graphics window or to a separate screen when you are working with dual monitors. Even in its remote location, the Operations Manager remains dockable.

The Create Boundary function expands Mastercam’s toolpath boundary creation, restricting the toolpath to specific areas. You can now calculate the boundary using shallow areas, theoretical rest areas, cutter contact areas, and enhanced silhouette boundary controls.

The advanced multiaxis toolpaths include new by region machining,  which allows the toolpath motion to be optimized by completing one region before moving on to another, and expanded entry and exit macros that greatly simplify contacting and leaving the material.

Other new techniques and options provide more sweep orientation control options, greater flexibility in the use of multiple along and cross curves, and better accuracy for matching those curves while using less data to define the resulting NURB surface.

Additional MR2 Enhancements are included in the LevelManager. The release, available to all Maintenance customers and all new Mastercam customers, is Windows-based CAD/CAM software for 2- through 5-axismilling and turning; 2- and 4-axis wire EDM; 2D and 3D design, surface, and solid modeling;  artistic relief cutting, and 2D and 3D routing.

CNC Software http://www.mastercam.com.

Sources:  Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.