10 FOR MASTERCAM X3 SP1

Moldplus
V11.2
5-axis Toolkit
For Mastercam 2019

Quick Start Guide

Moldplus Version 11.2 (11.2.x)

Moldplus SA
March 10, 2019
 Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1

PREREQUISITIES .................................................................................................. 1

SOFTWARE ........................................................................................................ 1

MOLDPLUS INTERFACE .......................................................................................... 1

MOLDPLUS RIBBON BAr ...................................................................................... 1

MOLDPLUS LICENSING .......................................................................................... 2

TO CONFIGURE THE LICENSE .............................................................................. 2

5-AXIS TOOLS ...................................................................................................... 5

CREATE CURVE 5 AXES ....................................................................................... 6

EDGE PATH CREATION .................................................................................................................... 6

CURVE PATH CREATION ................................................................................................................ 13
AUTO PATH CREATION .................................................................................................................. 17
PATH MOVE - BY VALUE ................................................................................................................ 20
AUTO PART EDGE CREATION AND COLLISION RESOLUTION ........................................................ 24
CREATE TOOLPATHS USING THE GROUP MANAGER .................................................................... 32
MANUAL PATH CREATION ............................................................................................................ 42
POINT PATH CREATION ................................................................................................................. 55
CURVE PATH TO POINT PATH CONVERSION ................................................................................. 57
MANUAL OR POINT PATH FROM EXISTING POINTS ..................................................................... 60
PATH CREATION ON MESH/STL DATA .......................................................................................... 63
PATH VECTOR DISTRIBUTION........................................................................................................ 66
SWARF PATH CREATION................................................................................................................ 69
AUTOSET NORMALS .......................................................................................... 72

RADIUS ANALYSIS ............................................................................................ 75

CHECKDRIVES SELECTOR .................................................................................. 79

AUTOTRIMFIT .................................................................................................. 87

CHANGE UV DIRECTION .................................................................................... 89

PART EXTENSION ............................................................................................. 92

STOCK SLICE CREATION ................................................................................... 94

MOLDPLUS SUPPORT ........................................................................................... 96

 Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

INTRODUCTION
This document will walk you through using some of the new tools offered in the 5-axis
toolkit from Moldplus. You learn to use these functions on different parts provided in the
installation. This guide should help you to learn to use these new features. The Online
Help will help you understand more about these features.

PREREQUISITIES
Please ensure the following items are installed and configured correctly before using this
quick start guide. Mastercam 2019 will be used as the reference version for this guide.

SOFTWARE

• Mastercam 2019.
• Moldplus 11.2 for Mastercam 2019 installation.

MOLDPLUS INTERFACE
After Moldplus 11.2 has been installed, you can access the Moldplus tools using the
Moldplus ribbon bar in Mastercam 2019.

MOLDPLUS RIBBON BAR

The Moldplus ribbon bar in Mastercam 2019 can be accessed by clicking on the Moldplus
tab.

The 5-axis toolkit icons are presented in the following area of the ribbon bar:

Highlighting an icon in the ribbon bar displays the tooltip right

below the icon and group:

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 Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

MOLDPLUS LICENSING
After Moldplus 11.2 has been installed, you will need to configure the license to enable
the features. Licenses are delivered as an XML file by your reseller.

As long as your maintenance is current, you can run the new features in the 5-axis
toolkit standard license.

The Moldplus Standard, Professional and Fixture Design will need new licenses to be
purchased in order to function. The Moldplus 5axis Toolkit Professional that activates the
Swarf path feature requires the purchase of a new license for it to function.

License registration for new purchases or renewals/updates will need to follow the
routine as described to register the licenses.

TO CONFIGURE THE LICENSE

1. Click Moldplus->About from the Moldplus ribbon bar in Mastercam 2019.

The About Moldplus dialog is displayed. This dialog is also displayed when you click on
any Moldplus icon for the first time. Note the actual SIM number, Sim type (HASP or
WIBU) and user type are displayed according to your settings.

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2. Click Register. Browse to the location where the XML License file was saved, select
the file and click Open.

3. If the license file is valid, the maintenance date and other information is updated. A
green check indicates that the license is valid. Note that only the products you purchase
will display.

Valid products are indicated with a green tick and invalid ones with a cross. To request a
new license or an updated version of your current license, please contact your reseller.

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Moldplus for NetHASP or WIBU NETWORK code registration will not be done
using the above dialog. You will need to configure the Moldplus Server V6.0 Manager
to configure the licenses for NETHASP or WIBU NETWORK. Once the Moldplus Server
V6.0 is active and identified through the client, the following is displayed:

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 Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

All the files referred to here can be found in the \SHARED

MCAM2019\MOLDPLUS\MCAM\Moldplus_Examples_MM folder.

5-AXIS TOOLS
Moldplus includes a suite of powerful tools to help prepare your geometry for 5 axis
machining and surface toolpath geometry in general.

These functions are included under the C5x paths and Five Axes groups from the
Moldplus ribbon bar.

There are 13 features:

• Create Cv5ax

• Create Curve 5axis paths on Edges

• Create Curve 5axis paths on Curves

• Create Curve 5axis paths manually

• Create Point Path

• Create Curve 5axis Swarf Path

• AutoSet normals

• Radius Analysis

• CheckDrives
Select

• Auto TrimFit

• Change UV Direction

• Part Extension

• Stock Slice Creation

The document will cover the topics in the order of the list above.

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 Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

CREATE CURVE 5 AXES

Create Curve 5 Axes helps you to create curves and tilt vectors on geometry faces
(Solids and surfaces) with superior ease. The ability to create the edges and to be able
to tilt the vectors and set the desired angle will help you to create curve 5 axis tool paths
in a fraction of the time it takes today. These are unique tools that are found in the
CAD/CAM industry!

The following steps and examples will help you to learn to use this powerful utility in no
time.

EDGE PATH CREATION

You can create paths by selecting the edges of a part.

Step 1: Load the part and show the curve geometry: Load the LASER FIXTURE
PART.MCAM part.

We can quickly create the edge path of the part by highlighting the edge. If the
edges are tangent to one another, the entire part edge can be created in one
click!

Step 2: From the Moldplus ribbon bar, click on or from the Create Curve
5axis dialog, click on the Edge Paths icon.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

The following dialog is presented:

Step 3: Move the cursor close to the outer edge of the part. The entire edge is
highlighted.

You will notice the start point (in the case of closed loops, start and end points)
represented by the little red circle as shown above. You can move the cursor
along the path to select a new start point if you desire.

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Step 4: Click on the preview. The accepted preview now changes color to
magenta.

At this point you will notice a red circle at the start and end point location. This is
now a handle that can be manipulated to adjust the start and end location of the
paths.

Step 5: Move the cursor close to the handle. The path is again previewed by
indicating the path direction and displaying the handle to manipulate.

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You can click on that handle and move it in either direction to move the start or
end points. In the case below, we have moved the end location backwards. You
can do the same to the other handle. The message dialog displays the path
length and how far you have moved the handle. The total path length is also
displayed.

When you let go, the magenta preview is displayed again with the result.

As soon as you are done manipulating the path, you can either click on “Apply”
to move to a new path OR click on “Save and Exit” to exit this dialog. In this
case, we will Undo the last move operation and store the path as a full path by
clicking on Save and Exit.

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 Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Step 6: You can highlight another boundary if you prefer. You can also right click
on the handle point for more options.

Once you click on the edge, the previews are presented in magenta.

Step 7: Click on Save and Exit to create the 2nd path. The following 2 paths are
now displayed in the path list.

In a few clicks you have created an edge path for a complex curve 5-axis trimming
application!

You can continue to use this tool to get most of the edge paths for trimming.

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We can change the start point for the second path in the following manner. As you move
the cursor along the path, you will see a preview of a new vector.

Position this at the middle of the long line approximately and right click on that point.
Choose the option to set the start point at this vector. This can only be done for such
closed paths. Otherwise, this option will be greyed out on an open path.

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A new vector is created at this point AND it is set as the start vector. You still have the
option to go right click on any other vector and change the start point for the toolpath.

You can click on the button to generate a

Mastercam Curve 5axis toolpath from the result! If a tool was not defined, you will be
prompted to select a tool from the Mastercam tool library and generate a toolpath.

Both paths are created under a single Mastercam Curve 5axis toolpath in 1 click!!!

You can use the Group Manager to control the number of paths, etc. This will be covered
later in this document.

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The curves and vectors are saved to the Mastercam database in the MCAM file. When
you open the same part at a later time, all these curves and vectors are identified when
you launch the Create Curve 5axis dialog.

CURVE PATH CREATION

In case you have a pre-existing curve on the part, you can instantly convert it into a
Curve 5axis path!

Step 8: Load the part and show the curve geometry: Load the
PART1_FOR_SURF_NORMALS.MCAM part.

One of the hidden layers

has the curve geometry.
Activate level 125 so that
it can be viewed.

Step 9: Launch the Curve path option from the icon or from the Create
Curve 5-axis, Curve Path icon.

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The Curve path dialog is opened and the Mastercam Chain Curve dialog is
opened.

Step 10: Select and chain the green curve.

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When you accept the chain and the Chain dialog is closed, a preview of the path is
displayed.

You can now manipulate the handles of the path similar to the Edge path preview by
moving the cursor close to the handles. When you move the cursor close to the path,
you get this preview and the path information above.

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 Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Step 11: Click on . The path is created!

You can now continue to create the Mastercam toolpath using the

options. A Curve 5axis toolpath is created.

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AUTO PATH CREATION

Step 1: Load the Visor_MM_PART.MCAM file. We can create the outer edges
and vectors in 1-click!

Step 2: Launch the Create Curve 5axis

utility. Click on the Auto button

. The following
dialog is presented. Make sure you set
the parameters as shown.

A preview of the path is instantly

displayed.

Click on Save and Exit to add the

path to the list

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

The outer curves and vectors are created using the set parameters. There is one
path listed in the tree.

The path direction, start and end point are displayed for the selected path.

Step 3: Create a new Mastercam toolpath: Click on the

Quick Toolpath creation button. A Mastercam Curve

5axis toolpath is created!

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At this stage, if you wish to manipulate any of the tilt vectors, you can do so by
returning to the Curve 5axis dialog. You can manipulate the angles of any of the vectors.

From the Options tab, check the Transparency box and set it to the middle
approximately. This will allow you to view the vector lines through the tool and holder.

Step 4: Modify a vector and update the toolpath: Edit the vectors on the
curves by launching the Curve 5axis tools again. Click on the vector as shown
below.

Step 5: Click on the icon to modify the selected vector. Set the Side tilt angle
to 25 degrees to tilt the vector towards the inside of the part. Depending on the
path direction, the value might need to be positive or negative.

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Note: the vector tilt can be applied to a vector or a selected range of vectors.
You can also right click to access the Tilt Vector dialog.

When the vector angles are manipulated or curves moved, the Mastercam toolpath will
NOT get marked dirty. However, this dialog will indicate that the path needs to be
updated when you see a red box around the Update Path button.

To update the toolpaths, click on the “Update toolpath”

button! The toolpath is updated with minimal effort!

PATH MOVE - BY VALUE

Step 1: Moving a curve along the part using coordinate values.

Curves created on the part can be moved along the part or away from the part.
For the Auto Path 1, we will now move a section of the curve on the part.

Select the following section using the Windows selection method. Holding the
SHIFT key down, highlight the section between the 2 indicated vectors to select
them.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

To move the curves using coordinate

values, click on the Path Move

icon to open the dialog

on the right side.

As the segment has been selected, we

need to select a reference point to move
the point by:

Select the vector as shown below by

the red arrow as the reference point.
The dialog is now activated and allows
for manipulation.

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Scroll in the Z Coordinates field and set the value to 15mm. You will notice the
preview of the selection in green.

A smooth curved transition is applied from the start to the end of the 3rd vector
using the middle vector as the reference ads shown above.

Change the Offset Mode to Linear. The transition is linear between the 2
points.

Change the Offset Mode to Uniform. All the points in between the 2 vectors
are moved evenly.

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If you click on Apply, the path is moved based on the setting. Change the Offset
Mode back to Smooth. Click on Reset to set all the offset values back to 0.

Change the Referential to Absolute/WCS. You will now see the coordinate
value of the selected point relative to the origin as well as the offset values. The
direction for moving the selection will be set to the absolute XYZ direction.

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Change the Z Offset value by 15mm. The Absolute coordinates are also updated
when you apply offset values. You can also edit the Coordinate values if
preferred. The following is the result of the Smooth move.

This is a very powerful tool that allows you to move sections, entire paths or
individual points relative to the part.

AUTO PART EDGE CREATION AND COLLISION RESOLUTION

Step 1: Load the LASER TRIMMING.MCAM file.

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Step 2: Launch the Create Curve 5axis dialog and click on the Auto icon.

Use the settings as shown (default settings):

There are no curves previewed as the part has a thickness. We need to select a
set of faces (outer or inner shell) to generate the preview.

Click on the button. A Surface Selector dialog (simplified

version of the Check/Drive selector feature) is displayed. Select a single outer
face while holding the SHIFT key down. The 101 faces that represent the outer
faces are selected.

Step 3: Click on Accept Selection.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

A Preview of the possible paths is now presented. Note that only the good paths
are displayed. The preview is based on the selected faces. The paths are
displayed from smallest to largest path (moving the slide bar to the right will
remove the smaller paths). There are a total of 7 paths here.

Step 4: Click on Save and Exit to create the paths.

The 7 paths are created and listed in order of filtering (largest to smallest). The
path directions are displayed by the arrow indicators.

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We will now resolve the collisions for the external path using the JIG in the part
file on Level2.

Step 5: Enable the Level 2 to display the JIG.

Display only the selected path. Highlight Auto Path 1 to visualize that path alone.

Define a simplified tool and holder as follows from the Tool dialog. This will help
simulate a collision with the Tool Holder. Select a vector (or intermediate vector)
close to the handle. You will see a collision between the holder and the jig plate
handle.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Launch the dialog and use the following settings:

With the above settings, run the simulation through the part. At the first point of
collision, a vector is created and when the collision ends, another vector is
created at the last point of collision. The holder and tool geometry is indicated in
red while there is a collision (collision intersection area is displayed in light blue).

First vector of collision created Vector created when collision cleared

As the vectors are created, click on the Stop button in the Simulation dialog. You
can now fix the collision between these 2 new vectors by tilting the vectors out of
collision.

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Click on the 1st vector created at collision and click on the Vector Tilt

icon.

Scroll the Side tilt value to a positive value of 3 degrees. You will see the collision area
disappear with a tilt of 3 degrees.

Now click on the button on the Tilt vector dialog to move to the next
vector – which was the newly created vector when the collision was cleared.

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Set the Side tilt angle to 3 degrees also. The collision is cleared for this region.

If you play the simulation through this area, there will not be any more collisions.

Continue playing the simulation with the same Simulation settings. You will
identify a new collision zone on the other side of the part.

The vectors are created at the start and end of the collisions. In this area, there
are additional vectors in between the collision are that need to be tilted also.
There will be a few more interactions needed here.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Set the 1st vector tilt angle to 2 degrees.

Click on the to go to the next vector. Set the tilt angle to 2

degrees also.

Set each subsequent vector tilt to 5 degrees till you clear the collision zone by

cycling through the vectors using the button. These vectors can
first be selected using the SHIFT click option to highlight the vectors as shown
below.

Once the vector tilts have been set to a 5 degree tilt, all the vectors should have
cleared the collision areas.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Run the simulation again from the start point. You will notice that all the collisions
with the jig handle are gone!

In a few clicks, you are able to check for collisions and apply the necessary
rotations to resolve the collisions! You can now disable the Level 2 (Jig plate)
level.

CREATE TOOLPATHS USING THE GROUP MANAGER

Step 6: Creating toolpaths from the paths created in the part above is very easy
using the Group Manager.

Upon reviewing the part, you can see that some of the paths can be grouped
together into a single Curve 5axis toolpath operation.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Path 1 = first group,

Paths 3 and 7 = second group

Paths 2 and 4 = third group

Paths 5 and 6 = fourth group

If you click on the icon, all the paths will be created under a single
Mastercam Curve 5axis toolpath operation. With proper safety zones defined for
the transitions between the paths, you can create a single path if needed.

However, the same Create Curve feature offers a very powerful tool to create the
toolpath groups, set the cut directions, change tools, move the paths around, etc.
(interact with them) in a graphical and visual manner! You can update/regenerate
the Mastercam toolpaths from this dialog also.

To create them as groups, click on the button. All the above

paths are presented in the path list on the left pane.

You can now create groups of different path combinations before generating the
toolpaths.

To create the groups, highlight a path and click on the Create One button.

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A new group is created with Auto path 1. Auto path 1 is also listed as Used once.

Path 1 is highlighted with the start and end vectors indicated. For a closed loop as
above, the start point alone is mentioned. We can now change the start point for
the first path.

Click on the vector below and right click on the graphics screen, you are
presented with the option to change the start point location.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Select it to set this as the new start point.

Next, we will use another method to create a group. We can create a group with
paths 2 and 3. Highlight Auto path 3 and drag by holding the SHIFT key down
and let go in the Groups tab.

A new group is created with path 3. Now drag and drop Auto path 7 into the
same group. NO NEED to hold the SHIFT key down while adding a new path to an
existing group.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

The second group now has 2 paths listed.

You can create the remaining groups for the side cuts by highlighting Auto Path
2 and Auto Path 4 and clicking on Create One. The following group is created.

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The last group can be created in the above manner with Auto path 5 and Auto
path 6 and click on Create One. Now the 4 groups have been created.

Once the groups are created, highlighting any path in the group OR in the path
list will highlight the path and show the direction of cut with an orange arrow
head (default).

In Group 2, paths 2 and 3 will be cut in the counter clockwise direction –

indicated by the orange arrows.

The thick cyan line indicates the transition between the 2 paths.

If you wish to reverse the cutting direction of a path, highlight the path and right
click on the name. This offers the option to invert the path direction among other
options.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

You can also click on the I key while the path

is highlighted to reverse the path direction.

When the path is reversed, the arrow-head is displayed as follows:

Reset Auto Path 7 by clicking on the I key while highlighted to the same direction
as all paths.

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Moldplus 5-axis Toolkit Quick Start Guide

Now that the paths have been grouped, creating the toolpaths are a few clicks
away!

Click on the button.

If a tool was not previously selected, the Mastercam Tool Manager dialog is
displayed. Select the 4mm Flat End Mill.

Click on to select the Tool.

As soon as the Tool is selected, the Mastercam toolpath operations are created
and the Moldplus Group Manager lists the tool for each group in the Groups pane
also!

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Any changes made to the paths, the toolpaths can be updated by clicking on the

button from the

Group manager OR by clicking on the button in the main Create Curve

5axis dialog.

Clicking on any of the Group names will select and highlight the appropriate
Mastercam toolpath.

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First and third group selected using the CTRL key in the Group Manager also
selects the 2 toolpath operations:

There are a lot of options in the right click menu for managing the groups,
deleting the toolpaths and groups, etc.

This concludes the review of the Moldplus Group Manager.

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MANUAL PATH CREATION

We will now review how to create a path manually on a part, make some offset copies
and manipulate the paths.

Step 1: Open the 0_ELEC3.MCAM file.

Step 2: Click on the Create paths manually icon from the Ribbon bar.
You can also access it from the Create Curve 5axis toolbar

.The following dialog is presented, the part edges are

highlighted and a Hot key display box is presented:

If you move the cursor next to any edge, the vector line is highlighted next to the edge.
This means that if you click on that location, a starting vector will be created at that
location.

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Step 3: Click on the face of the part at this location. We will quickly sketch a curve
on top of the faces. The first vector line is created as a red line.

Step 4: Hold the left key of the mouse down and drag along the part, you will see
a yellow path preview displayed as you drag along the face. This indicates the
direction of the path. Click on this point to create the 2nd vector. While dragging
the path and before creating the path, you will see the display box for the Hot
keys changes according to the task at hand. We will use some of these tools
shortly.

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When you create the 2nd vector, the direction arrow is also presented. The curve
between the 2 points is also created at the same time. Also create the 3rd vector
as shown below.

Step 5: While creating the 4th vector on the top of the face, you will see that the
connecting curve is displayed with a curvature. If you wish to straighten this
vector, the Display box for the Hot keys indicates that with the L key, you can
straighten the connection.

Before creating the next vector, ensure that the Projection on Part is set to a
Distance of 5mm.

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Step 6: Create a vector line at the following location. Again, as this is almost a 90
degree direction change, the default setting is to have a smooth curved
transition. However, if you wish to have a straight curved transition, you can click
on the L key before creating the 5th vector.

Step 7: Create the following 3 vectors to complete the path. Use the L key where
relevant to straighten the path. You can also use the T key to follow the tangency
direction of the path. The following should be the result.

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Step 8: Click on Save and Exit to create the path. A new Manual Path is created
in the path list and displayed.

We can extend the path outside the part faces also. You can easily work on the start
point and modify, extend as possible. We can modify the path using the Path Edit
function.

Step 9: Highlight the Manual Path 1 and click on the Path Edit icon.

The Manual Path dialog is opened allowing you to make modifications to the path
quickly. You can edit any path using this dialog (Edge Path, Curve path, Manual path,
etc.) that was created using the Create Curve 5axis path tools.

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We will extend the start and end points of the path outside the part to create our
own entry and exit points.

Step 10: Click on the end vector and extend the path outside the part to
approximately this location. As default, it extends along the plane. You can hold
the T key down to extend along the tangency. Create the path extension vector.

Step 11: To manipulate the start of the path, check the Work on start box in the
dialog. You can now manipulate the start point.

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Step 12: Create an additional vector to the edge of the part and then create an
additional vector to extend the path outside the part edge.

This is the result of the manipulated path when you exit the dialog.

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Now we can make 2 offset copies of the path using the copy path offset feature.

Step 13: Click on the Path Offset icon. The following dialog is
launched. Set the values as shown below in the dialog. Set the Corners as Round.

Step 14: Click on the Path. The 2 additional offset paths are previewed with green
curves.

You will notice that the sharp corners are rounded.

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If you wish to set them to Sharp, change the Setting for the Corners to Sharp. The
preview will show sharp corners.

If you wish to connect the paths together, click on the options available in the Join
Mode and choose Lines. The paths are now connected in the manner that they were
copied.

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Step 15: Click on OK to accept the path copies. A single path is created as the
copies of the paths were joined using the lines.

If you did not join them using the Path Offset dialog and wish to join the copied
paths, you can use the Path Join feature. You will see 3 paths listed if they are not
joined.

Step 16: Click on the Path Join icon. The following dialog is presented.
Set the options as shown:

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Step 17: Click on the 1st path you wish to connect. Then the 2nd point of the path to
connect to. You will see a preview of the paths.

1st point selected, it is displayed in dark blue.

2nd point selected, it is displayed in red and a green the line link previewed. Clicking
on Apply will connect then with a purple line link.

Click on OK to close the dialog. The 2 paths are joined together and displayed in the
path list as a single path. Clicking on that path will show the entire path that was just
linked.

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You can also connect the 3 paths by right clicking on any of the paths in the Path list
and selecting the following option. All the checked paths will be joined together.
Make sure the path directions are correct to join them correctly.

You can also right click from the graphics area and choose the option the option to
join them.

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Depending on the order of the paths listed and direction off each path, the following
single path is created.

You can also use the Mastercam - Transform functions to Copy, Translate and Scale
(Uniform and non-uniform) the part along with the paths. When you perform these
operations in Mastercam and launch the Curve 5axis dialog, these operations are
recognized and the paths are modified or new operations are created.

You can Mirror a path using the built in mirroring feature . Make sure there
is a line of reference for mirroring the path (3). When you launch the feature, you
will need to select the path first, then select the line by clicking on Vector and then
the reference line, accept the selection and preview result (to move or copy the path)
before accepting the result. This path is not ideal for the mirroring example but it is
used to illustrate the example.

This concludes the review of the manual path creation and manipulation.

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POINT PATH CREATION

You can now create a Point Path toolpath that creates a Mastercam Drill 5axis toolpath.
This option can be launched from the main ribbon bar for Curve 5axis paths or added to
the Curve 5axis toolbar from the Create dropdown options.

Step 1: Open the VISOR_MM_PART.MCAM file.

Launch the Point Path feature and sketch some points on the part – randomly or by
selecting existing points on the part. In the example below, points are clicked on the
part. A dotted line is shown to see the connections between the points.

Creating the point path lists the path as a Point path in the path list.

Click on the icon to create the Mastercam toolpath.

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Select a Drill tool as shown:

The toolpath is created as a Mastercam Drill 5axis toolpath with these points!

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CURVE PATH TO POINT PATH CONVERSION

Create an Edge path on the Visor part from the previous example.

Enter the Groups Manager. Create a new group with the Edge path. The Drill tool is
chosen as the default tool as it is the only tool in the current tool library.

A regular curve path can be converted into a Point Path toolpath in the Groups Manager.

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Right click on Group 1 and choose one of the options in the Set target toolpath type.
The Default option will keep the toolpath as the default curve path. Choose the Drill 5
axis path option to create a drill 5 axis toolpath using the vectors as the points and
lines for the same.

When this is set, you will see the Group name change to have a (Drill) suffix. This
indicates that a Drill 5axis toolpath will be created.

Click on the button to create

the new toolpath.

In the case below, toolpath operation 2 is also a Drill 5axis toolpath that was converted
from the Edge Path. Drill points are created on the vectors of the edge path.

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You can create a Curve path using the same Edge Path from the Group Manager. Create
a 3rd group using the same Edge Path.

Choose a Flat End Mill for this operation by right clicking and editing the tool.

This should be the result with a 6mm Flat End Mill chosen.

Click on the button to create

the new toolpath.

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A Curve 5axis toolpath is now created.

A Point Path however cannot be converted into a Curve path as a curve does not exist in
the first place! You will not be provided the option in the right click options for setting
the target toolpath type.

MANUAL OR POINT PATH FROM EXISTING POINTS

Manual path OR Point Path options allow for selecting pre-existing points that are closely
aligned to create a path. The vectors will be created on these precise points.

Open the VISOR_MM_PART.MCAM file.

There are some preexisting points on the part file.

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Place the part in TOP view. There are 2 rows of vertical points. Launch the Manual
Paths feature.

In order to select all the points in a row, using the Manual path option, click on the first
point to select it.

Hold the hot key M key down and move the cursor to the end of the path (last point). All
the points that are closely aligned will be highlighted in magenta color.

When you click on the last point, all the highlighted points are selected as the vector
reference points. Click on Apply to create the path with the points as shown on the
right.

You can continue to create additional paths in a similar manner. The direction of the path
is determined by the selection direction of the points.

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With 3 clicks (select first point, hold the M key down and move the cursor to the last
point), you can create the vectors on the points as displayed on the right!

When the 2nd path is created, the following is the result.

These types of paths are useful for part inspection and to create quick 5 axis drill paths!

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PATH CREATION ON MESH/STL DATA

Manual paths, curve paths and point paths can be created from mesh/STL geometry.
Mesh geometries imported into Mastercam that have curves or point data can be used to
create the paths mentioned.

Step 1: Open the LASER TRIMMING MESH.MCAM file.

This is a binary STL model stored in Mastercam with some additional geometry on other
levels to walk through this example.

Launch the Manual path feature and create a path by clicking on several points on the
model – similar to that of a surface/Solids model. You will see that the points are
projected on the model and the vectors tilted based on the orientation of the model.

Click on Save and Exit to create the path.

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Paths can be created on existing curves using the Curve Path option. Enable Level 300 to
view the existing curve. Launch the Curve Path feature and chain the existing curve.

The path is projected on the model and the curve path created..

Disable Level 300.

Paths can be created using existing points. These points will be projected on the model
when creating the manual path or point path.

Enable level 301. Some points exist on the part. Launch the Point Path feature and
select the points. If the points are aligned closely, the points will automatically be
highlighted /previewed prior to creating the path. The following should be the result.

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Manual curve paths can also be created using the existing points. Using the smart
selection tools, you can quickly select the points that are closely aligned.

Launch the Manual Path feature and select the points as shown below.

The following is the result of the Manual path created using the points.

Hint: The curves were created using the Moldplus manual paths on the STL mesh and
saved as curve geometry. If you create STL edges for the part boundary using the
Moldplus STL tools, you can create paths on the edges of the STL meshes also using the
Curve paths function.

This tool will continue to evolve. It currently works well on good STL models.

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PATH VECTOR DISTRIBUTION

Distributing points along a path – by a set distance between them OR by set number of
points/vectors that are evenly distributed along a path is now possible. This option is
available in the Vector Add/Remove feature. Once a path is created, you can modify
the point distribution.

Step 2: Open the VISOR_MM_PART.MCAM file.

Step 3: Create the Edge Path as shown here:

The result is as follows. The vectors are created by the system based on the angles and
end points of the faces.

Click on the Vector Add/Remove icon as shown above.

When you enter the Vector Add/Remove dialog, the following options are presented as
Methods – Specified vectors distances and Specified number of vectors.

The new options offer the ability to distribute the vectors based on prioritizing the Start
point, End Point OR having a Uniform distribution for the entire path. There is an option
to remove the existing vectors while creating the new ones.

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These features are useful for creating vectors evenly spaced or at critical locations for
drilling vent holes in molds, etc.

For the path below, upon launching the dialog and selecting the path to edit, choosing
the Specified vectors distances option allows you to define the distance between the
vectors. The distance is set to 20mm between the vectors, the priority is given the
calculate the distance from the 1st vector (Start is checked) and the original vectors are
marked to be removed.

The green vectors indicate the new vectors that will be created using the set parameters.

The red vectors are the original vectors. As Remove existing vectors is checked, they
are displayed in red to be deleted. If you uncheck the option, the original vectors are
displayed in yellow color.

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If you check the End vector also, the distribution will be more uniform. From the image
below, you can see the vector locations change when the End option is also checked.

The option “Distribute uniformly in range” does the same thing. It will get disabled
when you have both Start and End checked.

The option to create a Specified number of vectors will allow you to create the set
number of vectors using a priority of distribution using thee Start and/or End points as
the extremities. In the case below, 10 vectors are created using the priority as the Start
point.

If you check the End option also, you will see that the vector distribution is now
changed.

With these options, you now have a powerful way to control the number of vectors that
are created along an entire path along with the distancing between them.

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SWARF PATH CREATION

Swarf path geometry can be created using the Moldplus Swarf Path creation tool. With
the geometry created (path and vectors titled to the wall angle), you can create the
Swarf path toolpath using the Curve 5axis toolpath feature of Mastercam. This tool
requires a higher license of Moldplus 5axis Toolkit Professional. You will need to purchase
this license above the Moldplus 5axis Toolkit feature.

The feature can be launched from the Create 5axis paths ribbon bar or by adding the
following icon to the toolbar by clicking on the Create button and customizing this
toolbar.

Open the DOME_SURFACES.MCAM file

On this part, as the walls vary in angle as you go around the part, launching the feature
and using the following settings, you can quickly create the path and corresponding
vectors to create the Swarf path.

Launch the Swarf Path feature.

Set the parameters as shown. With Auto Synchronize enabled and Project on upper
rail checked, move the cursor close to the lower rail. The swarf path is previewed in the
following manner.

The resultant Swarf path is created on the upper rail with the correct wall angles.

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If you uncheck Project on upper rail, you will get the following preview when you
move the cursor close to the lower rail.

The swarf path is now create from the lower rail.

There is another option. If you set to the Closest Distance setting, you will need to
choose the lower rail first. The lower rail is highlighted in green.

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Move the cursor close to the upper rail. The swarf path is now previewed if the pat hcan
be created successfully.

Clicking on it will create the path preview.

When you click on Save and Exit, the Swarf path is created.

As a comparison and for the value it offers, if you create an Edge path from the bottom
rail and compare the vector orientations, you will notice the difference. The brown
vectors are the Swarf path angles aligned to the walls. The dark yellow vectors do not
respect the wall angle as they were created using the Edge path feature.

You can now create a Mastercam Curve 5axis toolpath using the Curve and vectors.

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AUTOSET NORMALS

This function automatically sets all the normals on the surface bodies in the Mastercam
part. The direction to which the normals are set depends on the overall surface topology.

With one click or interactively, you can set all the normals on the part using a shaded
reference that differentiates faces that have normals in different directions.

Step 1: Load the file: Load the PART1_FOR_SURF_NORMALS.MCAM file.

Make sure the backside button is active in the Mastercam View tab.

You will see that some of the

surface normals are not set
correctly on this part. You
can see the backside colors of
the surfaces (indicated in
light green).

Step 2: Launch AutoSet Normals from the ribbon bar. The surface normal
directions for each face are displayed by the yellow lines that indicate the normal
direction. The shorter lines are on the light green faces – the faces that are
reversed. If you rotate the part to view the back, you will see that the normal are
pointing in that direction.

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Step 3: Set the normals: Click AutoSet Normals. All faces are set in the same
direction. The red lines indicate the faces that were reversed. All the surface
colors are the same now.

Step 4: Reverse the normals: You can also reverse all the normals. Click
Reverse All Normals.

You will see that all the normals are reversed to the interior direction.

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Step 5: Load the file: Load the second part in the example folder -
PART2_FOR_SURF_NORMALS.MCAM

In this part, we see that there are normals that need to be set correctly for a
closed model. All the normals need to point in the outer direction.

Step 6: Correct the normals: Launch the dialog for AutoSet Normals. The part
is immediately shaded and we can see that there are reversed normals on all
sides of the part.

Step 7: Set the normals of individual faces: You can set individual faces if you
prefer. If you click on the light green face indicated, the normal is immediately
reversed.

Step 8: Set all the normals on the part: Rotate the part to see the reverse side.
If we need to set all the normals 1 by 1 for the faces, even though it is a visual
tool, it is a tedious and time consuming task.

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Click on AutoSet Normals using the by majority (default) method. Almost all
normals are set so that all the faces are pointing in the external direction.

Uncheck the View Normal Lines

option to view all the faces alone.
There are a few surface normal that
were not set properly. On a complex
part of this nature with multiple
bodies making up the part, this can
happen.

This is why there is an Orientation

Mode with another option.

Change the Orientation Mode to by

extremity and click on AutoSet
Normal again.

This time all the faces are set

correctly.

This is a very powerful tool and

simply works!!!

RADIUS ANALYSIS

The Radius Analysis function helps you to analyze all the radii on a part. Using this
function, you can quickly find problem areas where the tool path may not be generated
correctly due to the radii being smaller or larger than the tool used.

The Radius Analysis dialog is implemented in the Operations Manager.

Step 1: Load the part: Open the PART1_FOR_SURF_NORMALS.MCAM file.

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Step 2: Start Radius Analysis: Click the Radius Analysis icon from the
ribbon bar.

The Radius Analysis Operations Manager dialog is opened and the minimum radii
are immediately displayed based on the default settings. The radii layer is
displayed above the surface model. That is controlled by the “See surface
details” slide bar.

Step 3: Analyze the radii: Set the range to the second radio button and move
the slider to 5mm as shown. As you move the radius value slide bar, the different
radii are displayed.

Step 4: Display max and minimum

radii: To see what the minimum and
maximum radius are on the part, click
Info. The following dialog is presented
where the min and max convex and
concave radii are presented.

Step 5: Display radii grouped by range: You can also view the radii grouped
under different ranges. The default ranges are set as 2, 5, 10 and 50. Click Multi
button. The radii are now presented in different ranges.

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Step 6: Display radii using the histogram: You can also view the radii grouped
and presented in a Histogram. Click Histogram.

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In the Radius Histogram window, move the mouse pointer over the bars. Only
the surfaces corresponding to the radius represented by the bar are shown.

Once you have done your analysis and determined the radii for set angles,
clicking on Accept will copy the colored surfaces to a level that you choose from
the interface. As default, all these faces will be copied to level 1000.

You can also do quick individual/dynamic radius analysis by clicking on a face and
moving along the face while within the radius analysis dialog.

Move the surface display slide bar to the left so that the display overlay of the
radii layer is directly projected on the geometry model itself.

Click on any face and the corresponding radius of that face is displayed.

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CHECKDRIVES SELECTOR

CheckDrives Select provides easy methods to select check and drive surfaces for 3 to
5-axis machining OR for the separation of inner and outer shells of sheet Solids. Instead
of selecting the surfaces/faces individually, you can quickly pre-select these faces using
the powerful selection tools and then change the colors of the faces and move or copy
them to another level for use at a later stage.

Step 1: Open the CHECK_DRIVE_SELECT.MCAM file.

From this part, we see that there are many faces that form different bosses.

Step 2: Launch Check/Drives Select by clicking the icon from the

ribbon bar. Select Autoselection reverse. Press the Shift key and select the
face shown:

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48 faces are selected in 1-click! A control bar is provided to step back and forth on the
selection. There is 1 face that is not selected due to the model not being clean!

Click on that face to add it to the list. This is the final selection with 49 faces.

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Step 3: You can view the selection alone by clicking on Show selected surface
only.

Step 4: To change the color of selected surfaces, click and hold the title of the
Drive surfaces list box. From the dialog that appears, select a new color if you
prefer.

You can store the result to a new level OR continue isolating new faces.

Once you are done, you can click on Accept Selection.

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Step 5: Load the CHECK_DRIVE_SELECT2.MCAM part.

Step 6: Launch Check/Drives Select and change the settings as shown. Select
the surfaces of the cavity: We will now pick the cavity in 1 click from the Solid
model.

All the relevant cavity faces are highlighted.

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Step 7: Click on the button,

the selected faces are shaded in
the selection color!

If you click on the Accept selection button, surfaces of the set color are created
on the Solid model and saved on the set level #10 for the drive surfaces.

IMPORTANT USE: You can use the Check Drive Selector to split inner and outer
shells of Solid or surface models. The following example shows how to use this
function.

Step 8: Load the LASER TRIMMING.MCAM part. This Solid model part has
thickness and can be quickly split for outer and inner shell.

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Step 9: Launch the Check/Drive selector. Click on the highlighted face holding
the SHIFT key down.

Select a top face

with SHIFT key
held down

Step 10: All the outer faces are automatically selected! The selected faces are listed
in the Drive surfaces list. The inner faces are not selected.

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Step 11: Set the Drive output level to 50 and click on Accept selection. All the
external faces are copied as surface geometry to level 50.

This is the result.

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Step 12: You can also isolate fillet faces from a part. Using Level 1, set the options
as shown below to Fillet. In 1 click, you can isolate the fillets in this area.

The selected fillets can be stored to a different level OR used as Exclude Surfaces
on very complex models to isolate outer and inner shell faces.

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AUTOTRIMFIT

This option will attempt to automatically align bad surface tangencies for trimmed
surfaces and close the gaps in between these surfaces. This feature runs on the entire
part. In many cases, fixing the bad faces will result in better geometry for further
manipulation or for machining!

Please be aware that Auto TrimFit might not give expected results when working with
complex surfaces or those with too many irregularities.

Step 1: Load the file: 0_ELEC3.MCAM. Zoom into the area indicated.

You will see gaps between the trimmed surfaces.

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Step 2: Click on the Auto TrimFit icon.

Click OK to accept the warning. With 1-click, the gaps are filled/reduced!

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CHANGE UV DIRECTION

This function is used to edit the surface parameters to align the U and V directions of a
surface patch. In other words, this function will allow you to change the ‘grain direction’
of a surface.

Aligning the U and V directions will result in better finishes in certain toolpaths such as
flowline machining.

Note that in some cases, manipulating the UV direction of the faces will still not give the
desired result in machining!

Step 1: Using the same part, launch Change UV direction .

All the direction vectors are presented on the part as red lines.

Step 2: Select the Flip UV option and select the surface shown. The direction
vector is currently vertical.

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The UV direction is flipped – indicated by the change in direction of the red line (vertical
to horizontal)!

If the color option is checked as below, the surface color is also changed when flipped.

If the options are unchecked the change color, etc. the following will be the result.

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Step 3: Rotation about UV direction on a surface: Zoom to the area shown.

Grab on to the red line and rotate it to the direction you prefer. The surface UV
direction is now rotated.

You can also create a new surface for a 4 sided edge.

This tool allows for rotating the surfaces only 1 face at a time. You cannot set the angle
of the vector line rotation either.

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PART EXTENSION

Part Extension is used to create tangential and/or draft extensions for the edges of a
selected surface or all surfaces in a part.

The extensions are created relative to the Cplane settings. If the Cplane is set to a view
different from the desired extension plane, the extensions will be created relative to the
CPLANE.

Step 1: Load the part: Load the PART1_FOR_SURF_NORMALS.MCAM file

again.

Step 2: Launch the Part Extension tool: Click on the Part extension
icon on the Moldplus ribbon bar to launch Part Extensions. Set the values as
indicated below and check the Invert Z option.

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Step 3: Preview the extensions: Click Preview. In 1-click, you can create part
extensions (tangent and draft) on the entire part.

Click OK to accept the result or manipulate the values for a better result.

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STOCK SLICE CREATION

The Stock slice creation tool allows you to create blocks based on sectioning large parts.

Step 1: Load the part 0_ELEC4.MCAM part.

Step 2: Launch the Stock Slice creation tool from the Moldplus ribbon bar or by

clicking on the icon.

The part is instantly analyzed and the stock slices calculated based on the settings in
the dialog.

The stock size is in YZ. The thickness is the X value. The offset is therefore
applied in YZ.

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You can vary the values if needed. For now, we do the following change.

The stock sizes are not optimal. You can change the Start X value and create
better blocks.

Step 3: Move the Start X slide bar to about 50%. The following is the result.

10 blocks are needed without optimizing X. 9 blocks needed here!

Step 4: Click on Create Blocks. The blocks are created as surface blocks and
automatically named. The dimensions in XYZ are added if the Dimensions option
is checked in the main dialog.

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Step 5: Click on Report. The names are listed with the appropriate block
dimensions.

You can use this tool on surface and Solid models.

MOLDPLUS SUPPORT

Moldplus support is normally provided through your local Mastercam reseller. If the
reseller cannot solve the issue, the reseller or the end user can email all support
questions to [email protected]

Mastercam is a registered trademark of CNC Software.

Moldplus is a registered trademark of Moldplus SA.

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