Export to Mastercam

[manxJim]

We have a supplier that uses Mastercam any suggestions on the best format to send the files in?
I have sent IGES files in the past but is there a better format

 

[TSTUEBER]

I work with multiple suppliers that use Mastercam, one of them has an add-in for Mastercam called solids I belive so he can import SolidWorks, and or parasolid parts and asemblies. Mastercam also has a direct add-in for SolidWorks on ther web site which allows SolidWorks to export a direct model top Mastercam in there formate.

 

[rocheey]

MasterCam 9.1, (Service pack 2.1, I believe) has the Solidworks Importer. Check the Mastercam website.

Short of that, use a parasolid ("._xt")

 

[crizzo]

I constantly go between Mastercam and Solidworks...Mastercam can open a .sldprt file just fine. Mastercam can also open it as a .x_t, which is the same thing- a parasolid. Once in Mastercam, the part is a true solid....which to a Mastercam user, is nice. Bringing an IGES into Mcam, the part is composed of surfaces (instead of solids), which is ok, but not as nice as solids.

You can always make surfaces from a solid...but not a solid from surfaces.


Mastercam recently came out with an add-in which attempts to bring in the feature tree from .sldprt files. Allows the machinist to supress features during toolpath creation and what not. I have had NO luck with said Mastercam Direct importer. Only has support for the basic features (extrude,revolve,fillet,etc.,etc.) and anything it does not support (lofts,hole wizard,etc.) get completly screwed up in the conversion. That said, I just bring it in as a "brick solid" (.sldprt or .x_t) into Mastercam, that way I know it is a perfect conversion....

 

[krustykrabs]

For those who are going from Solidworks to Mastercam, either via iges or .x_t file, could you please tell me if you are able to bring in any points and/or sketches into Mastercam.
I am trying to bring in an iges file into Mastercam that I exported out of Solidworks, however the sketches representing the min/max trim lines don't come in properly.
Do these types of contours have to be created a certain way or be a certain type of entity in order to export properly? Such as instead of being a sketch, use a 3d curve?
Also I should mention that there are ?-marks beside the sketch names in solidworks tree, since I am fairly new, I am not sure what that means, and if that could be the problem

 

[JNR]

krustykrabs - why not delete your IGES file and make a nice new Parasolid that MasterCAM will suck in with great glee. Or maybe just feed it the native SolidWorks file? What version of MasterCAM are you guys using?

John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics

There are only 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[rocheey]

Point of interest: MasterCAM's AutoCAD importer will bring in both solids, and 2d entities

 

[krustykrabs]

JNR:

The reason I've turned to the iges files is because, parasolid file only brings in solids, no points or sketches.
Not looking for edge curves, need the 3d sketches and points in the file. It seems to be an issue with how the sketches are created and what mode they are created in, otherwise, Solidworks is not iges out properly.
Still trying to work it out with SolidWorks support.

 

[krustykrabs]

ok, from what our engineer figured out, here it is:

If you have an assembly, and you want to iges out any points or sketches, you can't do it properly because even though they are existing in the assembly, they are still related to their respective parts.
For some reason if you try to iges out these sketches along with the rest of the assembly, the sketches want to maintain their original origin to the part that they refer to.
This is why when I iges it out, these sketches are coming in out of whack, they are actually coming in with respect to their original origin on the part.

To solve this, we've had to create a new dummy part(not in assembly), insert any sketch, be it points or a line, and save it. Then we open up the assembly, and insert the dummy part, aligning the origins. Then edit the dummy sketch (delete entitities originally created when we saved off the dummy part), and re-create the sketches we want to iges out; either via point or convert entities, depending on what we need. then save that sketch.

Now when you save out the iges file since the origins are aligned, it will have the sketches we need where they are supposed to be in the final assembly.

Can I get some feedback on this. Is this a flaw in the way Solidworks handles the iges translation?

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

krustykrabs
What is your purpose for the sketches & points. I am not being critical of your procedure but am interested in learning why they would be needed. I am not overly familiar with CAM but I thought that Mastercam uses the solid data rather than sketches & points.

from (the City of) Barrie, Ontario.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

 

[Rocko]

All Cam packages can and will use Sketches/lines and points. I understand where Krusty is coming from , i have suppliers who use Mastercam , we basically have set up sending parasolid files, unless 2d things like sketches showing data for tool making, we then use the mastercam iges output command from SW and make sketches shown/exported in the iges.

 

[krustykrabs]

We need these sketches to cnc cut along them to scribe min/max trim lines around our fixtures.
These lines are projected curves on 3d surfaces, not surface edges.