Mastercam's Multiaxis Machining Increases Speed and Finish

Multiaxis machining can dramatically increase a shop’s competitiveness. Mastercam’s multiaxis machining offers a wide range of multiaxis machining strategies – both basic and advanced. With Mastercam, you have complete control over the three crucial elements of multiaxis machining – Cut Pattern, Tool Axis Control, and Collision Control. Mastercam X5 introduces a unified interface and a streamlined workflow for generating multiaxis toolpaths.

Cut Patterns

Cut Patterns guide the tool along specified paths. These patterns can be simple 2D and 3D wireframe, solid primitives (for example, box, cylinder, or sphere), or complex multisurface grids.

Mastercam’s Multiaxis machining has many toolpath types to govern the cut pattern including:

Curve wireframe for trimming operations
Swarf fanning and swarf machining over multisurface floors, plus rail swarf cutting for added control
Multisurface 5-axis roughing and finishing, including depth cuts, plunge roughing, and flowline machining and drilling
Stock recognition that trims toolpaths to eliminate air-cuts and drastically reduce cycle times
Custom applications for machining cylinder heads and converting probe data to machinable geometry
And Mastercam X5 introduces eight new triangular mesh multiaxis toolpaths that support surface, solid, and STL input

Tool Axis Control

Mastercam’s Tool Axis Control allows orientation of the tool’s center axis to be manipulated as it follows the cut pattern. You have complete and dynamic control over the tool axis, lead/lag, entry/exit, and tilt, which simplifies even the most difficult multiaxis jobs. Full entry and exit control lets you determine exactly where and how the cutter enters and leaves your part. An automatic point generator adds greater precision, as well as advanced gouge checking and a 5-axis safe zone around the part.

Powerful axis limits control tool motion between defined angles, ensuring that the tool tilt does not violate part or machine tool limits. You can easily refine control of your tool axis with a few simple pieces of CAD geometry. Shank containment simplifies cutting in confined areas.

Collision Control

When programming 5-axis parts, it is often necessary to come very close to the part or fixture with either the cutter, arbor, or the holder. Mastercam gives you “near miss tolerance” fields so you can specify how close you are willing to get with any part of the tool and how to avoid those situations.

Streamlined Multiaxis Interface

Mastercam X5 introduces a unified interface and a streamlined workflow for multiaxis toolpaths. The selection screen tree structure changes based on toolpath family and type selections. The tree is laid out in the logical order of setting your toolpath parameters. Simply advance along the tree structure, choosing your options and setting your parameters along the way, to create the desired multiaxis toolpath.