8 Multiaxis Features to Discover
- SA JBM
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Mastercam Multiaxis is designed to provide practical multiaxis machining strategies for simultaneous 4- and 5-axis machining. It’s available for add-on for Mastercam Mill 3D, Mastercam Router 3D, and Mastercam Mill-Turn.
As more shops incorporate multiaxis practices, we have invested more in improving our Multiaxis product. Explore these multiaixs tools and features, which were created with users like you in mind!
5-Axis Cutting with Wireframe Input
This toolpath strategy, located within the Unified toolpath as a new Cut Pattern option, cuts a 5-axis profile from the wireframe drive-curve and orientation-line input. When you click Add Curve row to add a cut pattern, you can now choose Wireframe from the Style list. No machining surfaces are required to generate a toolpath.
The Curve drive selection defines the profile that the tool follows. You define the tool orientation by tilt lines that are perpendicular to the drive cut. Select these orientation lines in the Machining parameters located beneath the Pattern grid.
Use the Tool Axis Control page for extra tool-motion control that is relative to the orientation lines. Mastercam interpolates the tool axis orientations throughout the motion between the orientation lines.
This cut pattern strategy offers complete control over tool motion with minimal required inputs.
XYZ and Line Orientation Menu Updates
This update provides better names for the WCS X, Y, and Z directions used in multiaxis toolpaths, providing you with decreased programming time and better selection-name clarity. It also adds the equivalent Tplane options. The Tplane selections help you define a reference axis more quickly. The Multiaxis toolpaths that take advantage of these changes are Swarf Milling, Unified, Deburr, Pocketing, Triangular Mesh, 3+2 Automatic Roughing, and Convert to 5-axis.
Including the Tool Radius in Toolpath Calculation
The Include tool radius option adds the tool radius when compensating to the inside or outside of the containment boundary. This saves you from calculating the radius manually and then adding it to the Additional offset field. However, you can continue to use Additional offset in conjunction with this feature.
Managing Containment for Rotary Advanced
The Rotary Advanced Containment options allow you to define containment boundaries, create an offset from the boundaries, and invert containment selection results.
You have three options to configure containment:
Containment curves: Use the arrow button to display the Solid Chaining dialog box from which you can define the containment-boundary curves, while showing the number of curves selected.
Additional offset: Apply a toolpath offset that is relative to the containment boundary.
Invert containment area: Switch the machining area from a region within the containment boundary to the area opposite the containment boundary.
Tilting the Tool During a Helix Operation
The Tilt during helix option for Multiaxis Pocketing toolpaths orients the tool vector so that it is normal to the slice at every point on the helical ramp move. This motion reduces tool overloading for the roughing machining pattern. Tilt during helix increases tool life by keeping the consistent chip load on the tool during entry.
Without this option, Mastercam performs the helical entry using only 3-axis motion, resulting in an abrupt change in motion when the tool transitions from 3-axis to 5-axis. Unlocking the full range of motion lets the tool continuously align to the vectors of the feature being cut, allowing the tool to transition less aggressively from the helical entry motion to the cut pattern.
Custom Surface Clearance for Pocketing
Select a custom surface as a clearance area to optimize linking motion, offering added control over the position of the tool during linking moves. Mastercam aligns all retracts and pending linking motions to the defined surface. This feature supports cylinder, sphere, plane, and irregular surfaces, but can only be used for the roughing machining pattern with 3- and 5-axis output format types.
Using the Tool Tip or Flank with Swarf Milling
Swarf Milling has a Cut with option that specifies whether to cut with the tip or flank of the tool, providing increased user control for tools with multiple viable cutting edges. This option is available for chamfer mill tools, and you can also use it with flat-end mill tools that have edge break corner treatment defined.
Blending Distance for Feed Rate Control
The Blending distance option is one of the Feed control zone parameters in the Feed Rate Control page for the Unified, Triangular Mesh, and Multiaxis Pocketing toolpaths. The Feed control zone parameters let you to modify the programmed feed rate within a specified area. Blending distance provides extra control over the area within which the feed change will occur. It determines the area of the toolpath over which Mastercam will modify the feed rate when transitioning to the beginning or from end of the feed rate control zone.
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