Moving to HyperMill

[mayday]

My new job is good I am the only so called process engineer/programmer, hate the commute, its only 25 minutes but I hate freeway.
I'm 62 I'll toy with Hyper but that's about it. If they want it now it's MC. Shop manager is the same way, he uses MC also. Best I know only 3 shops in Michigan uses Hyper. Mastercam rules in the motor city

[mkd]

Hypermill is superior in every way to MC unless you feel the need to get into the weeds with tweaking MC posts. (edit; actual toolpath availability might not be 1 to 1 and there are certainly long time MC 5 ax toolpaths that would be frustrating to try and replicate in HM, if at all)  Basic alterations for limits and coolant codes in HM are a snap and you don't need to learn a retarded post language.
 Preconfigured posts are a blessing, imo. Their Virtual Machine product is tied to your Machine's serial number where you data collect limits and tool change positions. They post out a tool checking macro that you save on the control that us referenced to verify tool length offsets and will alarm machine if there is a mismatch. If your fixture offset doesn't match the program will likely overtravel Z. Good safeties for throwing a program to a setup guy.
 I don't know how good these linked posts are in MC, but the basic crash/ gouge verification in HM's VM is great. If you want a one-stop software solution, it's what I would choose. Great support too.
 Fraisa cutters has about the best website in existence for fine tuning depths and stepovers and get exact running parameters for those selections. Downloading a PDF to remember what you selected along with an XML file you can plug into the HM tool manager is pretty great. Having a repertoire of use cases saved in a tool's 'technology' tab would be a huge win for someone that was looking to get the most out of parameterize the programming process for max business efficiency.

[CNCAppsJames]

Hypermill is superior in every way to MC ...

That's a bold statement Cotton... BOLD!


EVERY CAM system has a tleast one thing they beat everyone else at. Some CAM systems have a few things. NO CAM system beats another in "every way".

Though I would expect that type of statement regarding HyperShill. Crazy thing about HyperShill... I spent an entire afternoon watching an allegedly "expert" HyperMill programmer at one of their flagship facilities (... because I'ver got friends in low places, but I digress ... )  struggle with what seemed to me a simple process. There were numerous software crashes. I asked if there "was a bug" in the software. The reply was "...oh no, HyperMill doesn't have any bugs, I must just be doing something wrong...".

Ok...Fair enough. That being said, had the exact same thing happened while driving Mastercam... damn straight that would have been called a bug, and there probably been a massive number of expletives and "Mastercam sucks" too. #ChangeMyMind

But when you condition your sycophants to believe that your shit doesn't stink, and that your software is without flaw, I completely understand why nary a negative comment is ever uttered out loud, and NEVER EVER in in a public forum.

The reality is every software out there does "something" very well. Other wise it wouldn't last very long.

If I were in my programming prime, I'd challenge a HyperShill jock to a fastest code to finished part inspection and a good part wins contest. Those days are over for me unfortunately. I just don't get the seat time I used to so I'd be at a pretty heavy disadvantage. I will say I ate a CATIA jock's lunch BITD. Not only was my part through 1st Article Inspection and cleared for production before he even got code to the machine, but I went home for the day just as he was loading code. His part didn't pass 1st article inspection the 1st time through.

CATIA jocks make those very same claims against Mastercam still to this day so please color me skeptical when I hear "superior in every way".

[mkd]

CATIA jocks make those very same claims against Mastercam still to this day so please color me skeptical when I hear "superior in every way".

Should have lots of skepticism since that line was just for trolling value. I still feel one arm tied around my back using HM, so I'm not even qualified, lol. With enough seat time, it sure looks like it would be much better.

[CNCAppsJames]

Should have lots of skepticism since that line was just for trolling value....

I couldn't let that troll go uncontested.

[gcode]

The thing I dislike most about hyperMill is how it handles tools
Maybe I'm missing something, but I feel like I'm back in V5 when trying to build
tools in hyperMill.

[mkd]

The thing I dislike most about hyperMill is how it handles tools
Maybe I'm missing something, but I feel like I'm back in V5 when trying to build
tools in hyperMill.

importing holders is amazing in HM!!!!
Building tools, not so much. Importing from a solid model is imperfect as it doesn't always work with all toolpaths. Best to plug in values for everything but the most custom tool.
 take a better look at working with the technology tab. You can have many materials and use cases fine tuned right there. Using the same tool library where the job setup dictates the material, the speeds and feeds populate the operation. Magic!
 i'm not that organized with MC tool databases..because I hate their implementation

[TSmcam]

James is right. All CAM applications are good at something. Some are good at a lot of things. Some are good if you want cheap and nothing complex to programme. A lot of us here remember watching Mastercam fall way behind the pack as Mill Turn prevalence took hold. They sure dropped the ball with that one.

I used Mastercam, Unigraphics/NX, HSMWorks, InventorHSM, and TopSolid. Dabbled with a few others, but nothing worthy of noting. I've dealt with a lot of people using other applications.

I was once a self professed Mastercam fanboi, and I thought nothing even came close. Regardless of the bad taste left from my reseller and the Summers, and some other management, imho the product is still good if you want a strong swiss army knife type application across all the axis disciplines, and with user editable posts (for the most part). Nowadays though, having moved on, when I do find myself reverting to Mastercam, I struggle with it. A lot of that is due to learning a different interface, different keystrokes, and different processes. Thats what happens. I dont blame Mastercam for that all. But, I can still hold my own, and if ever needed I would be able to get back in the saddle in pretty quick time.

Would miss my PDM and full CAD/Assembly/Mechanisms if I had to go back though

[riverhunter]

I used Mastercam, Unigraphics/NX, HSMWorks, InventorHSM, and TopSolid. Dabbled with a few others, but nothing worthy of noting. I've dealt with a lot of people using other applications.

Would miss my PDM and full CAD/Assembly/Mechanisms if I had to go back though

Same here.  I honestly believe it has to with how much seat time you have invested vs fear of the unknown and wanting to revert back to the comfort zone as soon as something flusters you.

I started with Gibbs and used that for 5-6 years, then went to a MC shop and had a 8 year run.  next was a Catia / MC aerospace OEM.  I became the programming manager there and was tasked with streamlining the programming department so I set out and tested 4-5 programming software's and we ended up spending a boat load of $$ to invest in Vericut and NX. as always, first couple months were difficult and lot of frustrations were expressed.  right around the 6-8 month mark everyone was comfortable and MC was a thing of the past.   

MC will do about anything you want.  so will most mid level software's.  it really boils down to being comfortable with what your using.  Having used NX for the last 12 years was a pleasure.  a Few months ago I found myself back to using MC a few months ago and man is it painful. I will say there has been some improvements sine X4, but i cant seem to get over the tool not respecting the model and having to draw geometry to avoid cutting air let alone the WCS system.  throw in the fact that you cant drag and drop tool paths between two open files and wow...stuck in the 90's.  it just seems silly, but thats my job now so thats what i do!

[RobertELee]

Hypermill is superior in every way

LIES!!! Bobcam is most definitely top of the heap! 

[CNCAppsJames]

@riverhunter

Get to know the dynamic toolpaths WELL. In the old 3D toolpaths, yeah, lots of geometry creation to keep things tight. Dynamic removes a lot of that. Yiu still need to create boundaries from time to time in some specific cases, but there's a DRASTIC drop in necessity. 

JM2CFWIW 

[CNCAppsJames]

I've probably got 40k-ish hours of seat time in Mastercam between 1992 and now. 10k-ish hours in CATIA, and a few thousand between a hand full of others. 

It's ALL about quality seat time and quality training. I had very good training at the local community College that laid the foundation and that set the tone. I was doing stuff with MC before it was ready to be done, so when the WCS came about I was already a bunch of steps ahead because I was already working in 3D model space (i.e. working my way around a single  part, whereas the vastbmajority of my peers chose not to.

[CNCAppsJames]

Dang - On reading this I realised I'd forgot stock models on my list DUH!

As did I... yeah, using stock models you can remove almost all air cutting... and if you need to make an adjustment in machining strategy for whatever reason, it'll all regenerate. MASSIVE difference from even 2018 to 2024 let alone X4 to 2024. Not even in the same galaxy as far as capability.

[gcode]

LIES!!! Bobcam is most definitely top of the heap! 

This is absolutely true.


It's on the top of the pile at the local dump

[gcode]

Same HS toolpath suite for a lot less price....Jess sayin....:whistling:

Mastercam's high speed toolpaths are proprietary.
Do you mean the Module Works Suite?

I'm almost afraid to go on BobCad's website and look.
I'll start getting phone calls from some hyper aggressive salesman
from Florida's Gold Coast, hounding me to buy buy buy, calling daily
with one last best final offer.