HSM Advisor

[gcode]

HSM Advisor is having a Christmas Special if anyone is looking to buy or upgrade

I just upgraded my monthly subscription

HSMAdvisor

[Jeff]

We were fortunate enough to buy it just when it became not free. $50 lifetime license I believe.

[neurosis]

I purchased the lifetime license so long ago I can't remember how much it cost at the time.  lol.  I think back in 2015?

[gcode]

I've been running a monthly subscription at home
A lifetime license was $195 but when I saw it on sale for $135
I switched over.

[neurosis]

I've been running a monthly subscription at home
A lifetime license was $195 but when I saw it on sale for $135
I switched over.

I think I got it on sale back then for about $150.  It was well worth it AFAIC. I mostly refer to manufacturers recommendations when it comes to tools, but if I'm needing to throw something together quick I always use HSMAdvisor.

I probably should have built a library of custom tools in there by now.

[gcode]

I probably should have built a library of custom tools in there by now.

I recently programmed the roughing operations for a Ti bulkhead.
Our customer has been running it old school for nearly 10 years.
When we took the job, my instructions were to modify their program to run on our machine
but I convinced them to let me reprogram it.
Using MC 2025, dynamic milling, modern cutting tools, and HSM Advisor I reduced the cycle times by 30% and
perishable tooling costs by 60%.

I wish I had spent more time building an actual library of tools for this project though.
It has taken me some time to figure out how HSM Advisor libraries work and I still have a lot more to learn.

[Jeff]

my instructions were to modify their program to run on our machine

One of the things that I cannot stand is using someone else's program or modifying it.
We have a job that we're going to run in a few days, customer "model" and their 5 axis program in Mastercam.
It's SO bad, like less than a year of Mastercam bad.
Sheet solid that is full of holes.
Toolpaths not saying what they're doing.
ALL hss drills and pecking in 8620 material.
ALL default holders, which is impossible because one path it's showing an 1/8" end mill hanging out 3" close to a wall.

No regards to simulation or collision.
No setup sheet.
Basic generic unedited post.
Pretty much all of it left up to the operator to make a good part and not crash.

The people that made this file make more than I do. Think about that!

I took  a couple of hours, made the model from scratch, did my own paths, ran it through simulation.
It's less than half the cycle time of theirs, and even the most basic operator can run it on the machine.

[JParis]

One of the things that I cannot stand is using someone else's program or modifying it.
We have a job that we're going to run in a few days, customer "model" and their 5 axis program in Mastercam.
It's SO bad, like less than a year of Mastercam bad.
Sheet solid that is full of holes.
Toolpaths not saying what they're doing.
ALL hss drills and pecking in 8620 material.
ALL default holders, which is impossible because one path it's showing an 1/8" end mill hanging out 3" close to a wall.

No regards to simulation or collision.
No setup sheet.
Basic generic unedited post.
Pretty much all of it left up to the operator to make a good part and not crash.

The people that made this file make more than I do. Think about that!

I took  a couple of hours, made the model from scratch, did my own paths, ran it through simulation.
It's less than half the cycle time of theirs, and even the most basic operator can run it on the machine.

This right here is the perfect example of why companies should move away from shop floor programmers and move towards dedicated programming. Someone needs to spend the time to do it right instead of just worrying about getting the machine going. Those are 2 different tasks, 2 different priorities and outside of some very specific circumstances, don't generally play well together.

[Jeff]

This right here is the perfect example of why companies should move away from shop floor programmers and move towards dedicated programming

That's just it, it was programmed by someone in a dedicated office for programming mills.
Which is even scarier that's what is being put out to the floor.

[JParis]

That's just it, it was programmed by someone in a dedicated office for programming mills.
Which is even scarier that's what is being put out to the floor.

That right there is a management issue then. Someone clearly didn't spell out the expectations.

One of my guys would never put anything out like that, would not happen.

[gcode]

One of the things that I cannot stand is using someone else's program or modifying it.

This program was X6 and not to bad. The fixture was 100% built in Mastercam with live solids.
Pretty impressive work.
The issue was the toolpaths... strictly old school.. they'd been running this job for at least 8 years
so the program made good parts.
The roughing was Ø1" carbide roughers ramping to the floor then G01 F1.5 with DOC's from .25" to 2"
They gave me their Vericut file which had 6 Ø1" carbide roughers in it one after another.
The Mastercam file only had one rougher. I can only assume they were changing to new tools based on experience gained running the job. In rough numbers they were used 6 tools to rough 4 big pockets @ $2400/part
I did it using dynamic mill. It took some trial and error but we're doing all 4 pockets with one Swiftcarb 6 flute @ $400 each. Cycle time is about half the old way.

edit
and the dynamic roughing produces a much flatter part than the old school roughing

[mkd]

This program was X6 and not to bad. The fixture was 100% built in Mastercam with live solids.
Pretty impressive work.
The issue was the toolpaths... strictly old school.. they'd been running this job for at least 8 years
so the program made good parts.
The roughing was Ø1" carbide roughers ramping to the floor then G01 F1.5 with DOC's from .25" to 2"
They gave me their Vericut file which had 6 Ø1" carbide roughers in it one after another.
The Mastercam file only had one rougher. I can only assume they were changing to new tools based on experience gained running the job. In rough numbers they were used 6 tools to rough 4 big pockets @ $2400/part
I did it using dynamic mill. It took some trial and error but we're doing all 4 pockets with one Swiftcarb 6 flute @ $400 each. Cycle time is about half the old way.

edit
and the dynamic roughing produces a much flatter part than the old school roughing

Ti hoggouts we used to run PCT powdered metal cobalt corncobbs. 1.25" five fluters. Not fancy, but you could absolutly bury them in Ti all while watching them bend under the load. Chips would just pour off.
 Had this running on a Cinncinatti 3 spindle horizontal. Programmer was way too agressive with the 7 degree ramp angle. Two spindles i was watching were fine... no idea when the 3rd cutter popped