IENG 475
Computer-Controlled Manufacturing Systems
2/13/2016
LAB 06: PROGRAMMING THE SD MINES SLIDE IN MASTERCAM
To start the Mastercam program, do the following:
1. Start > Programs > MastercamX2
Open the SolidWorks SD Mines Slide part in Mastercam:
1. File > Open
2. Click on the downward pointing button on the right side of the Files of Type box, then
click on SolidWorks Files (*.SLDPRT) within the box.
3. Double-click on the Desktop button on the left of the bigger Look in: window, then
double-click on the folder with your team color label.
4. Double-click on the SDM Slide.SLDPRT file in the window.
5. Click on the Fit Button (four blue arrows on middle left top toolbars) to resize and center
the part on the screen.
Setting up the CNC machine type, feeds & speeds, and the stock material:
1. In the small ToolPaths tree window on the left side of the screen, double-click on the
Properties text near the top of the window, then click on the Machine Type tab at the top
left of the pop-up window that appears.
2. Select the Replace button for the Machine Type, and then select the first 3-Axis mill
from the list that appears (Mill 3-Axis HMC MM.MMD).
3. Click on the Tool Settings tab at the top of the pop-up window. At the bottom left of the
window is the current Material (probably aluminum). At the right, click on the Select
Button, then the Source pull down triangle button, then select Mill Library to get a list of
available materials. The material for your part will be a red oak wood, so scroll down the
list (to the bottom) and click on the WOOD inch text in the window, and then click on
the green check button .
4. Click the Stock Setup tab at the top of the pop-up window. This window will let you set
the sizes and graphic options of the original work-piece block.
5. Click on the Display check button about half-way down the window on the left side, and
then click the Solid radio button below it. This will cause the block in within the window
to turn red.
106733544
Page 1 of 5
Printed: 6:55 AM
IENG 475
Computer-Controlled Manufacturing Systems
2/13/2016
6. Click your mouse on the top, left-most corner of the red block within the window. This
will be the origin (zero-point) for our coordinate system, and thus all cutting moves will
have positive X- and Y- coordinates, and negative Z-coordinates.
7. In the white box below the Y- dimension label near the red block in the window, enter
the dimension value 3.2 inches. In the X- dimension white box near the red block in the
window, enter the dimension value 4.4 inches. And in the Z- dimension white box along
the side of the red block in the window, enter the dimension value 0.25 inches. Then
click the green check button . When the window disappears and your part reappears, it
should exactly fit within the red box for the stock on the screen.
Creating the pocketing machining operation for your part’s lettering:
1. In the small ToolPaths tree window on the left side of the screen, right-click on the red
insertion point triangle
at the bottom of the tree. In the pop-up window that appears,
click on the Mill Toolpaths text near the top of the window, then click on the Pocket
option of the pop-up window that appears just to the right.
2. In the new pop-up Chaining window that appears to the left, select the blue and red 3-D
button
. Then, uncheck the Edge and Loop buttons (that is what the computer
will say when your mouse is hovering over the buttons just below on the window), so that
ONLY the Face
button is selected (highlighted in light blue background). This will
make it much easier to select the letters to be pocketed.
3. On your part, select the middle space (NOT the edges) inside each of your initial letters
on your part, then click on the big, green check mark button .
4. In the Pocket (standard) window that appears, click the Select Library Tool button
(near the bottom left). From the Tool Selection sub-window that appears, select the tool
labeled 4 ENDMILL1 FLAT 0.0625 1/16 FLAT ENDMILL, and then click on the
big, green check mark button .
5. Click the Roughing/Finishing tab at the top of the Pocket (standard) window, and then
select the Constant Overlap Spiral pattern box. Uncheck the check-box  for Finish (at
the left side of the middle of the window), then click the green check symbol  at the
bottom of the window. Not doing an extra finishing pass on the letters will save a lot of
time.
Programming the drilling of the holes:
1. In the small ToolPaths tree window on the left side of the screen, right-click on the red
insertion point triangle
at the bottom of the tree. In the pop-up window that appears,
click on the Mill Toolpaths text near the top of the window, then click on the Drill option
of the pop-up window that appears just to the right.
106733544
Page 2 of 5
Printed: 6:55 AM
IENG 475
Computer-Controlled Manufacturing Systems
2/13/2016
2. In the new pop-up Drilling window that appears to the left, select the Entities button,
then the Sorting button. In the window that appears, select the pattern in the second row
and second column (the words XZIG+ Y– will appear as your mouse hovers over the
pattern). Then click on the big, green check mark button .
3. Select the Entities button, again. Then, on your part, select the approximate center of
each hole (NOT the edges), beginning with the top, left-most hole and then going across
(left to right, first), then down one row (and going right to left along that row), then down
and across the next row (left to right) then down and across the next row (right to left),
etc., until you have selected all of the holes on the face of the part. This is an efficient
order to drill the holes. Then click on the big, green check mark button .
4. In the Drill/Counterbore window that appears, click the Select Library Tool button
(near the bottom left). From the Tool Selection sub-window that appears, scroll down
and select the tool labeled 62 DRILL 0.1250 1/8 DRILL, and then click on the big,
green check mark button .
5. Change the Tool # value at the top, middle of the Drill/Counterbore window from 62 to
3, and then do the same thing for the Len Offset value (from 62 to 3).
6. Click on the Simple Drill/No Peck tab at the window top, and make sure that the value in
the box next to the label Depth (at the middle, left side of the window) gets the value –
0.20, then click the green check symbol  at the bottom of the window. Make sure that
the negative sign is included, otherwise you will cut only the air above the part!
7. Click on the green, Isometric Gview
button on the top toolbar, and then (if
necessary) click on the Fit button. You should see a 3-D view of your part, now.
Contouring your slide shoulders:
1. In the small ToolPaths tree window on the left side of the screen, right-click on the red
insertion point triangle
at the bottom of the tree. In the pop-up window that appears,
click on the Mill Toolpaths text near the top of the window, then click on the Contour
option of the pop-up window that appears just to the right.
2. In the new pop-up Contour window that appears to the left, select the blue and red 3-D
button
. Then, uncheck the Face and Loop buttons (that is what the computer
will say when your mouse is hovering over the buttons just below on the window), so that
ONLY the Edge
button is selected (highlighted in light blue background). This will
make it much easier to select the shoulders to be contoured.
3. On your part, select the middle edges inside each of the shoulders (the lower, inside edge)
and make sure that the cut direction arrows point in opposite directions for each shoulder,
then click on the big, green check mark button .
106733544
Page 3 of 5
Printed: 6:55 AM
IENG 475
Computer-Controlled Manufacturing Systems
2/13/2016
4. In the Contour 2-D window that appears, click the Select Library Tool button (near the
bottom left). From the Tool Selection sub-window that appears, select the tool labeled 9
ENDMILL1 FLAT 0.5000 1/2 FLAT ENDMILL, and then click on the big, green
check mark button .
5. Click the Contour Parameters tab at the top of the Contour 2-D window, and then
select the Compensation Direction that matches the direction of your contouring arrows
(probably Right compensation). Check that the Depth parameter is a – 0.14 inches, and
then uncheck the check-box  for Lead in/out (at the lower right side of the window),
then click the green check symbol  at the bottom of the window.
Verifying your operations:
1. In the small ToolPaths tree window on the left side of the screen, highlight the four blue
dots and the text Toolpath Group 1 with your mouse. (These are near the top of the
tree.) This will select all operations for your part to verify.
2. Click on the Verify button (it looks like a gray, 3-D rock, and is next to the G1 button
near the top of the toolbar above the ToolPaths tree window).
3. Move the slider button for speed all the way to the right (next to the running icon), then
click the Machine (play button
) near the top of the Verify window. Make sure that
all the letters are cut, and that all the holes are drilled, then click the green check symbol
 at the bottom of the window.
Post-processing (programming) your operations:
1. In the small ToolPaths tree window on the left side of the screen, highlight the four blue
dots and the text Toolpath Group 1 with your mouse. (These are near the top of the
tree.) This will select all operations for your part to program.
2. Click on the Post button (it is the G1 button near the top of the toolbar above the
ToolPaths tree window).
3. Save your program in your team color folder (on the desktop) with the name xxx P Slide,
where the xxx are your initials.
4. When the Editor window opens, click your mouse on the green NEXT TOOL button on
the lowest toolbar at the top of the window. This will highlight the program line for the
next tool change (a T4 code). Two lines below that, delete the only code that says:
G43 H4 and leave the rest alone.
5. Click on the green NEXT TOOL button again. This time it will highlight the program
line for the next tool change (a T3 code). Two lines below that, delete the only code that
says: G43 H3 and leave the rest alone.
106733544
Page 4 of 5
Printed: 6:55 AM
IENG 475
Computer-Controlled Manufacturing Systems
2/13/2016
6. Click on the green NEXT TOOL button again. This time it will highlight the program
line for the last tool change (a T9 code). Two lines below that, delete the only code that
says: G43 H9 and leave the rest alone.
7. Scroll your window down to the very bottom of your program using the slider at the right
edge of the window. Three lines from the bottom, at the far right end of the line, delete
the code that says: Z0. (Include the decimal point after the zero!)
8. Delete the entire line of code that is two lines from the bottom, then save your NC Code
file by clicking on the diskette icon on the toolbar at the top of the window.
You have finished programming your SD Mines Slide.
1. Save this NC code file into your team folder by clicking on the blue diskette button on
the top toolbar, then exit the NC Editor.
2. Save your Mastercam (.emcx) file into your team folder by using the Save As option
from the Mastercam pull-down menus and giving your team folder as the destination.
106733544
Page 5 of 5
Printed: 6:55 AM