2 - Mastercam

CONTENTS
Mastercam X2 MR1 Delivers Enhanced
Toolpath Control (cont.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Mastercam X2 Tech Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Import a tool from an MCX file
Slow Generation and Regeneration of
Toolpaths
Import an operation from an MCX file
Windows Vista Support
Mastercam’s Machine Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CNC Software Continues to Grow . . . . . . . . . 5
Mastercam Art Special Pricing . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Customer Spotlight: Mastercam Helps
Bring Relief for Back Pain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Mastercam Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mastercam Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Making the CAD/CAM World a
Little Greener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Mastercam’s Maintenance Release Delivers
Enhanced Toolpath Control
Mastercam’s MR1 release hit the streets in April bringing a lot
of power and new features to Mastercam users. MR1 introduces
significant new capabilities including better toolpath control,
improved toolpaths for high speed machining, multiaxis
enhancements, and much more.
Here is a brief overview of the important new features in this
Mastercam maintenance release:
Pencil Rest Material Optimization
Mastercam’s high speed Pencil toolpath has been improved to
provide much smoother motion with fewer retracts when used with
rest material. A new reference tool diameter field allows Mastercam
to calculate the appropriate number of offset passes needed and
apply them to the boundaries.
Core Roughing Trochoidal Controls
May 2007
Trochoidal motion in high speed toolpaths assists with the
machining of harder materials. Trochoidal motion maintains an
acceptable tool load, allowing feeds and speeds programming to
be reliable. In MR1, Mastercam gives you the ability to control when
and how the trochoidal motion occurs in a toolpath.
(continued on page 2)

2
Product News
Mastercam X2 MR1 Release Highlights (cont.)
Multiaxis Enhancements
Mastercam’s 5-axis Flowline toolpath now supports
undercuts. On complicated files where controlling
the normal direction of the surfaces are cumbersome,
Mastercam has an option to either allow undercuts or
ignore the surface normal direction.
The Advanced Multiaxis toolpaths have also been
improved to support solid geometry. When a solid
model is present, Mastercam provides the option to
select solid geometry.
Viewsheets
New to Mastercam, viewsheets will save you time
when working with multiple views or with different
levels at the same time. Viewsheets let you create and
save multiple user-defined sheets. Each sheet consists
of the view orientation, zoom scale, and visible levels
of the part. You can also create bookmarks to save a
specific state inside the viewsheet and recall it later.
Mastercam saves the current view orientation, zoom,
and visible level information each time you move
from one viewsheet to another.
Additional MR1 Enhancements
• Z Oscillation contour type is added to minimize
tool wear. Z Oscillation is especially useful when
cutting thinner materials or laminated materials.
• The high speed Scallop toolpath has been
enhanced to optimize toolpath retracts during
shallow applications.
• The high speed toolpath modifications allow
you to control when automatic feeds, speeds,
stepovers, and stepdowns are calculated.

Can I Import a Tool from an MCX file?
It is possible to import a tool or multiple tools from an
existing MCX file. You first need to open the MCX file
you wish to import the tools from and save the tools
as a tool library. Now this tool library can be used
inside Mastercam at any time. Here are the steps.
1. Open the Tool Manager
2. Click the third icon in the middle of the Tool
Manager.
3. Browse to the MCX file and select Open.
4. Select a location and name for the new tool
library that will be created from the files you are
importing.
5. Once created, you can select the library from within
the Tool Manager or from within an operation.
Slow Generation and Regeneration of
Toolpaths
If it seems to take a long time to generate, display,
or regenerate toolpaths, check your tool Display
settings. Click the Tool Display button on the Toolpath
Parameters tab. Check for one of the following:
• If a Run Delay has been set, Mastercam will pause
between each toolpath move for the number of
seconds displayed in the dialog box.
• If the Interpolate option has been selected,
Mastercam will display the toolpath in segments of
the specified step size.
Tech Tips
Can I Import an Operation from an MCX file?
It is possible to import an operation or multiple
operations from an existing MCX file by following
these steps:
(NOTE: Open MC9 files in X2; and then save them as an
MCX file prior to performing these steps.)
1. In the Operations Manager, right-click and select
Import.
2. Click the Browse icon.
3. Select the folder that contains the MCX file with
the operations that you want to import.
4. Select the MCX file from the list of available files.
5. Select the operations to import.
Windows® Vista® Support
Mastercam X2 MR1 is the first release
to support Windows Vista. If you
choose to upgrade to Vista, you must
install X2 MR1 for Mastercam to run
properly. This requires no special
steps. Mastercam will act and look the
same in Vista. You can take advantage
of some new Vista features, but
Mastercam’s interface is unchanged.
3

4
Company News
Theory and Practice: Mastercam’s Machine Shop
We all learn a lot from bringing theory into real-world
practice. Ask anyone who’s learned to fly a plane
after using only a flight simulator — there are just
some things that you can only learn from practical
experience.
That’s CNC Software’s view on CAD/CAM software.
Unlike most CAD/CAM developers, CNC Software has
a fully equipped machine shop to do practical R&D
on new toolpaths, refine existing ones, and produce
factory-approved post processors. We get new
machines from time to time to help ensure a good
mix of different styles and manufacturers using the
latest technology.
This practical testing is crucial to producing software
that solves problems actually encountered by many
shops. For example, we test our high speed toolpaths
on hard-milling applications (over 60 Rockwells),
giving us feedback that simply wouldn’t be available
in any other way. We also get valuable insights from
our machinists, who can help us fine-tune new
cutting techniques by bringing their “sound and feel”
experience to the software.
The current Mastercam machine shop houses three
machines in 700 square feet, including a high speed
mill and a multiaxis machine. Our commitment to this
practical method of CAD/CAM creation is continuing
as we expand the shop to almost 3,000 square feet to
make room for a variety of new equipment including
a router and a multi-tasking machine.
Sometimes our programmers do some pretty wild
stuff, just to test the limits of the software and our
machines. The results are fun to watch; if you’d like to
see an example, go to:
http://www.mastercam.com/video
This multiaxis part is just
one of the very cool
projects worked on
by our Applications
Group in the CNC
Software Machine
Shop. This induction
pump was designed
and machined by Karlo
Apro, using Mastercam
Mill Level 3 with the
Multiaxis add-in, and
machined on a HAAS VF2 with
a dual rotary trunnion.

CNC Software Continues to Grow
CNC Software is working on a new 13,000 square foot
addition to our corporate headquarters located in
Tolland, Connecticut. This will bring our building size
to just under 60,000 square feet. The additional space
is necessary for an essential expansion to our machine
room, where we actively test our latest technologies
using real world parts and machines. The additional
space will also be used for corporate training facilities
and additional office space for our expanding
company.
The existing CNC Software building is heated and
cooled using geothermal heat pumps that draw heat
or cold from the 30 wells (300 feet deep) drilled under
the parking lot. The addition will also use geothermal
technology and we
will likely drill an
additional dozen
wells somewhere
on the property
to handle the
additional heating
and cooling load.
New Pricing for Mastercam Art
Mastercam Art is making an impact around the
world, bringing new opportunities to everything
from moldmaking to part customization, and custom
furniture.
Company News
We are looking into augmenting our energy use with
solar panels and are still researching this idea. The
addition will be built using “green” standards that
may qualify us for LEED certification (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design). Energy efficiency
will be a focus, as well as low VOC flooring and
finishes, products with recycled content, spray foam
insulation, and products produced locally if possible.
Construction waste will be recycled where possible,
which is a LEED requirement.
The construction is well underway with a projected
completion by the end of 2007.
With Mastercam Art, you can quickly bring your 2D
sketches, clip art, photos, and CAD files to life by
crafting them on screen and cutting them with easy,
specialized toolpaths. For everything from creating
basic 2D art to sophisticated 3D sculpture in minutes,
Mastercam Art is the ultimate tool for anyone trying
to add that extra sculpted flair to their work.
For a limited time, this powerful add-in will be
available at a significant discount. If you’ve ever
wanted to take advantage of all that Mastercam
Art can offer, now’s the time to act! Contact your
Authorized Mastercam Reseller for details today.
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Customer Spotlight
Mastercam Helps Bring Relief from Back Pain
For millions of people with back pain, any relief, no matter how great or small, is greatly appreciated. In fact,
for some people, the constant pain can take away all hope of ever enjoying life. Today, through innovative
design, advanced manufacturing techniques, and sophisticated software, there is hope for people with chronic
back pain. Intrinsic Therapeutics of Woburn, MA, was started in 2000 with the mission of offering surgeons
and patients better options for treating soft tissue injuries of the spine. These injuries are responsible for the
majority of low back pain and sciatica suffered by over five million people in the United States alone.
THE CHALLENGE
Develop complicated toolpaths for surfacing using
2- and 3-axis milling machines.
THE SOLUTION
Mastercam Mill Level 3 and Mastercam Wire
BENEFITS
• Mastercam makes toolpath development fast and
easy.
• Quick and accurate translation between CAD and
CAM files speeds work.
• Select Library and Auto Start Position are important
features that assure fast and precise EDM work.
• Mastercam’s Backplot and Verify features let
designers check toolpaths before sending them
to the machine.
PROJECT DETAILS
Currently available surgical therapies often result in
the further degeneration or destruction of an injured
spine. However, innovative procedures from Intrinsic
Therapeutics seek to repair the injured tissues,
thereby restoring function and reducing pain.
Intrinsic Therapeutics is a start-up company
that employs 20 to 50 people in research and
development on implants for herniated spinal discs.
They are currently developing an implant that seals
off a spinal herniation. It is in testing in Europe.
Although the company can’t be too specific about
how the implant or implant tools work or how they’re
manufactured, the device can potentially change the
lives of many people with back injuries.
The company uses a variety of machining, metal
cutting, and wire EDM to produce these implants.
They also produce the tooling used to manufacture
the device and the surgical tools required to implant
the device in a patient. Intrinsic Therapeutics’ machine
shop is well equipped with a CNC lathe, a CNC vertical
machining center, and a wire EDM. Producing the
implant and tools entails the use of
many machining processes, including
surfacing.
Daniel Powers, shop manager, has been
a CNC programmer for many years using
various software systems. “I’ve been here
going on two years as the shop manager
and prototype machinist. I was a beta
tester for Mastercam Wire V8 and I was
also a beta tester for Mastercam X.”

Making Special Implants:
Powers says, “Nobody else has anything like this
implant. We are in clinical testing in Europe. One of
our implanting devices is shaped like a probe that’s
roughly six inches long and encircled by a piece of
¾ inch diameter round stock. Some of it is turned
on a CNC lathe. The biggest diameter on it would be
¾ inch. A turning center removes the excess metal
and turns some screw threads on it. Next, a hole
popper EDM operation puts a hole through the six
inch length of the probe. Then a profile is eroded out
of the middle of it using the wire EDM machine. The
vertical machining centers do 2D milling, 3D milling,
and surface machining. Then the part is sent back to
the EDM for more work.”
Powers says tolerances for many of their parts are in
the range of +/- 0.0005). Materials they use include
plastics like Delrin®, as well as metals such as Inconel®
and titanium. The part that Powers just described is
made from 465 surgical stainless steel.
Mastercam to the Rescue:
“Without a software program for toolpaths, these
parts would be very difficult to make,” remarks Powers.
Comparing Mastercam to other software he has used,
he says that “Mastercam is the easiest. I’m the one
who buys the software, and I bought Mastercam. The
most complicated part of machining the probe part
is the surface machining, and Mastercam has many,
many surface machine toolpaths that take care of our
needs. The probe is designed with certain shapes on
it for the implantation process, and these need to be
surface-machined. Then we make whatever tooling
we need to hold the probe so that we can do the
various cutting operations on it. It’s not a part that
you can just stick in a vice.
“With Mastercam, we can program the job, leave
all the other operations attached to the file, then
post out the ones that we need. Mastercam does
everything we need it to do.”
Customer Spotlight
Powers remarks that Mastercam also has features for
better and more productive EDM work. “For example,
you can click Select Library in the program and a
power library comes up. You pick your settings for
the specific materials that you’re manufacturing with.
Next you create the Contour toolpath. There are a
number of different ways that are plainly marked to
control the wirepath. You can offset the wire in the
control, in the computer, or both. You can also offset
it in reverse. Mastercam will do virtually everything.
That’s what I like about it.
“On the next page in the Mastercam setup is the
lead-in/lead-out settings. There’s a button called Auto
Start Position. If you have that selected, it will start
from wherever the thread point is. But if you don’t
want to use that and you want to touch off the part
and have your zero position out in space somewhere,
all you have to do is deselect that button and it will
rapid traverse from the zero position over to that
point and thread the wire. Mastercam has two cutting
methods: One way or Reverse. If you select Reverse, it
automatically reverses the toolpath and changes the
G41 offset to a G42 to go in the other direction. It’s
easy to use and easy to have one software package
for everything.”
They use the Mastercam Backplot feature to check
toolpaths. It is an important feature for Powers. He
remarks, “I use Backplot all the time. You can also
verify with a solid. You can put a solid box around your
part and make sure the Z heights in the parameters
are set at least as high as your part. It will show a solid
rendition of your cut. Then you can delete chips and
the part that you just wired out will be displayed as a
solid. You can see it and manipulate it on the screen.”
Toolpath control is a very important part of producing
these unique implants, their tooling, fixtures, and
surgical tools. Powers mentions that without CNC
machine tools and the software to run them, products
like theirs, which can relieve suffering, just couldn’t be
made.
9

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Marketing News
The Mastercam Blog
Mastercam recently started a blog called “Mastercam Xtras.” You can find a link to it on the Mastercam.com
home page in the CAM Zone section. The direct address is http://mastercamx.blogspot.com/. The Mastercam
blog is just one more way to find news and tips from Mastercam. For example, some of the latest postings
include tech tips, customer profiles, and exciting multiaxis machining videos. If you haven’t already visited
“Mastercam Xtras,” check it out today. And…don’t forget to bookmark it for future reference!
Trade Shows
The following is a list of upcoming trade shows. For a complete list of Mastercam events, please look
under Events on the Mastercam Web site or enter the following URL www.mastercam.com/events.
Jun 12 – 14
Atlantic Design & Mfg.
Javits Convention Center, NYC
Booth 407
Jun 19 – 21
Western Mfg. Tech. Show
Northlands Agricom
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Booth 315
Jul 18 – 21
AWFS (Woodworking)
Las Vegas Convention Ctr, NV
Booth 1407
Sept 17 – 22
EMO Hannover 2007
Fairgrounds Hannover
North of Germany, Germany
Booth TBA
Sept 28 – 29
CONSAC Imagemakers 2007
Toronto Congress Centre,
Ontario
Booth TBA
Oct 2 – 4
SOUTHTEC 2007
Charlotte Convention Center, NC
Booth 2205
Oct 9 – 11
Wisconsin Tool Show
Wisconsin State Fair Park
Milwaukee, WI
Booth 825
Oct 16 – 18
Canadian Manufacturing
Technology Week
Direct Energy Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Booth 3941
Oct 16 – 20
Holz 2007
Messe Basel,
Switzerland
Hall 1, Stand A37/43
Oct 26 – 28
Woodworking Expo
International Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Booth 421
Nov 8 – 9
Midwest Industrial Wood Expo
DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI
Booth 1004
Dec 5 – 8
EUROMOLD
Exhibition Center
Frankfort/Main, Germany
Hall 8, F113
Dec 6 – 8
Performance Racing Industry
Orange County Convention Ctr,
Orange, Florida
Booth TBA

Making the CAD/CAM World
a Little Greener
CNC Software, Inc. is making an effort to bring more environmentallyfriendly
practices to our industry. Our new corporate expansion includes
solar and geothermal power, and we are making an effort to reduce
chemical and woodland waste from printing.
As a result, you may notice a change in Mastercam printed material,
starting with this issue of the Newsletter. Less glossy, 100% post consumer
recycled paper that is fully compliant with the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) helps minimize the environmental impact of bringing our
information to you.
If you have other suggestions on how we can help reduce environmental
impact, please e-mail us at GreenCADCAM@mastercam.com.
Mastercam Corporate
671 Old Post Road
Tolland, CT 06084 USA
(860) 875-5006
mcinfo@mastercam.com
www.mastercam.com
Educational Division
5717 Wollochet Dr. NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
(253) 858-6677
Mastercam is a registered trademark
of CNC Software, Inc. ©Copyright
1984-2007. All rights reserved. Other
trademarks are property of their
respective owners.
671 Old Post Road
Tolland, CT 06084