February 7, 2011

Using a Mill post with Mastercam Router

Follow these procedures to use a Mastercam Mill post with Mastercam Router. They show you how to
create a new machine and control definition that will link to the converted post.

Copying the post

1. Find the Mill post that you want to use with Mastercam Router. In addition to the post, you need to
know the name of the mill control definition that is associated with the post.

2. Copy the Mill post into the folder where your Router posts are stored. For example:
\shared mcamX5\ROUTER\POSTS.
3. Rename the post.

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Loading the router machine definition
1. Open Mastercam in Design mode—in other words, with no machine definition loaded in the
Operations Manager.
2. Select Machine Definition Manager from the Settings menu.
3. Click the Load button.

4. Change Files of type to Router files and select Router Default.RMD-5.

5. Enter an appropriate description in the Description field. This string will appear in the Operations
Manager when you load the machine.

6. Click the Save As button and give the machine definition a new name; for example:
Bobs Fadal Mill.RMD-5

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Creating the new control definition
1. Click the Edit the control definition button.

2. Click the New button. This creates a new .control-5 file.

3. Click the Post processors button.

4. Click Add files.

5. Select the post that you copied into the Router\Posts folder at the beginning of this procedure.

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 You should see it listed as shown here:

6. Click OK to return to the Control Definition Manager. This creates a brand new control definition for
the new post, with default settings.
7. Select the new post in the Post processors drop-down list:

After you select it, you should see a + icon next to it:

8. Click the Save As button on the toolbar.

9. Click Yes when you are prompted to save the new .control-5 file:

10. Give the control file a name: for example, BOBS FADAL MILL.control-5, and click OK.

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 The new .control-5 name should appear in the title bar and a green check should now appear next
to the post name:

Copying the settings from the original control definition

1. Make sure your new post is still selected in the Post processors list and click on any page in the
Control topics list. NC Output will work fine.
2. Right-click in any unused gray area of the page and select Import > All pages.

3. Find the control definition file associated with the original post. This is the control definition file that
is used with the original Mill version of the post—for example:
Generic Fadal Format_1 4x mill.control-5

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4. Select Mill from the Control type list.

5. In the Post Selection list, make sure the post is selected, not Default setting for control type.

6. Click OK to return to the Control Definition Manager. Mastercam copies the settings from the
original Mill control definition to the new Router control definition.
7. Click on Files in the Control topics list.

8. Right-click on any gray area in the page and select Default > Page. This resets the default paths from
Mill file locations to Router file locations.
9. Save the file before continuing.

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Copying the post text from the original control definition
1. Select Text from the Control topics list.

2. Right-click in an empty cell and choose Import > All sheets > From post.

3. Select your new post and click OK.

4. Select the Mill control key + the name of the original post. Do not select the DEFAULT key.

5. Click OK. Mastercam imports all the post text entries from the original post/control definition.
6. Save the control definition.
7. Click OK to close the Control Definition Manager.
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8. Mastercam returns you to the Machine Definition Manager.
9. Make sure the Machine Definition Manager displays both the new control definition file and the
new post:

10. Save the machine definition.

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Editing the post
1. Open the new post with your text editor.
2. Change the P0 value on the [POST_VERSION] line to P1.

For example, change this:

[POST_VERSION] #DO NOT MOVE OR ALTER THIS LINE# V14.00 E1 P0 T1232650363 M14.00 I0

to this:

[POST_VERSION] #DO NOT MOVE OR ALTER THIS LINE# V14.00 E1 P1 T1232650363 M14.00 I0

The P value is used to match the post with the product type:

 0 = Mill
 1 = Router
 2 = Lathe
 3 = Wire
 4 = Mill/Turn
3. Change the Post Name and Product labels so that they match the changes that you’ve made:

# Post Name : Bobs Fadal Mill.pst

# Product : Router

4. Update the Associated File List to include the new machine & control definition files:

# Associated File List$

#
# BOBS FADAL MILL.CONTROL-5
# BOBS FADAL MILL.RMD-5

5. Update other comments (such as the Revision Log) as desired.

6. Save the post.

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