Unearthing the secrets of:

Mastercam

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find Mastercam X5

Mastercam : a beginners guide

Know your interface:

top, side, and isometric viewports
your file
workspace for creating, editing,
and previewing toolpaths

1. learning the interface

preview

new

zoom fit

toggle toolpath visibility

open

zoom in/out (also scroll)

right click --> new toolpath

save

top/left/right/iso view

2. learning the interface pt. 2

export G code

after reading this you will

know how to make a:
surface rough pass
surface finish pass
pocket
drill
contour

3. identify the types of toolpaths you will need

file type: all files

file

4. initial setup

Tell Mastercam to talk to

the Router:
tell mastercam to talk to the
Onsrud

open

Machine type --> router -->

users\public...onsrud

right click next to the red arrow

here. Then select router toolpaths
--> surface rough --> parallel
select the surface
you want to cut
press ok

press ok

press ENTER

Surface Rough:
a tool pass that takes away material in large chunks, done before a
surface finish, and usually with at least a 1/2 end mill and for harder
materials like wood - not necessary for soft materials like foam

3. Surface Rough pass

press ok

after you select your surface this pops up:

this window will pop up - this is where you can change all
the settings for your tool, speeds, and stepovers

4. Surface Rough_2

you can sort by tool name

click select library tool to choose your tool.

5. Surface Rough_3

press ok

Feed Rate: How fast the end mill is moving between plunges
Plunge Rate: should be 1/2 of your feed rate. This is how fast the end
mill goes into your material
Retract Rate: should also be 1/2 of your feed rate. This is how fast the
end mill moves out of your material.
change your feed rate, plunge, and retract rate.
Here are a few baseline examples:
Corian: 150, 75, 75 - very hard material
Wood: 200, 100, 100 - hard-ish material
Foam: 400, 200, 200 - soft material

5. Surface Rough_4

click through the next tab that says Surface Parameters

Check the boxes next to Clearance and Retract, and make sure that all of
the Absolute circles are checked instead of incremental.
Absolute means that the Onsrud will move to the point you specify, no
matter what, instead of moving a distance in relation to your file.
Clearance: How high the end mill moves before a plunge. This should
be at least .25 above your stock.
Retract: How high it should retract to. This is the same as the Clearance
Feed Plane: How high it is when it moving between plunges. Almost the
same as Clearance in definition and has the same value.

6. Surface Rough_5

Click through to the next tab that says Rough Parallel Parameters
change the stepover to be 1/2 of your tool diameter. In this case, it
is .25 since in this case the end mill is .5. This is how far the tool
moves over every pass. An smaller stepover means a smoother
surface.
Change the cutting method to Zig-zag and click allow multiple plunges
along cut - this ensures faster cutting
You can change the Machining Angle if you want it to cut at 45 or 90
Change stepdown - how far the end mill moves down each pass
press OK and watch your surface generate!

7. Surface Rough_6

Select your tool,

change the feed, plunge
and retract rates like the
surface rough

Surface Finish:
A smooth pass of the end mill, meant to be done after a surface
rough on hard materials or for a first pass on foam. Usually done with
a 1/4 or a 3/8 end mill

8. Surface Finish

* ** *

Click on the surface parameters tab

Check all of the boxes
Select Absolute for all of the things
Make sure the clearance, retract, and feed plane are all
the same, and all .25 above your stock

9. Surface Finish_2

Change the max stepover to be 1/2 of your end mill

diameter. Since I am using a 1/4 one, I will use 1/8 as
my stepover. Using a smaller stepover can sometimes
make a smoother piece, but it takes longer to produce.
Make sure cutting method is on Zigzag
You can change the machining angle here if you want
the end mill to move in a different direction - this is
helpful if you want to create a particular pattern

9. Surface Finish_2

Right click next to the red arrow in the

workspace, select Router Toolpaths
and then Pocket

Pocket Cut:
An interior recess that
is cut into the surface
of a workpiece.
Pockets may be round
or rectangular.

10. Pocket

It will ask you to select drive surfaces.

Click on them. Press OK.

11. Pocket_2

You can select pockets by clicking on

each one with this button
This one allows you to make a box
around all of them. This is particularly
helpful if you have a bajillion pockets
you want to make.
Press ok, and this box will come up.
You will go through all of the tabs from
Tool to Linking Parameters.
Select appropriate library tool and
change feed/plunge/retract rate like
before

Change roll cutter around

corners from Sharp to None

12. Pocket_3

You can change

the pattern of
how the pocket
is cut. Zigzag is
usualy good.

13. Pocket_3

Entry motion is automatically on helix.

Unless you need it specifically, change it
to off

finishing just cleans up the pocket cut.

make sure this is selected.

14. Pocket_4

turn off lead in / out

if you have a really hard material, you

might want to consider depth cuts. you
can change the rough step so that it
takes multiple passes on one pocket.

15. Pocket_5

Under linking parameters, check all of the boxes and change

all the buttons from incremental to absolute.
Make sure that Clearance, retract, and feed plane are .25
above your stock height.
Change your stock height to the appropriate measuement.
Change the depth you want the pocket to cut.
However, if you have a 2 stock and want the pocket to be .1
into the surface, you would put the depth as 1.9 instead of
-.1 (that would be drilling into the table)
press the green check mark to generate the tool path!

The drill toolpath works with points in Rhino.

Mastercam will ask you to select the points. Press
enter when you are done.

16. Drill

17. Drill_2

Check all the

boxes and change
all the buttons to
absolute.
Make sure
Clearance and
Retract are .25
above your stock.

Select the tool you want to use. This will be

the hole diameter that you drill. Then assign
a feed/plunge/ and retract rate.

Set your stock and

dept you want to
cut.

18. Drill_3

Press ok to generate and view your toolpath. You

can look at it from the side to make sure that it is
drilling to the correct depth. The cyan lines are the
end mills toolpath.

19. Contour

Select the tool you want to use.

Set feed/plunge and retract rates.

change roll cutter around corners to

none and turn off infinite look ahead

20. Contour_2

Depth cuts are helpful if you are cutting

a contour on a material that is very hard.
Use depth cuts (change max rough step)
to set a smaller step down (like .1).

Turn off Lead In/Out

21. Contour_3

Multi Passes is an option for delicate

pieces that are prone to chipping off
during the routing process. Leave it
un-checked unless necessary.

Tabs are very helpful

pieces that arent cut
all the way out and
hold your piece in
place if it is likely to
move.
Click Tabs and
Automatic.
Use 2-4 tabs, Tab
All and change tab
width and thickness.
An example is .375
and .125

22. Contour_4

Same ol drill.
Click all the boxes.
Change everything to
Absolute.
Make sure that clearance, retract, and feed
plane are .25 above the
stock.
Change top of stock.
Change depth of cut.
The table is zero. To cut
through, enter in -.002.

Under Cut Parameters, there is an option for cutter compensation that is eatiher right or left. This
determines whether the end mill cuts on the inside or outside of your contour that you have drawn.
outside

inside
Because Mastercam randomly chooses which side is left or right based on how you drew your geometry, it is important to
always look in top view to make sure it is cutting on the correct side. In this case, I want to change the cutting line (cyan) to
be on the outside. Go back to Parameters, Cut parameters, and change the compensation direction.

23. Contour_5

To set up your stock (for previewing), click the plus sign next to Properties and click on
Stock Setup.
Check the box that says display and when you set your stock, there will be a red dashed
line of where the computer thinks your stock will be in relation to your geometry.
Change the X, Y, and Z measurements here. Keep in mind the X is the short side of the
router (5) and the Y is the 10 side, so set up your geometry accordingly.
Set the origin, which is in the middle of your stock, at the top. Enter in half of X, half of Y,
and the top of Z.
Example: If my stock is 8x10x2, I enter
Y: 10 X: 8
Z: 2
Stock origin:
X: 4
Y: 5
Z: 2

24. Setting up your stock

Your masterpiece should look something like this.

to view individual toolpaths, click on the toolpath you
dont want to see, and click the little wave symbol
here and it will disappear.

Click the icon that looks like a purple piano. Press

play and watch the toolpath carefully for order of
operations are correct. If there is a problem, the
stock will show up red. You must fix this before
routing or will suffer the consequences...

To preview toolpaths, click the first toolpath, hold

down shift, and click the last one. They should all
have checks in the file near each toolpath.

25. Previewing your masterpiece

26. regenerating a toolpath

If you see something wrong or need to change soemthing, you can double click on
parameters of the toolpath to do so. You will notice a X through the toolpath, and that
means double click to regenerate or update the new tool path. Press OK.

When you have previewed your file and have made ABSOLUTELY
sure there is no red error showing up in the preview, you may export
your file. Make sure all the toolpaths are still highlighted with checks
next to them. Press G1.
This box will show up. Un-click Edit, and click Ok. You will be asked
where you want to export your file. Put it somewhere that will be
easy to access again. Very important: your file name must be 8 letters or less, no special characters, and in CAPS.
This box will pop up with an error Enter UAO(1-10) or (0) for none.
This is correct, just press enter.
If this does NOT show up,
youre doing something wrong.

27. Exporting your masterpiece

Double click on your NC file to open

it. You have to tell the computer to use
WordPad to open it.
Do NOT open it with word, it will save
it as a .docx file and thats not useful
to anyone. Here you can preview your
G-Code, and double check tools.

28. Opening your NC code

Congratulations.
You have now successfully mastered Mastercam.

29. Yay!