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  • Interested in tweaking an HSM (Inventor CAM, Fusion CAM, HSMWorks) post-processor yourself?

    The “SolidCAD Universal FANUC” post processor (free on our website) contains a large number of parameters that can be set on-the-fly through the “Post-Process” dialog, without needing to change anything inside the post-processor.

    If you require other changes, SolidCAD offers a post-processor modification service to adapt this post to your machine and to your best practices. If you wish to make changes yourself, you are free to do so. Indeed, the “SolidCAD Universal FANUC” post-processor and all the post-processors available on the HSM Post Library website are unlocked and open-source.

    The HSM Post Library is found here: https://cam.autodesk.com/hsmposts

    A post .cps post-processor file is merely a text file. It can be opened and edited in Notepad or any other text editor. There is unfortunately no user interface; changes must be made to the code in JavaScript language.

    However, the good news is that Autodesk publishes a free manual to guide you through the process, covering the basics of JavaScript and explaining the various sections of a post file. The manual can be downloaded here: https://cam.autodesk.com/posts/posts/guides/Post%20Processor%20Training%20Guide.pdf

    If you can’t find an answer in this 200-page guide, you can consult the vast archive of the HSM Post-Processor Forum, and even post your question on this very active forum. The forum is located here: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/hsm-post-processor-forum/bd-p/218

    Curious about the hype around Autodesk’s HSM CAM?

    Hey CNC’ers!

    Curious about the hype around Autodesk’s HSM CAM? And now you’re looking for more information and possibly a demonstration? Well, you’ve come to the right place! SolidCAD is not only Canada’s biggest reseller of Autodesk manufacturing solutions, but also the only Canadian Autodesk reseller with a dedicated team of CAM specialists.

    HSM CAM is the comprehensive and powerful CNC programming add-on for Inventor (Inventor CAM – included with a subscription to the Product Design and Manufacturing Collection ), Fusion 360 (Fusion 360 Manufacturing – built into Fusion 360), and even SolidWorks (HSMWorks – included with a subscription to Fusion 360).

    Please visit our HSM CAM page to read about all the advantages of this integrated CAD/CAM solution and to find lots of technical resources: https://www.solidcad.ca/partner-products/hsm-cam/

    Also, try our SolidCAD universal milling post-processor, compatible with a wide variety of 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis machines that accept FANUC-style G-code. This open-source post-processor generates nicely-formatted NC code, and is chock-full of features to make it as flexible as possible. These features include:

    • Safe restart feature after M00 program stops
    • Automatic date and time stamp function
    • Tool table feature in header
    • Operation name, tool name, and cycle time at top of each operation
    • Activation of accumulated pecking depth feature for G73-style drilling
    • Activation of the Manual NC code pass-through feature
    • Property to toggle between 3-axis / 4-axis / 5-axis configurations
    • Property to set maximal spindle speed
    • Property to toggle tool preload on/off
    • Property to toggle rigid tapping on/off
    • Property to assign an M-code for rigid tapping
    • Property to toggle between G54-G59 and G54.1 P1-P300 work offsets
    • Property to toggle between G28 and G53 retracts
    • Properties to set M-codes for 4th and 5th axis brake lock/unlock functions
    • Property to toggle on/off the output of rotary axis positions at every operation
    • Property to toggle on/off the output of M01 optional stops at tool changes
    • Property to toggle on/off automatic spindle gear changes
    • Property to set a spindle gear change crossover speed
    • Property to toggle between French and English for the output of comments and messages
    • Property to toggle on/off lowercase support for comments
    • Property to set the rapid rate used for operation time calculations
    • Property to toggle on/off the automatic creation of sub-programs for patterns
    • Property to toggle between 4 digit and 8-digit program IDs
    • Property to toggle on/off the output of the tool list in the program header
    • Property to toggle between relative or absolute coordinates for IJKs
    • Property to toggle between automatic tool changer or manual tool changes
    • Property to toggle between M30 and M99 for program termination
    • Property to toggle between returning to home or going to parking position at program end
    • Properties to set X- and Y-coordinates for parking position
    • Property to convert from feed expressed per min. to feed expressed per second
    • Property to inverse Z direction convention
    • Property to disable output of all coolant codes

    This post processor is available here: https://www.solidcad.ca/solidcad-generic-post-processors-download/

    Customizing the Inventor Marking Menu

    A few years ago, Autodesk introduced context-sensitive radial menus called Marking Menus, in Inventor. These menus provide a quick and visual way for users to select the most commonly used commands in each environment. Over the years every-day users have no doubt become quite familiar with these menus and the available commands, but did you know you can customize it?

    By default, Autodesk has placed what they believe to be the most common commands in this radial menu however, you know as well as I do that from company to company and even desk to desk, everyone uses Inventor differently. The following are the quick and easy steps to customize this menu.

    How to do it:

    On the Tools tab in the Options pane, the “Customize” button will open the dialog box that lets you modify the 8 commands in the radial menu for a given environment and associated sub-environment. From 2D Sketch to Weldment and everything in between, you can put your favourite commands right at the tip of your mouse pointer.

    Choose the environment and sub-environment you wish to customize the menu for. Next, select one of the eight radial menu options that you want to change (in this example we are changing the “Pattern Component” command in the standard Assembly environment).

    In the menu on the right, search or scroll down to the command you want to add and simply click on it to replace the selected option (iProperties, in this example). It’s as easy as that!

    A

    lso; starting in 2018 Inventor began giving users the option to migrate these (and all other) custom user interface settings when you upgrade to newer releases. So, you no longer need to worry about starting from scratch!

    Why is it called the “Marking Menu”?

    In addition to customizing where your favourite commands are on the right click menus, did you know you can also right-click-drag to the command, without ever actually seeing the menu? The pointer will create a “mark” as you drag your mouse to the location of your desired command, as shown below. This will require some practice but could become quite handy over time when the location of the commands in the radial menu becomes second-nature.