Modernized Machine Definition Manager
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Mastercam 2027 simplifies how you build and manage machines with modernized Machine Definition Manager and updated interfaces. The redesigned workflow makes it easier to build, edit, and use machines in Mastercam. The new interface uses modern panels that interact with the graphics window to create and modify machine definitions and their components.
Streamlined ribbon bar entry points
New buttons in the Job Setup section of the Machine tab provide an entry point to the new interface. A new Component Libraries button provides direct access to the new Component Libraries panels (see New Load Components panel).
Each button offers a multi-function drop-down whose options change based on where you are in the workflow. This lets you access the necessary functionality much more quickly and directly. This example shows the Machine Definition menu when your Mastercam file does not yet have a machine group loaded. In this context, the only functions that are available are selecting a file to open or creating a new machine definition for the desired product.
If you are in part file with a Mill-Turn machine definition loaded and active, the menu changes. First, the Control Definition button is disabled, since control definitions are not used in Mill-Turn. The Machine Definition button now gives a clear choice whether to edit the local or global copy of the machine definition, ending a long-standing source of confusion. If you select Edit Global, Mastercam opens the global copy of the machine definition in a new instance of Mastercam. Once the changes from that session have been saved, use the Reload option to load the updated machine definition in the current part file.
The Edit Local option lets you work on the copy of the machine definition that is stored in your part file. In this case, you work in the same instance of Mastercam using the new Local Machine Definition panel, and your changes are saved directly to the local machine group. You can also access the Local Machine Definition panel from the Machine Group Setup, but you cannot access the global copy. This means that the only user path to edit the global machine definition is from the ribbon bar option.
While you are working with your machine definition, you can close the Machine Definition panel at any time and return to Mastercam. The machine definition remains loaded in the Mastercam session, and Mastercam displays a message informing you of this. At this point, you can use other Mastercam functions—for example, you could open the Levels Manager to locate a component model that needs editing or replacing.
When you are done with your work, the Machine Definition button displays a different menu. You can either select Open Panel and return to the Machine Definition panel, or you can close the file completely.
Control Definition button
While the Control Definition Manager interface has not changed, the user paths to it have been updated so that they mirror the machine definition workflow. When the part file does not yet have a machine group, the only options are to select a control definition file to open or create a new one.
Once a machine has been loaded the options change, similar to the Machine Definition button. The Edit Globaloption opens the global copy of the control definition in a new instance of Mastercam. Use the Reload option to load the updated control definition in the current part file.
Introduction to Machine Definition panels
Both the Global Machine Definition and Local Machine Definition interfaces share the same set of modern UI panels.
- The left side of the panel includes Help, Save, and Save as buttons. The Save and Save as buttons are not available in the Local Machine Definition interface, eliminating any possibility of mistakenly writing to the global copy on disk.
- The green check button closes the panel and saves the machine definition. From the Global Machine Definition panel, Mastercam saves the machine definition to the file. From the Local Machine Definition, Mastercam saves it to the machine group in your part file.
The tabs down the left side organize different functions and parameters. The tabs that are available depend on the machine type. For example, the left picture shows the pages for a Mill-Turn machine definition, while the right picture shows a Mill machine definition.
Password protection and the new Read-Only mode
The new interface includes simpler workflows for working with password-protected machine definitions. The new File Protection controls on the Machine tab show you right away if protection is enabled or disabled. Click the Security Settings button to configure the protection options.
The new Security Settings panel lets you turn protection on or off as well as set the password. A new feature for Mastercam 2027 is the introduction of a read-only mode for machine definitions. If this option is enabled, users without the password can open the machine definition in read-only mode to view settings without making changes. If it is disabled, only users with the password can open the machine definition.
Users who open a password-protected machine definition will be prompted to enter the password before continuing. If the machine developer has enabled Read-only mode, users who do not know the password will be able to select it here. Otherwise, the option will not be displayed.
Updated Kinematic Tree
The Configuration tab integrates the updated kinematic tree and new Properties grid with an interactive machine display in the graphics window. When you click on a component in the tree, Mastercam highlights it in the graphics window and displays its properties in the grid. In this example, the component is the upper-turret Z-axis component:
Use the buttons below the tree to work with it and manage its components.
From left to right, the buttons are:
- Filter Geometry—Toggle the display of the geometry nodes in the kinematic tree.
- Hide Machine Housing—Toggle the display of components that have been identified as “machine housing.”
- Load Components from File—Select and load components from a component library or another machine definition.
- Add Group—Select a new component group and add it to the tree.
- Add Component—Mastercam lets you create a new component or select one from a library.
The same functions can be accessed from the right-click context menu in the tree. Strengthened contextual rules filter out irrelevant or inappropriate options, ensuring that you are always creating a valid machine definition. For example, if you want to add a component to the Z-axis component highlighted above, Mastercam limits your choices to only those components that make sense for that location in the tree:
If you select or hover over one or more nodes in the tree, Mastercam displays two additional icons.
- Select the View icon (the left icon) to hide or unhide the component from the graphics window. This makes it easy, for example to see what is behind the component.
- Select the More actions icon (the right icon) to display the same functions as the right-click context menu.
While the Machine Definition panel is open, Mastercam creates a temporary viewsheet that it uses to display the machine. Use any of Mastercam’s other functions to change the view, zoom in or out, or otherwise view the machine as you need to.
Use the kinematic tree to control what is displayed in the graphics window. Click on component groups to select all the components in that group. You can also select multiple components. Whenever multiple components are selected, click the View icon to toggle display for the entire group. You can also select a component in the graphics window to highlight it in the tree and displays its properties in the Properties grid.
Strengthened Axis Combinations workflow validation
The Axis Combinations page makes it easier to create valid axis combinations and identify problems early.
Mastercam lists all of the axis combinations at the top of the panel. Invalid axis combinations are clearly indicated by an error icon. In addition, an error icon is displayed for the page itself. The OK button (green check) is disabled until the error is corrected, ensuring that you cannot save a machine definition with an invalid axis combination. Click the green Add button to add a new axis combination to the list.
Select any axis combination in the list to work with it in the rest of the page.
- Use the component tree to select or add components to the axis combination. It includes all of the components in the machine definition that are allowed to be included in an axis combination. Tooltips summarize the axis combination rules, while the Combination Details section lists the required components that have been selected. Immediate feedback lets you know if the error condition has been corrected.
- The Combination Parameters section lets you organize data stream information (for Mill-Turn machines) and default reference points.
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