Getting Started with Dolphin PartMaster€¦ · Dolphin Cadcam Systems Ltd. 13 Silverwood Road, Kilmarnock. KA3 6LS +44 (0)1563 543989 [email protected] DOLPHIN CADCAM SYSTEMS

Dolphin Cadcam Systems Ltd. 13 Silverwood Road, Kilmarnock. KA3 6LS +44 (0)1563 543989 [email protected]

www.dolphincadcam.com

DOLPHIN

CADCAM

SYSTEMS

LTD

GETTING STARTED WITH DOLPHIN PARTMASTER

V14

mailto:[email protected]

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Getting Started with Dolphin PartMaster Vs14

Copyright © 2000-2017 Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd.

This document is copyrighted and all rights are reserved. This document may not, in whole or in part, be copied or reproduced in any form, or by any means without the prior written consent of Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd.

Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties of fitness for any particular purpose. The information in this documentation and the software programmes to which it refers are subject to change without notice.

Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd. assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.

Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd. 13, Silverwood Road, Kilmarnock. KA3 6LS Scotland.

Tel +44 (0) 1563 543989 Email [email protected]

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Contents

Getting Started with Dolphin PartMaster Vs14 ....................................................................................... 2

Contents .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Software Registration Form ................................................................................................................. 5

Distribution media and Installation procedures ................................................................................... 6

Downloaded from the Web .............................................................................................................. 6

CD Distribution ................................................................................................................................. 8

Before you install PartMaster .................................................................................................................. 9

CD Installation ................................................................................................................................... 10

PartMaster file locations................................................................................................................. 12

Application files .............................................................................................................................. 12

User Files ....................................................................................................................................... 15

PartMaster file types .......................................................................................................................... 17

PartMaster User Resources .............................................................................................................. 18

Software Protection and Licensing ....................................................................................................... 19

Activating the software .......................................................................................................................... 20

Windows ............................................................................................................................................ 20

Activating the Software ...................................................................................................................... 20

Using a dongle ................................................................................................................................... 25

Using the software on another computer .......................................................................................... 25

Upgrading from previous versions ..................................................................................................... 25

Lost Dongles and Activation Codes .................................................................................................. 25

General Notes ................................................................................................................................... 26

Disk managers, Anti-virus software. .................................................................................................. 27

Prevx Intrusion Prevention ............................................................................................................. 27

AVG from Grisoft.com .................................................................................................................... 27

Norton Anti-virus ............................................................................................................................ 27

Installing Dongle Drivers - PartMaster .................................................................................................. 28

Using PartMaster CAD .......................................................................................................................... 29

Starting the CAD system ................................................................................................................... 29

Menus & Toolbars ............................................................................................................................. 29

The Global operations toolbar ....................................................................................................... 30

The Drawing operations toolbars ................................................................................................... 30

Snap mode toolbar ......................................................................................................................... 30

Hit Keys .......................................................................................................................................... 31

Drawing sub-options ...................................................................................................................... 32

Command line ................................................................................................................................ 32

Macro gallery ................................................................................................................................. 32

Moving and docking toolbars ......................................................................................................... 33

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Using Drawing Templates ................................................................................................................. 33

Why use templates ........................................................................................................................ 33

Templates supplied with the system .............................................................................................. 34

Templates and Attributes ............................................................................................................... 35

Using layers ................................................................................................................................... 36

Using Text styles ............................................................................................................................ 36

Starting a Drawing without using Templates ................................................................................. 37

Printers and Printing .......................................................................................................................... 38

PartMaster CAM .................................................................................................................................... 39

PartMaster Cam ................................................................................................................................ 39

Reviewing an existing program ...................................................................................................... 41

Post-processing ............................................................................................................................. 42

Editing the post-processor ............................................................................................................. 44

PartMaster Cam – Visual Menu ........................................................................................................ 45

PartMaster Visual Menu Machining options are :- ......................................................................... 45

PartMaster CAM - Turning .................................................................................................................... 46

Geometry Transfer – Import DXF ...................................................................................................... 48

PartMaster Post Processor ................................................................................................................... 51

PartMaster DNC .................................................................................................................................... 52

Configuring the communications module....................................................................................... 52

Sending NC programs direct from the CAM system ...................................................................... 53

Sending NC programs direct from Explorer ................................................................................... 54

Using the online Help system................................................................................................................ 55

PartMaster CAD ............................................................................................................................. 55

PartMaster CAM ............................................................................................................................ 55

PartMaster Wire EDM .................................................................................................................... 55

PartMaster Post-processor editor .................................................................................................. 56

Tutorials................................................................................................................................................. 57

A summary of the tutorials ............................................................................................................. 57

Examples ........................................................................................................................................... 57

Milling ............................................................................................................................................. 59

Turning............................................................................................................................................... 64

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Software Registration Form

Please take the time to complete and return the Software Registration Form below. As a registered user you will be kept informed of new developments and products within the Dolphin CADCAM system.

Company name .....................................................................................................

Contact .....................................................................................................

Position / Dept. .....................................................................................................

Address .....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.................................................Post/Zip Code...............................

Telephone / Fax

Email

.....................................................................................................

Product name

Dolphin PartMaster ......................................................................

Version* .............................. Product Key ...................................................

Supplied by

........................................................................................................

........................................................................................................

Please return this form to :-

Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd. 13, Silverwood Road, Kilmarnock, KA3 6LS Scotland, United Kingdom.

* The Version number and Product Key are displayed in each product's Copyright banner. To display the banner, select Help or About from any menu that contains it

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Distribution media and Installation procedures

Dolphin PartMaster is available as a Web download from the Dolphin website (www.dolphincadcam.com) and from other web sites belonging to Dolphin CadCam’s distributors and OEM partners. It is also available on CD from Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd., their distributors and OEM partners. The contents of the download / CD may vary depending on the source; some versions contain the full PartMaster suite of programs and supporting materials, while others may contain only a sub-set of the full product. All versions have restricted capabilities until the product is fully activated by installing a “License key”. Upgrade versions available only to existing users will work with the users existing license and will be fully active as soon as installation is completed.

Downloaded from the Web

If PartMaster is downloaded from a website, a download security warning is displayed, prompting whether you wish to “Open or Save” the file.

Figure 1: Choosing download options

If you are using IE 9, the download instructions may look like this:

The progress bar may look like this:

On completion of the download, this will be displayed

You should choose Save to save the file to your Download folder or Save as … to select a different folder for the download file.

http://www.dolphincadcam.com/

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When the download is complete you should View the download folder and then right click your mouse over the downloaded file and choose “Extract all files”. You will need to select a folder for the extracted files. When the files have been extracted choose the option “Show extracted files”. You will then see a list of the extracted files.

To install the PartMaster double click the file Setup.exe.

You will see a screen similar to this.

You must first select PartMaster Cadcam and follow the install instructions. When PartMaster Cadcam has been installed you can install the other modules. Please note that you are able to install all products but will only be able to use those for which you have purchased a license.

Please see the section “Before you install PartMaster” for further details.

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CD Distribution

The regular distribution CD contains PartMaster products inclusive of support materials such as Manuals, Movies, Tutorials, Example Parts, Example VB script files and Help files. Product access is regulated via Product Key\Activation codes or Hardware keys (USB port) which are obtained from Dolphin or its representative.

For evaluation purposes the software may be installed and executed in demonstration mode without the installation of Activation or Hardware keys. The Autoplay feature will start a menu application, which allows the user to select which product to install.

The CD contains a file ‘readme.txt’ Dolphin strongly recommends that this file be read prior to software installation.

The Dolphin PartMaster CD layout is as follows

<CD Drive>

\Setup.exe Displays a menu driven setup program which allows you to install any of the products on the CD, or view presentations on the PartMaster CAD and PartMaster CAM systems.

\PartMaster

Installs The PartMaster Cad Cam system. Initially the programs have Trial Version status until the software license is activated using a code available from Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd..

\Movies

\Setup.exe

This folder contains a series of Shock Wave movies which demonstrate various aspects of the products, these may be installed from the main CD installation setup menu. When running a movie please ensure that PC speakers are switched on as each movie contains an audio narrative track.

\PM3D

\Manuals

\Setup.

This installs the IGES / STEP import module. Installs printer friendly versions of the on-line help files.

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Before you install PartMaster

Dolphin PartMaster may only be installed on Windows 7,8 and 10

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CD Installation

To install Dolphin PartMaster simply insert the CD into the CD drive, and wait for Autoplay to start the CD. If Autoplay is disabled, or the CD does not start, go to the Start menu and select Run. Enter the drive letter of the CD drive followed by \Setup.exe, and select OK.

Figure 2: Starting Setup.exe manually

The Setup.exe program displays a menu of choices.

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Figure 3: Setup.exe main screen

Select the option you want and press the button to activate it.

You must install PartMaster CadCam before any other modules.

PartMaster Cadcam

Starts a step-by-step guide to installing the PartMaster CadCam system. Once completed, PartMaster will be installed on your PC ready for use.

Part Orgainser

Use this option to install the Part Orgainser Database system. Once installed the Part Orgainser will be ready to use.

PartMaster 3D Use this option to install the PM3D module that will allow you import 3D IGES and STEP models into PartMaster.

mwSimulator 3D Use this option to install the Machine Tool Simulator that allows you simulate the machine tool(s) before you run your programs.

License Manager Use this option to view the status of the License manager, on first installation this option will return an error because no license will exist.

Explore the CD Initiates Win Explorer for viewing the CD contents.

Exit Setup Quits the program.

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When you have installed PartMaster you will see a dialogue box similar to this;

This box displays the Preview License status that will enable full use of the software for 30 days. Click OK when you have noted the time limit, after this trial period you must buy the software and request an activation code, or buy the software and a USB dongle.

PartMaster file locations

The PartMaster Setup program installs two groups of files to your computer. Application files; which are required for the proper running of the PartMaster CadCam system, and User files; which comprise examples of various PartMaster documents (i.e. drawing files, NC programs files etc)

Application files

In common with most other Windows programs, PartMaster installs its application files to the [Program Files] folder somewhere on “My Computer”. [Program Files] is not a fixed location and its contents may or may not vary according to who is currently logged in at the computer, but can usually be found at C:\Program Files.

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In the [Program Files] folder, Windows applications are stored in separate folders typically named after the company that produced the application. Dolphin PartMaster application files can be found at [Program Files]DolphinCadCam\PartMaster Within this folder the application files are stored in several sub-folders …

Addins Addins is where 3rd party programs that integrate with the PartMaster CAD and CAM systems are stored. If such programs are present (usually as DLL files) they will appear on the CAD or the CAM system menus as appropriate.

Programs stored here are not critical to the proper operation of PartMaster, they are enhancements usually supplied to fulfil a specific need or task for an individual customer.

Anyone with a knowledge of Windows programming techniques and the ability to compile DLL files can produce “PartMaster Addin” utility programs.

Bitmaps

Stores bitmaps used in the About dialogue boxes.

Programs This is where PartMaster stores program files (.EXE) library files (.DLL) and on-line help files (.CHM). These files are critical to the proper working of the application and should not be moved, deleted or modified in any way, other than via the Control Panel Add/Remove programs utility. You can use Add/Remove Programs to repair, modify, or remove the PartMaster application.

ExternalCmd This is where PartMaster keeps the files used for the Visual Menus used CAM.

TypeLibs PartMaster internal files

.

Tutorial Various Word documents, HTML files and other material is stored here. The tutorials found here can be opened in Explorer, or in the PartMaster CAD system

Visual Some versions of PartMaster CAM provide

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support for a much enhanced menu system designed to improve the product user interface. This enhanced menu system provides an interface to the additional functionality provided by the Dll files stored in the ExternalCmd folder.

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User Files

In addition to the files stored within the [Program Files] folder, the PartMaster setup program will also create folders for storing User data. Typically this will be in the [My Documents] folder, where the setup program will create a PartMaster folder with several sub-folders.

[My Documents] is a Windows system folder that contains files belonging to an individual user. The actual location of the [My Documents] folder depends on the login name of the user and the version of Windows installed on the PC. When the Setup program is run, it may (depending on the Windows version) ask if PartMaster is to be installed for everyone who uses the computer, or just the current user. If PartMaster is installed for everyone, then the files installed into [My Documents] will be visible to all users; otherwise they will only be visible to the current user.

Within [My Documents] Setup will create a PartMaster folder with the following sub-folders …

Drawings This is the default store for drawings that the user creates. It is by default empty i.e. the Setup program creates the folder but does not install anything into it.

Templates This folder contains a number of drawings that can be used as templates. A Template drawing configures the PartMaster CAD system and (optionally) creates standardised drawing frames, borders, layers, dimension and text styles etc. Any drawing can be used as a template simply by saving it into the Templates folder.

Symbols Symbols (aka BLOCKS in AutoCAD parlance), are used to collect a number of drawing entities (lines, arcs, circles, text, etc) together so that they may be manipulated as a single object. This object may then be stored in the Symbols folder for use within other PartMaster CAD drawings.

Examples The Examples folder is split up into CAD, CAM and Wire EDM sections. It contains sample drawings and CNC programs. The examples folder is a sub-folder of the PartMaster\Drawings folder.

Tutorials Contains drawings and other document files referenced by the PartMaster CAD tutorials.

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Automation This folder (which is only installed when the Custom Setup is performed and the Automation option is selected) contains Type libraries (.TLB) and a sample MS Visual C++ project. The project demonstrates how to create 3rd party programs that can be used to enhance the PartMaster CAD system or to create utilities for specialist drawing tasks.

Manuals This is where PartMaster keeps documentation (including this file) other than the on-line help files.

Scripts PartMaster CAD (and future versions of PartMaster CAM) is capable of supporting ActiveX scripting using VB Scripts. The .VBS files are stored here.

Tutorial

Various Word documents, HTML files, PartMaster drawings and other material is stored here. The tutorials found here and can be opened in Explorer, or in the PartMaster CAD system

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PartMaster file types

The following file types are (or can be) associated with various PartMaster programs. File type Purpose .DRA Stores drawings created using PartMaster CAD

system (Dcad.exe). .CNC Stores CNC programs created using PartMaster

CAM system (Dcam.exe) .EDM Stores CNC programs created using the

PartMaster Wire EDM system (Dwes.exe) .WEDM Store Wire EDM machine setups for use by

Dwes.exe. .GEAR Stores Involute gear design data created by the

program Gears.exe. .GEO Stores a geometric shape definition created by

the program GeometryEditor.exe. This program can be used to manually edit geometry data stored within a .cnc file.

.TLF Stores tool files created by the PartMaster CAM system

.PUN or

.TXT Stores CNC programs created using PartMaster CAM system. PUN and TXT files can be sent to the CNC machine tool.

.PPR PartMaster Post Processor. Post-processors are used by the PartMaster CAM system and Wire EDM system to convert CNC programs in PartMaster’s internal format into programs that can be executed on a CNC machine tool. Typically the Postprocessor converts the data and machining instructions in a .CNC file into a .PUN file which is then sent to the machine tool.

.PPX A PPX file is a compiled version of a PPR file. It is created using the Post-processor editor DPOST.EXE.

.CFG .CFG files are used by the PartMaster serial communications program (Dcomms.exe) to store serial post configuration data for your machine tools.

DXF Drawing eXchange Format files, are a means of sharing drawing files between CAD systems. The DXF format is proprietary and subject to change from time to time, the DXF standard is controlled by AutoDesk Inc.

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PartMaster User Resources

A summary list of resources provided for PartMaster users is shown below. The use of these resources is optional, they are provided to aid productivity; further details can be found within the PartMaster website and issue media. This list serves as a single source summary to ensure users are aware these resources are available:-

RESOURCE Description

MOVIES Flash movies with soundtrack showing various aspects of PartMaster.

TUTORIALS Step by step worked examples.

EXAMPLES Sample CAD/CAM files.

HELP HELP files.

NOTES Release Notes; provide a chronological history of software releases. Accessed via menu item HELP\What’s New.

USERS FORUM

Dolphin CAD/CAM user group on Yahoo http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dolphincadcam/

TEMPLATES System Templates or User defined Templates can be used to control drawing styles and conventions, Attributes can be set within a Template definition which will prompt the user for data on initiation e.g. Drawing Name and/or Version Number.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dolphincadcam/

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Software Protection and Licensing

Dolphin PartMaster is protected against unauthorised copying and usage by means of various devices implemented in software and/or hardware. The protection takes the form of either a License Product Key\Activation code, which is a set of system files installed with the program, or a Dongle, which is a hardware device that plugs into your USB port. Unless ordered separately a dongle is not normally supplied.

When the software is installed, the License is also installed, but it is a limited time license that expires after 15 days. After this time the software reverts to a Trial Version where there are certain limitations as to its use and functionality. These limitations include …

Some print options in PartMaster CAD are disabled and all printed drawings contain a banner to remind the user that this is Trial software.

Post-processing is limited to generating about 12 lines of NC program code. This allows you to evaluate the post-processor without being able to produce a valid program for your machine tools – apart from the most trivial programs that is.

Post-processing is limited to a sub-set of the available post-processors. You are not able to create and compile new post-processors.

The serial communications program (Dcomms.exe) will not exchange NC programs between your PC and machine tools.

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Activating the software

Once installation is complete you may be asked to reboot the computer, if this happens, remove the Setup CD and reboot now.

Dolphin PartMaster is initially installed as a trial license for 30 days. To convert to a fully functional version you will need to obtain a product activation key from Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd., or from the agent that you purchased the PartMaster system from. If you have purchased the "dongle" option, you will not need a product activation key.

With some restrictions you can use PartMaster after this initial 30 day period, it will allow you to create and edit drawings and NC programs, but it will not post-process those NC programs, nor communicate them to your machine tools; drawings that you print may contain a watermark. There may also be other restrictions depending on the version of the software that you have purchased.

Windows

PartMaster V14 can only be installed on computers with the following operating systems.

Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10

Activating the Software

You can now start using the PartMaster CadCam system. If you have purchased the software, then you must Activate the software license, otherwise the software will be in Trial Version, in which there will be restrictions on what you can do. For a short time during a Preview period the software is fully activated in order to allow you to fully evaluate the software; once the preview period has expired, the software will return back to Trial Version.

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PartMaster Version 14 - License Activation

Here is a brief overview of the process.

1. Install PartMaster on your PC. 2. Run PartMaster CAD or CAM, from the start menu click “Manage my License” 3. From the Top menu choose “License” 4. From the list click License “Request a New License”

5. Complete the form and save the request file 6. Email the Request License file to your supplier 7. Your supplier will email you a Activate License file 8. Run PartMaster CAD or CAM and click the “Manage my License” 9. From the menu click License “Install License file” 10. Browse to your Activate License file, your license is activated.

The licensing procedure in detail:

1) Install PartMaster CAD/CAM on your PC. A temporary 30 day license will be installed, at any time during this 30 day period or after you can follow the instructions in Step 2.

2) Run PartMaster CAD or CAM– you will see this Start screen.

3) On the left hand side of the panel you will see details about the temporary license and when it will expire.

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4) Click on the button “Manage my License” you will see this screen

5) From the main menu click License and then choose Request a new license

6) This will display this dialogue box.

Please complete this form in full; if we do not receive all of your details we cannot issue a license.

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7) Click OK and you will see the File Save dialogue box

8) The License Manager will generate a license file – RequestLicense(code).xml. The (code) part of the request file will be specific to your PC. The Request file will be saved into folder Documents > DolphinCADCAM > License Manager

9)

10) Email the Request license file that has been generated to your software supplier.

11) Your software supplier will use the license file that you send to them to create a license activation file that contains an activation code for your PC.

12) Your software supplier will then email you this activation file to the email address you specified when you requested the license.

13) Save the file ActivateLicense(code).xml that was emailed to you into the Documents > DolphinCADCAM > License Manager folder on your hard drive.

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14) Run PartMaster CAD or CAM click “Manager my License” You will see this screen

15) From the menu choose License > Install License file. You will see this information panel

16) Click “Yes” to install your license

17) Browse to the folder that you saved the activate file into, then select the ActivateLicense(code).xml file that your software supplier emailed to you, then click Open

18) When the license has been installed you will see this message

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Using a dongle

If you have purchased a dongle you must install a device driver to access the dongle. You must do this before you start using the program.

Make sure the dongle is not plugged in to any USB port.

Open the Start menu and navigate to All Programs/Dolphin PartMaster

V11/Dongle Utilities/DinkeyDongle Setup Driver, and click to run the program.

When the program has finished you will see a notice stating that The Dinkey dongle drivers have been successfully installed.

Insert the dongle and wait for Windows to detect the new hardware and complete the driver installation. You should see a small indicator light on the dongle turn on when the process is complete. You can now use the software.

Using the software on another computer

If you have a dongle simply install the software on the new computer, install the Dongle drivers and insert the dongle.

Upgrading from previous versions

If you are upgrading from a previous version of PartMaster (ie V10 or earlier),

I already have a dongle … If the dongle is a “Dinkey Dongle USB” device and it is a valid device (ie it was supplied by Dolphin CadCam Ltd), you are in luck; the dongle can be re-programmed remotely. Please contact your PartMaster dealer for more information.

If the dongle is a parallel port device it cannot be re-programmed. You must get a new USB dongle.

My previous version used an activation code … Previous versions of PartMaster had a different activation system to that used by V11. Your license is no longer valid unless you re-install the previous version. To obtain a new activation code or a dongle, contact your PartMaster distributor.

Lost Dongles and Activation Codes

If for any reason you lose your dongle (misplaced, stolen etc) you will be charged for a new one. This charge may be as much as the full replacement cost of the software. For this reason you should include the cost of the software and dongle when insuring your computer against theft, accidental damage etc.

Activation codes are unique. You should make a permanent record of the code and keep it in a secure place - not on your computer. In the event

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that your computer’s hard drive is formatted, or the computer is stolen, or must be rebuilt due to virus infection, you will need to re-install and re-activate the PartMaster software. You can re-use your activation code for this. If you do not have a secure permanent copy of the code, or have lost it, or it has been stolen we can usually replace it. There will be a charge for replacing the code; this charge may be as much as the full replacement cost of the software.

General Notes

To discover changes that have been made to the PartMaster CadCam system since the documentation was last updated, go to "Help / What's New" in any PartMaster application.

To find information to help you get started using PartMaster CadCam products, use Explorer to navigate to...

My Documents\PartMaster\Manuals

(Assuming that you have installed in the default location)

There you will find a number of guides as in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and HTML versions. These guides include information on the following topics ...

Installing the software (a bit late for that one)

A List of the tutorials, together with descriptions of all the files loaded to the PartMaster\Drawings\Examples folders.

Getting started with PartMaster CAD - basic instruction to get you going

Getting started with PartMaster CAM - how to prepare drawings for use with the cam system; how to transfer the drawing data to the cam system, and how to add machining instructions and post-process for your machine tools.

If the files have not been installed (some PartMaster versions do not include these files in order to reduce download time), visit the Dolphin web site (www.dolphincadcam.com) PartMaster User Group

To join the Dolphin CadCam user group visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dolphincadcam

This Yahoo group is operated independently of Dolphin CadCam Systems Ltd. and provides a forum for members to exchange ideas, examples, designs, questions and answers etc.

You might also like to visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cadcamuk

This list is for the discussion of CAD, CAM, EDM, DRO and any other related activities including machining problems. The list is aimed at the construction, repair and use of this equipment primarily in a home/small workshop environment, with emphasis on those in the UK, but all are welcome.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dolphincadcam

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cadcamuk

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Disk managers, Anti-virus software.

Some disk managers and anti virus software may interfere with the proper installation of this software. If ANY errors are reported during the setup process, it may be necessary to turn off any such disk-managers, anti-virus software etc. This will usually require that the computer be re-booted before re-starting the setup process. Once setup has completed and the software license activated the disk manager / anti-virus software may be re-started.

Prevx Intrusion Prevention

“Prevx” is an intrusion detection system, which acts as a backup to anti-virus and software firewall systems; it monitors certain key areas of the computer most likely to be attacked by virus or other malicious software. If installed, it should be suspended during software installation, as it will do its best to prevent the software from being installed.

AVG from Grisoft.com

AVG is an anti-virus system from Grisoft.com (a company based in the Czech Republic). It appears to be 100% compatible with all PartMaster software modules.

Norton Anti-virus

There are no known compatibility problems with Norton Anti-virus and PartMaster software.

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Installing Dongle Drivers - PartMaster

You should install the dongle drivers BEFORE opening\running PartMaster. 1 Brief summary: Make sure the dongle is not plugged into any USB port. Select Start>All Programs>Dolphin PartMaster Vs14>Dongle Utilites>Setup Driver – this procedure should take less than 30 seconds; when successful, the software will report ‘The Dinky Dongle drivers have been successfully installed’.

Following dialogue is displayed to confirm install:

2 Re-boot computer 3 Plug in dongle 4 To confirm that software is fully enabled, open PartMaster Cad, start a new drawing, from the top toolbar select Help>About DCad>Dongle tab See dongle panel with dongle number as displayed below:

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Using PartMaster CAD

Starting the CAD system

From the desktop select the PartMaster Cad icon, the Cad software will be invoked as follows:

When PartMaster CAD starts up, and the following dialogue is displayed:

The CAD start up menu

Click the appropriate button.

To quit, select Exit from the File menu.

The underlying concept of the Cad system is that it makes no assumptions about how you wish to set-up a drawing; therefore we recommend that you make use of drawing templates.

Menus & Toolbars

(Almost) All of the commands available on the PartMaster CAD menu are also available of one of the Toolbars visible around the edges of the drawing area. The contents of some of the toolbars change from time to time to reflect the current drawing operation. I.e. they are context sensitive.

The top line contains the menu from which any function can be selected, to choose an item from the menu move the mouse pointer over the required item and click, a drop down menu will be displayed, from which you select the required option.

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The Global operations toolbar

This toolbar contains 6 groups of tools including …

The standard Windows File, Print, Cut & Paste and Undo / Redo buttons.

Zoom and Redraw buttons

Text style, Layer, Line type, Line thickness and NC buttons

Grid control buttons

Help buttons

The Drawing operations toolbars

These toolbars contains 4 groups of tools including …

Drawing operations – select what to draw eg Point, Line, Circle Arc …

Intersection Chamfer and Fillet buttons.

Delete button.

Measure angle, Query object, Select, Move, Mirror, Rotate and datum buttons.

Snap mode toolbar

Use Snap modes to tell the system how to interpret the mouse pointer’s position when you left click to action a drawing command.

The options are …

No Snap The mouse position is simply converted to an XY co-ordinate based on the pointers position within the drawing area.

Near The mouse pointer is assumed to be pointing to an existing object within the drawing such as the end of a line or arc, or the mid point of an arc or circle. The system select the nearest such point.

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Perpendicular The system draws an imaginary square through the current drawing position marker, and the mouse pointer. The point selected is a corner of the square chosen by moving only in X or Y (which ever is the shorted distance). Pressing the mouse button twice will select the actual cursor position. The imaginary square may be rotated by setting the “Perpendicular angle” to any value.

To set the perpendicular angle select a drawing operation that uses it e.g. Line and press the right hand mouse button. Select properties and enter the new angle in the appropriate edit box. Or, select the Measure Angle drawing tool and click on a line which is at the angle you want to set.

Grid The nearest grid intersection point is chosen. The grid need not be visible.

Mid point Click on a line or arc to select its mid point.

Quadrant point

Click on an arc or circle to select the nearest quadrant point. Use the Perpendicular Angle setting to rotate the quadrant points.

Centre point

Intersect

Click on an arc or circle to select its centre point. Useful if the point is outside the drawing area.

Will find a point where two items intersect each other.

Hit Keys

Snap modes may also be changed without resorting to the toolbar or context menus. Simply press the key corresponding to the first letter of the desired snap mode.

F No snap (Finite snap)

N Near snap

G Grid snap

P Perpendicular snap

M Mid point snap

Q Quadrant point snap

C

I

Centre point snap

Intersect snap

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? Query item

! Delete item

+ / - Zoom in / out

Arrow keys

Scroll the drawing (same as dragging the button in a scroll bar). This is only available if you have checked the option “Enable pan after zoom” in the Preferences dialog which can be displayed from the view menu. The default scroll and pan if via the mouse wheel. Press and rotate to zoom, or press and drag to pan the drawing.

Insert Paste clip board contents

Delete Copy selected items to the clipboard and delete them from the drawing.

Drawing sub-options

This toolbar is context sensitive, it contents change according to the current drawing operation. It has no main menu equivalent, but right clicking the mouse will bring up a matching context menu.

Command line

The Command Line toolbar is where you can enter explicit co-ordinates (instead of using the mouse).

Co-ordinates are either incremental from the current drawing marker point or absolute from the drawing datum or current marker point.

Co-ordinates may be either orthogonal using X and Y axes, or polar using Length and Angle or Radius and Angle. The coordinate systems may be mixed together provided that the meaning is un-ambiguous. For example X20A30 is acceptable, it means, “where a line at 30 degrees intersects a vertical line at X20”.

Macro gallery

The Macro Gallery automatically loads a list of available script files into a dropdown list box. The list is initially compiled from the files in the current script folder - default My Documents\PartMaster\Scripts\dcad. Select the ColorWheel script and execute it to see a demonstration of scripting at work.

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Macros are written using the VB Script language; they can be created automatically by selecting all or part of a drawing and saving it by selecting Create from the Script menu, or by pressing the Create Vbscript button on the toolbar.

Scripts can be used to automate any drawing operation or even to create new ones, almost anything that the CAD system can do can be automated using scripting.

Moving and docking toolbars

All the Toolbars used by the various PartMaster modules can be moved and permanently docked in a position that suits you. Simply click near the left hand end of the toolbar and drag it to its new location. When the toolbar is new the edge of the main window it will align itself with that edge, and can be docked or attached to the edge of the window. If you have a large enough display area you can place the toolbar outside the main window in order to maximise the drawing area.

Use the View / Toolbars menu command to switch toolbars on or off.

The system will remember where you positioned the toolbars ( and the main window ) and will automatically set up the same layout each time you start the CAD system (or any of the other PartMaster modules).

Using Drawing Templates

Why use templates

When PartMaster CAD is started all its internal variables – with one or two minor exceptions – are set to zero. Current line thickness, arc radius, circle diameter etc are all zero. There are neither layers defined nor any Text styles. Drawing templates are used to configure the CAD system by assigning default values to internal variables.

The technique is simple, start the CAD system and select “Start a new Drawing” from the menu. You are presented with a blank sheet, exactly as if you had taken a blank sheet of paper from the cupboard and pinned it to your drawing board.

Go to View / Preferences to indicate your own preferences and View Properties to setup such things as paper size and orientation. Preferences allow you to configure certain options that are common to all drawings you create, Properties are values associated with the current drawing.

Use the Layer gallery to define Layers to separate out different parts of your drawing and assign colours, line-types, line style and thickness to the objects you will draw. More on this later.

Now select in turn each of the drawing operations Line, Arc, Circle etc. and from the context sensitive menu or toolbar, select the properties tool. Here you will find properties appropriate to the drawing operation. Line thickness, Arc radius Circle diameter and so-on. Use these various properties dialogues to build up a set of reasonable default values. Be

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sure to visit the Dimension tool and use its properties page to configure how dimensions will be drawn.

While you are about it create your standard drawing border, title box and everything else you want to include as part of your standard drawing layout.

Finally select File / SaveAs / Template and save your drawing. Now when you create a new drawing you can select “Start a new Template based drawing” and all your settings and preferences are automatically set up for you.

Templates supplied with the system

There is a number of templates supplied with the system. Those based on metric paper sizes are setup up with defaults in mm settings while those based on US papers sizes have default values set up in inches.

The template “_default.dra” is actually a copy of one of the other templates. It is used automatically when you press the New Document button on the toolbar.

Figure 4: The default drawing template

Any drawing can be used as a template simply by saving it to the Template folder, or you can take one of the existing templates supplied with the system, modify it to suit your own needs and save it (preferably using a new name) for your future use.

Naming a drawing template as “_default.dra” means that it will be automatically loaded when you click the New document button of the Files toolbar.

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Templates and Attributes

Attributes are modified text items. They have three components: 1. A Tag or name which uniquely identifies the attribute 2. A prompt which the system uses when it ask you for .. 3. A current or default value.

When you create an attribute only the Tag is drawn. You can see examples of this in the default.dra template. DWG_TITLE, PART_NUMBER, COMPANY_NAME, DRAWN_BY are all attribute tags. When you start a new drawing based on this template you will see a dialogue box that asks you to fill in new values for each of the attributes in the template.

Figure 5 Entering Attribute values

When you press the OK button the attributes in the template are given the new values you entered. The drawing is refreshed and presto – the drawing’s title box has been filled out for you.

NOTE:

When you open a template drawing in order to modify it, you will see only the Attribute tags (if any exist), when you create a drawing based on that template you will see the Attribute current value in place of the tag.

Attributes can also be used within Symbols (aka BLOCKS) and work in a similar way to Attributes within drawing templates. When you place the symbol in a drawing, it will prompt for Attribute values.

Third party programs can manipulate attributes. For example a macro in an Excel spreadsheet can extract attribute data from a drawing and use it to populate the spreadsheet. So, if you use Attribute tags like PRICE, COLOR, QUANTITY, MATERIAL etc you have the basis of a simple parts listing or bill of materials program. Similarly the 3rd party program can inject Attribute data into the drawing (along with any other drawing object) so that production of drawings can be automated based on spreadsheet data; you could for example produce a spreadsheet that automates the design of automotive cams and produces the cam profile as a sequence of XY coordinates. Some simple Vbscript “glue” can transfer that data to a drawing using the Draw Curve tool and create the drawing of the cam.

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Using layers

The ‘Layer Gallery’ toolbar button is positioned just under ‘Machining’ on the top toolbar. Layers can be added, deleted or attributes changed according to the user’s requirements, as illustrated below:

What does it all mean? Look down the Auto column, on the 4th line you will see the Hatch tool icon, reading towards the left you will see the line type is “- - - - - -“, Line thickness is zero, the colour is grey, and the layer name is “Hatching”. So if you click the Hatch tool in the Drawing operations tool bar, you will also automatically select the Hatching layer, colour, line type and thickness. The lightbulb icon indicates that objects drawn of the “hatching” layer will be visible. The padlock indicates that they can be modified / edited. If you don’t want this automatic parameter assignment to happen, clear the Auto Select checkbox. To edit the layer’s properties double click the layer name.

Using Text styles

Text styles are another means of imposing uniformity on the drawings you create. A Text Style simply associates a Font, together with a text height (in mm or inches, not points) and an attribute such as Bold or italic. Text styles can also be associated with dimensions and “Notes” as well as ordinary text items and attributes. In this manner you can ensure that all your dimensions for example have a consistent appearance across all your drawings. The ‘Text Style Gallery’ icon is situated next to the Layer button.

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Starting a Drawing without using Templates

To set up a new drawing you must set the properties of the drawing such as size, units etc, and your own preferences. This can be done very easily.

From the Menu choose View / Properties . The following dialogue will be displayed:

You should select the Tabs and set the required parameters. Then click OK

Then from the Menu select View / Preferences.

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Printers and Printing

Dolphin PartMaster allows you to output your drawings to virtually any printer or plotter that is supported by Windows. The Print dialogue lets you specify what to print (the entire drawing, or the current selection or window) and how to print it, (scale to the printer, tiled, aligned with the printer).

There are some limitations imposed by the Windows printing engine, and the printer driver associated with your printer. Some printers cannot print text other than horizontally, and others can only print text horizontally or vertically.

Windows is not a true WYSIWYG operating system there, are small discrepancies between printed output and on-screen output. Unless special measures are taken to draw the text, Windows does not guarantee that text will appear exactly the same on both screen and printer. Some printers may not be able to handle certain fonts at all (some pen plotters for example can only use “stroke” fonts) while the method of scaling used by the Windows display driver ensures that there will be small discrepancies in the size of printed text compared with the screen version.

PartMaster CAD has a small set of built in fonts, which are guaranteed to appear the same on any display device that supports vector drawing. These fonts are similar to those used in pen-plotters, but they are not compatible with any other program or with Windows fonts in general.

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PartMaster CAM

PartMaster Cam

If you want to invoke the machining modules without first invoking the Cad software then simply double click the PartMaster Cam icon from the desktop. The following screen is displayed. Choose the option you wish.

If you have chosen to start a new CNC job (Milling, Routing, Plasma etc) or a Turning job you will see the Setup dialogue shown below.

Here you can set up basic parameters regarding your target machine tool. You must specify the machine type, Mill or Lathe and the units you want to work in.

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Use the ToolChange tab to specify where tool changes will occur (necessary even if tool change is a completely automatic sequence), and the Origin tab to specify the NC program origin relative to the geometry.

Once this basic setup data is entered you can save it (Setup / Save Setup) so that you need not re-enter it on future jobs, you can also configure the CAM system to automatically load the setup every time you start the program.

To continue go to the file menu and select Import, browse to the drawing containing your part geometry and click OK to import the drawing data. The drawing may be a PartMaster .dra file, an AutoCad .DXF file Iges or HPGL file.

PartMaster CAM does not read the drawing file, rather it asks PartMaster CAD to do it, and then instructs the CAD system to export the data in a format that the CAD and the CAM system both share.

Now that we have a configured “machine tool” and some geometry, it is possible to use the various machining tools to create an NC program to manufacture the part.

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Reviewing an existing program

Start PartMaster CAM go to the File menu. Select Open and browse to the file you want to work with.

If you have installed the examples that come with the system, you will see the Examples folder in the File Open dialog. There may also be a Tutorial folder assuming that you have installed it from the CD.

The file open dialog has a small preview area which display the geometry stored in .cnc files (It will also display the contents of PartMaster CAD drawings and DXF files if you are importing geometry).

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This component is Jagport.cnc and is in the Tutorial folder. It is used in tutorial no. 3

Note the panel on the left of the screen containing Tooling Definitions and Program Operations already entered into this part program. These instructions can be hidden or viewed by dragging the vertical line (left or right) separating the panel and the drawing area. To edit any of the tool definitions, or machining operations, simply double click the entry. “Tooltips” appear near entries in the Program operations list if you allow the mouse to hover there a second or two.

Post-processing

PartMaster CAD stores all your machining commands in its own internal format. Once you are satisfied that your program is correct, i.e. the machining simulation shows that it produces the tool-path you want, it is time to convert that internal data into a format that your machine tool understands. This is called post-processing. To invoke the post-processor, open the Execute menu and select PostProcess…

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Select the post-processor you want to use from the drop down list. If you want to you can change the name and extension of the post-processor output file. Press the OK button to start the process.

NOTE: If you are using a Trial Version of PartMaster CAM (i.e you have not activated the license), you will only be able to access a limited sub-set of the available post-processors. The post-processed output will be restricted to about 10-15 blocks on NC code.

When post-processing is complete, a new window opens up, below the graphic visualization window, containing the output from the post-processor (this will not occur if the output file exceeds 1Mbyte on W9x systems or 32Mbyte on WXP, W2k or WNT systems).

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Use this view to edit or peruse the output. Note that the File and Edit menus refer to this window if it contains the mouse pointer.

Editing the post-processor

If you want to examine the post-processor itself, select Edit / Post-processor. PartMaster CAM will launch the post-processor editor in a separate window. Here you can examine the post-processor, edit it to modify its output or create new post-processors better suited to your machine tools.

The post-processor is designed to allow output in almost any format including all common machine tool formats, both ISO and conversational. It is trivial to produce post-processors that output Vbscript so that you can place a representation of the tool path over your original drawing, or even HPGL so you can draw the tool path on a pen plotter. (There are machine tools that use modified HPGL in place of more conventional NC programming languages).

Remember that the post-processor editor and the CAM system are running as two separate processes independent of each other. If you make a change to the post-processor be sure to save it before using it in the CAM system.

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PartMaster Cam – Visual Menu

To invoke the machining modules without first invoking the Cad software then simply double click the PartMaster Cam icon from the desktop. A blank Cam screen is displayed. Before any of the machining tools can be used you must configure the system by selecting the Machine Setup feature which appears at the top of the main toolbar. On completion of the Setup Procedure simply select the required Machining Functions, when all machining has been completed the Post Processor Icon can be used to produce a CNC instruction file and the Communications Icon to transmit the file to the target machine tool (if the host PC is connected for DNC communications).

PartMaster Visual Menu Machining options are :-

The Machine Setup allows you to choose the units you wish to work in - Metric or Imperial, setting a Safety (Home) position, Tool change position, choosing a Clearance and Rapid plane, setting the machine Origin and Job number and description.

This option allows geometric data from PartMaster CAD to be selected, you may also import a DXF file from another source. PartMaster Level 2 will allow you to automatically create Contours (polylines) and Drill point patterns from the DXF file.

Creating Canned cycles for Drilling is easy, you may create Drill, Deep Drill, Peck Drill, Ream, Bore and Tap cycles - all utilising the canned cycles available on your controller. Options for Bolt Hole Circle, Rectangular Grid and Random XY patterns.

The Contouring option allows user defined and imported geometry to be machined, you may also use one of the machining primitives - Rectangle, Circle or Ellipse, these allow the location (XY) and parameters such as Diameter, Length, Height and rotation angle to be specified. Tool Lead-in and Lead-out in a variety of styles is built-in. Finishing cuts and climb or conventional milling are available.

Area Clearance of Pockets with or without islands with a variety of cutting strategies are catered for. Complex profiles can be machined or the primitives can be used. Tool stepover, Climb or Conventional milling, machining angle and roughing and finishing cuts can all be set.

Machining slots has never been easier - either Straight or Arc slots can be cut, defining the parameters is easy using the multiple choice menus, you might know the start and end positions or the start, length and angle of the slot. For Arc slots you may know the Centre, start and end angles. If the tool won’t cut the full width then multiple cuts are applied automatically with rough and finish cuts.

Facing off the top of the material can be accomplished with ease, enter the maximum and minimum XY sizes or choose a Contour to define the area to be machined. Cut in X or Y, single direction or Zig-Zag, set the start and end Z planes and the number of intermediate passes.

Machining of Text in PartMaster is fully featured and flexible. Any True-Type font can be machined as well as a number of “Stroke fonts” supplied by Dolphin. Text can follow a Line, Arc The text height and the total width can be set, text can be mirrored, rotated, left, centre or right justified. Each character can be machined on the line, inside or

or a CONTOUR -

Area Cleared.

The miscellaneous commands allow the user to add a variety of “M” functions to a program, the post-processor will output all required commands to set the spindle speed, feedrates etc, but sometimes you may want to output an optional stop command “/M01” and the message CLEAR SWARF, this can all be done from this option.

CAM systems are only as good as the output they create, we at Dolphin pride ourselves on producing quality output that will cut metal on your machine. Tried and tested post-processors are available for all major machine tool and controller combinations. The post-processing software is part of the system and users can modify and create their posts if required, also part of the system is a built-in Rs232 communications module.

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PartMaster CAM - Turning

PartMaster Turning (and Milling) can also be accessed by linking direct from the CAD system into the CAM system.

This drawing is “Machined from Casting.dra” and is in the Examples folder. A simple component shown hatched in blue, is shown inside a casting or forging which represents the raw material it is to be produced from. One half of the component and one half of the “casting” have been traced using the NC profile tool in the Machining menu.

To transfer the geometry to the CAM system select Turning module from the Machining menu.

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To view the machining simulation, select Run Program from the Execute menu, or press the green start button on the status panel.

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Geometry Transfer – Import DXF

If you prefer to use an alternate CAD system to prepare geometry for PartMaster CAM you can do so, provided that it has the ability to export the drawing in DXF format. There are a few simple rules that must be followed to ensure the smooth transfer of data from your CAD system into PartMaster CAM.

1. The geometry to be imported should be on a single layer called “PartMaster”

2. Only POLYLINE and CIRCLE entities are imported. POLYLINES are imported as Contours in the XY plane, but can be converted to Profiles in the XZ plane for use with the turning module. Circles are grouped according to their diameter, and converted to Patterns ( a group of points). The Pattern’s name is taken from the circle diameter so that all 5mm circles end up in PATTERN500 for example. If the drawing uses inch dimensions, Pattern names are based on one thou’ increments.

3. A local datum may be defined by placing a Symbol (aka BLOCK) at the datum point. The symbol must be called NCDATUM.

It is possible to import geometry directly with doing any preparation in the CAD system. This generally gives good results provided that the drawing does not contain extraneous data. If the drawing does contain geometry other than that which defines the part to be machined it may be wise to follow the simple rules described above.

From with in the CAM system open the File menu and select Import. Browse to the drawing file and select it. Press OK to import the DXF file. The Examples\CAD folder contains a file DXF2PartMaster.dxf which was created in AutoCAD. It has been prepared using the rules above so that it may be imported directly into the PartMaster CAM system.

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Figure 6, File import dialogue

Once you have selected a (DXF) file to import geometry from, PartMaster CAM will display this dialogue …

Figure 7, DXF import options

Select which import option best suits your needs. The default options assume that no special preparation has been applied to the original drawing, (and that it only contains geometry relevant to the part to be machined).

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To review the geometry actually imported by the CAM system, open the View menu and select “Geometry info”. You can use the dialog to modify the geometry definitions. Double click on an entry for more options.

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PartMaster Post Processor

The PartMaster Post Processor module converts the graphical toolpath information that is seen with the CAM modules into instructions – normally in the form of G Codes, required by your machine tools.

The actual files used by the Dolphin Post Processor (DPost) are stored in the Program Data folder, this is a system folder that is not accessible to the user.

If for any reason you wish Dolphin Cadcam Ltd or its distributors to modify a post-processor (this is normally a chargeable item) you will need to send the relevant files to us or them. To do this the files must exported from within the post-processor and then the modified files will need to be imported back into the post-processor.

Exporting Post Processor files.

Firstly double click the PartMaster Post Processor icon from the desktop

Then use File > Open and select the required post-processor from the list shown.

From the main toolbar choose the Export icon and choose the location of where you wish to save a copy of the post-processor, this is normally the Documents folder.

This file can then be sent – normally via email - to Dolphin Cadcam or its distributor.

When you have received the modified post-processor save it into the Documents folder, the modified post-processor will have a new name so that the original file is still available.

Importing Post Processor files.

Firstly double click the PartMaster Post Processor icon from the desktop

Then select Import from the main toolbar, browse to the folder where you saved the new post processor and select the file. A confirmation message will be displayed.

To use the post-processor it must be compiled.

Select Compile from the main toolbar, if no errors are detected a confirmation message will be displayed

Finally select File > Save and all relevant files will be saved.

When you next run the relevant machining module, the new post-processor will appear in the list of those available.

PLEASE KEEP A BACKUP OF ALL POSTS THAT YOU USE

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PartMaster DNC

Configuring the communications module

The information in this section applies to the DNC module within PartMaster.

To use PartMaster communications module (Dcomms) to send or receive programs to or from your machine tools you must first create a serial port configuration.

Start Dcomms.exe from the Start Menu / Programs / PartMaster / PartMaster Serial comms, or double click the PartMaster DNC icon from the desktop

Select Port Setup / Configure Port and set the various options to match the communications setup on your machine tool.

Select Port Setup / Save As … to save your new post configuration.

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You can then use Dcomms to exchange programs between your PC and the target machine.

Sending NC programs direct from the CAM system

You can invoke the communications package from within the CAM system and the Wire EDM system. Select File / Send NC program to … The system will display a list of configured machine tools for you to select from.

Select the target machine and click Open. Dcomms will then send the NC program file direct to the target machine.

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Sending NC programs direct from Explorer

Right click on the file you want to send, and select Send To / CNC Machine Tool. The Dcomms module will open with the selected file, ready to transmit to your machine tool.

If the chosen file has a .CNC or a .EDM extension, Dcomms will open the PartMaster CAM system or the PartMaster EDM system to determine whether or not an NC program has been produced (by the post-processor). If there is an NC program file associated with the .CNC or .EDM file, then Dcomms will open with that file instead.

If the chosen file has a file extension that is not recognised by the PartMaster post-processor, for example you select a Word document, Dcomms may report that the file is not recognised, and may not open it.

Files with .PUN or .TXT extensions are opened without performing any checks.

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Using the online Help system

This provides an effective and easy to use way of getting help on a particular subject or topic. To use the help system, select Help from the Menu then select Help Topics.

PartMaster CAD

PartMaster CAM

PartMaster Wire EDM

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PartMaster Post-processor editor

Whichever PartMaster module you are working with, you can navigate the Help system using the Contents tab, the Search tab or the Index tab. There is a liberal sprinkling of hyperlink within the files to guide you around the system. Many of the screen shots can be “clicked on” to reveal more detailed explanations.

You can print each topic but beware that some of the hyperlinked content will not get printed unless you are viewing that particular page.

To quit the on-line Help click the in the top right hand corner.

There are printer friendly versions of the on-line help files. These can be downloaded from the Dolphin web site at www.dolphin.gb.com, or they can be installed from the distribution CD. Acrobat PDF, MS Word and html versions are provided. Once installed they are available in My Documents\PartMaster\Manuals.

http://www.dolphin.gb.com/

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Tutorials

A summary of the tutorials

Tutorial No 1 Intersections (Applicable to Levels 1, 2 & 3) Introduces the user to the Intersection operation on the PartMaster Cad menu, This module aims to provide the user with a basic understanding and foundation in intersection and its extensive range of functions.

Tutorial No 2 Typed Input (Applicable to Levels 1, 2 & 3) Introduces the user to inputting coordinate positions via Typed Input mode in the command line input window. Typed Input is a powerful drawing tool. It enables the user to enter component sizes in Cartesian or Polar coordinates direct from the initial drawing\design.

Tutorial No 3 From Cad to Cam (Applicable to Levels 2 & 3) Demonstrates how to transfer geometry from PartMaster Cad to PartMaster Cam for CNC machining purposes. The exercise aims to provide the user with a basic understanding of the geometry transfer process.

Tutorial No 4 From Cad to Cam 2 (Applicable to Levels 2 & 3) Provides a basic understanding of creating contours, the geometry transfer process, and creating a simple Cam part program.

Tutorial No 5 From Cad to Cam 3 (Applicable to Levels 2 & 3) Demonstrates to the user how to view contour definition in PartMaster Cam, and how to delete and redefine contours in PartMaster Cad. Illustrates the significance of geometry creation in PartMaster Cad, and how this affects the outcome of machining commands in Dolphin Cam.

Tutorial No 6: Contour Machining (Applicable to Level 3) Introduction to the main features of the contour machining operation - Goround command in PartMaster Cam. The function of the Goround command is to enable the user to machine contours.

Tutorial No 7 Turning (Applicable to Level 3)

This document describes the step-by-step process of designing, and machining a Turned part with Dolphin PartMaster Turning software. Units of measure are Inches and component sizes are designed to make this an ideal exercise for use with Small hobbyist CNC Lathes such as Taig or Sherline.

Tutorial No 8 Cam Level 1 introduction (Applicable to Level 1) Provides a basic understanding of creating contours, the geometry transfer process, and creating a simple Cam part program.

Tutorial No 9 Cam Level 1 Machining (Applicable to Level 1) Demonstrates to the user how to view contour definition in PartMaster Cam, and how to delete and redefine contours in PartMaster Cad. Illustrates the significance of geometry creation in PartMaster Cad, and how this affects the outcome of machining commands in Dolphin Cam.

Tutorial No 10: Contour Machining (Applicable to Level 1)

Introduction to the main features of the contour machining operation - Goround command in PartMaster Level 1Cam.

Examples

Sample files are provided with the software. Each example shows a different aspect or feature of Dolphin PartMaster. In PartMaster CAD select File / Open

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Figure 8: File / Open dialog

Click on Examples, and then on CAD to see a list of drawings in the Folder

My Documents\PartMaster\Examples\CAD

Double click on any .dra document to open the drawing and begin editing.

If File/Open is selected from the CAM system browse to Examples\CAM to see a list of .cnc files created using the CAM system.

One simple way of getting to know the ParMaster CadCam system is to start the CAD system and then open each of the drawing files in the folder Examples\CAM. Each of these drawings has been prepared so that its geometry can be transferred to the CAM system. Study the drawing and then open the Machining menu. Select either Milling, Turning or Wire EDM modules. To visualize the tool-path, open the Execute menu and select Run program – or simply press the green Start button on the status panel.

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Milling

Name of file. Graphic of part Description

Contour

Drawing and machining program.

Simple Contouring shape that shows how to machine inside or outside a shape with approach and runoff options selected also shows that partial machining is possible. Tool envelope shows shades of grey for different depths.

Contour with Z profile


Similar shape to the above job but now with a Profile in the Z axis included showing shapes with non-vertical sides.

Area Clear


Shows a quite intricate shape with an island. It is possible to Area Clear any shape with an unlimited number of islands. Various machining strategies are possible.

Area Clear with Taper

Machining program only.

Shows a simple shape but can be any shape of course, with an added draft angle. The area can be machined with constant Z levels (slices), or Pocketed and then 3 axis finished.

DXF-Import


Shows how we can import a complicated DXF drawing and then select just the contours we wish to machine.

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DXF2Partmaster

Drawing, machining

program and DXF

file available.

Shows how it is possible to import a DXF drawing directly into the CAM system. From the desktop select the PartMaster CAM

Icon, then select File>Import and set to DXF then select the file, you can now add the tooling and machining options you require.

Engrave


Showing the basic engraving facility, fonts available are Dolphin supplied and are meant for simple engraving of part numbers etc. Text can be machined along a line or around an arc with mirror image and change of angle if required.

Engrave True Type


Text machining using any True Type fonts available on the PC. Use the View>Zoom>Cutter path to see the whole job, you can experiment with different fonts by editing the engraving option in the Program operations window.

Engrave Demo


The full Monty, all the more advanced options of:

Text fitted between 2 points

Vertical alignment

Text around a Contour

Text around a Circle / Arc

Text around a Spline curve.

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Engrave Raised


Using the CAD system first, we can convert ANY True Type font into Contours.

We can then use the Contours to accomplish any machining strategy we require, such as Area Clear with islands.

Merge


The Merge command allows 2 Contours at differing Z levels to be machined as a ruled surface, machining can be either at constant Z levels or full 3 axis.

Thread Milling


Using options from the Goround command it is possible to create a Helical tool path that can be used for Thread milling, either internal or external.

Turbine

Machining program

only.

An example of an impeller uses the repeat/rotate function.

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Z Profile Slot

Drawing and

machining program.

The Z Profile command allows a simple slot to be machined in the XZ or YZ planes, a Ball nosed or Square ended tool may be used.

Z Profile Ruled

Surface

Machining program

only.

A Z Profile can be extruded into a Ruled surface, which may be Linear or Radial.

Z Profile Patch

Drawing and

machining program.

By combining two Z Profiles we can produce a Surface Patch. This can be machined with either a Ball nosed or Square ended tool.

Z Profile Revolve

Drawing and

machining program.

A Z Profile can be rotated around the Z axis to produce Coke bottle type shapes. It can produce either a core or a cavity and can be machined either axially or radially.

Unlike the Anilam controller the full tool is offset correctly.

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This is just an example to show what can be achieved using the Rotary Axis (4th axis) function.

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Turning

Name of file Graphic of part Description

Stepped Shaft


A simple Shaft that shows the basic functions of Facing, Turning and Profiling. A good intro to the different tool drawing options. The post-processor can produce full G71 and G72 canned cycles.

Internal Bore


Internal working example using Drilling, Roughing to a Profile and internal Grooving. Notice the Radii on the Groove.

Hydraulic piston chamber


Hydraulic pump cylinder, which shows how the tool can be seen to be clear of the opposite side of the centreline when machining.

Stub Arbour


Quite a complicated part using a Chuck profile, and Tailstock drawing to mimic a real life turned component. The system can operate :-

Bar feeders / pullers Part catchers Tailstocks Chucks.

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Vacuum Forming Tool


Example of front face working, this can catch out a lot of systems, this example came from a customer, uses trepanning Groove and Button tools.

Threading


Good example to show the different types of thread cycles available. Also shows the how the full tool can be shown. Using a Groove type tool, Acme or Buttress threads can be created.

Machined from Casting


Defining Profiles that represent the Finished and Stock sizes, the Turning and Facing cycles can be used to limit the machining activity between these Profiles, limiting the amount of “fresh air” machining great for casting or forgings.

Door knob


Firstly shows that a Chuck can be defined to assist collision checking.

Mainly showing that a Button type tool can be used for Area clearance operations and for Profiling. Notice how the Profiling works Forward and Reverse. Superb !

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Spool


Again using a Button tool, but this time using a Groove tool to Area Clear AND Profile with same tool.

Notice how the system automatically determines the optimum tool path for the Profiling operation.

Spool with Grooving tool

Machining

program only.

Same job as above but this time is machined with a single tool and a single command, the tool used is a Groove tool with tip radii.

Fantastic !

Swirl Chamber


This is chamber from a fuel injector unit, it came from a customer and shows the use of special purpose tools to machine a geometrically simple, yet difficult to machine feature.

Profile with Groove Tool

Fairly straightforward shape showing how you can produce a Profiling operation with a Grooving tool.