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Getting Started with CAM Assist

Getting Started with CAM Assist

Owned by Kevin Strider (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jan 23, 2025 by Geoffrey Brennan
3 min read

Follow along with this onboarding guide for more information on getting started with CAM Assist for Mastercam:

Getting started in 5 easy steps

Getting started with CAM Assist for Mastercam is a simple 5-step process:

Workflow.svg

If you follow along with the step-by-step instructions featured below, you’ll use CAM Assist to generate a toolpath strategy for a demo part, using a CAM Assist tool library.

Step-by-step instructions

Download & Install CAM Assist

For step-by-step instructions on installing the CAM Assist add-on, refer to:

https://cloudnc.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CAMMCUG/pages/116621316

.

Open a Demo Part

Video
For an illustration of the ‘getting started’ process, see the YouTube video: Getting Started with CAM Assist for Mastercam.

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‘CloudNC’ tab containing the CAM Assist panel

  1. Hover over Open a Demo Part.

  2. Select one of the ‘Demo' parts:

    • Demo 1-3 - suitable for 3-Axis machining (see Machining Modes).

    • Demo 4 - suitable for 3+2 Axis machining.

The selected ‘Demo’ part opens in Mastercam.

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CAM Assist panel

Select a Tool Database and Setup

  1. Open CAM Assist

    • Select CloudNC CAM Assist from the CAM Assist panel.

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CAM Assist panel

  1. For Tool library

    • Select ‘CAM Assist [inch].tooldb’

  2. For Stock material

    1. Select ‘Aluminum’

  3. For Setup orientation

    • Ensure at least one Setup is checked (for example, ‘Machine Group-1’).

    • For each selected Setup, choose a Selected plane (orientation) from the drop-down options.

Ensure that the setup orientations are correct, these use ‘planes’, which can be managed by the Mastercam Plane Manager, and represent the approach direction for the tool (so, to machine the top, select the top plane).

 

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General Tab

Confirm a few configuration settings

For more information, see the Tool Use tab.

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Tool Use Tab

Click the Green check button Accept icon.png

  1. When you’ve finished configuring CAM Assist, click the green checkmark.

After which, CAM Assist:

  • Closes its user interface.

  • Uses the CAM Assist configuration to compute a toolpath strategy for each checked ‘Setup’, which is then displayed in ‘Toolpaths’ (see the screenshot to the right).

 

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Mastercam - showing a CAM Assist computed toolpath strategy

 

Congratulations! You've used CAM Assist to create a toolpath strategy for a demo part, using a CAM Assist tool library.

From this point, you can simulate/manipulate the toolpaths and adjust settings for the part, as usual in Mastercam.

Next step

This guide showed you how to use one of CAM Assist’s sample tool libraries to generate a toolpath strategy for a ‘Demo’ part.

The CAM Assist sample libraries are not limited to just ‘Demo’ parts, they can be used on any part.

For more detailed information on the features and functionality of CAM Assist, refer to the CAM Assist for Mastercam section.

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