Work Flow is THAT imporent!

For years I have been using the Nascar/F1 speech in front of my operators. "You think that Jeff Gordons crew ever forgot to check the oil level or tire pressure before a race?" why should they be held to a higher standard than you? If you run a CNC machine do me a favor, check the coolant level, check the maintenance screen, period!.
So what about you? you a racer? No not a race fan, but are you set up for speed?
You can spend thousands of dollars on upgrading the work station you work on, but it is not just about that, its also about finding a way to increase your personal work flow with the software you are using. If you are a race fan you know how the race car driver is always looking for the best grip for his race car, simply trying to figure out how the car can go a little faster.
There is a billion websites how you can maximize your performance on you computer, RAM, Muti-core, defrag bla bla bla. When you get to the specific software you are using your selection gets a little smaller, the Solidworks community has a great numbers of bloggers who are has made some great post in regards maximize your work flow. One of them is www.Solidsmack.com by Josh Mings, even if you are not a Solidworks user you will love his Friday smackdown, where he points you in some great, sometimes mysteries corners of the web.
Recently there was a post on Solidsmack called "Set it UP, Killer Solidworks Interface, Better Workflow" The post blog gives a handfull of great tips on increasing your work flow, check it out for your self http://www.solidsmack.com/solidworks-interface-tips/2008-10-14/.

The "S"key in Solidworks is a great simpel function. If you forgot about it, or never even knew about.........well you might just been running the last 48 laps in 2nd gear. Here is the trick, delete all your toolbars including all the default settings in your "S"key menu. (Wow suddenly there is alot of screen to work with, huh?) Now you just start adding functions by hitting the "S"key => Right click and add the function to the menu as you are going on with your work, you are now only having the functions on the screen that you are using.
Now being a Mastercam user (have to remember to suggest the "S"Key to CNC Software) would this be useful?, well yeah off course, actually you can say that Mastercams interface looks pretty cluttered on default.
I would recommend you to try two different ideas with Mastercam, just because they are a little different animal than Solidworks.
1st is the Nicorette version, we are keeping 1 toolbar, but just like in Solidworks only adding the functions we use.
This will make you stop squeezing over all those buttons you never use anyways. 2nd is the cold turkey, where we clean it all up, Right click on the menu portion, clear all the check marks for the different toolbars, and go into customize
then it is simply just "drag and drop" into your right mouse button.
The "Separator" on the left side is going to make things a little more organized, the final result is that you just opened up a lot of extra work space, and less mouse moving.
This is off course just a small part on what you can do to increase your work flow, but by taking this 1/2 step back you can step 2 forward pretty quick. The truth is that Jon Hirschtick (Solidworks) and Mark Summers (Mastercam) Don't know better than you what functions and in what order you use the icons, that's why they made them customizable, and you should really take the time to play with it a little. Work flow is that importen.

Should Mastercam "X" follow Solidworks"2009"?

The idea was posted on www.emastercam.com enhancement forum, that CNC Software would change the version name on Mastercam from X(+number) to "a" year like Solidworks and other CAD software does.
To give a quick background on Mastercam version numbers. Mastercam ran a version going up to Mastercam9 that ran in a DOS environment, here is a screenshot of Mastercam8.

Then it was time to make the big leap to a new interface named MastercamX
Well some CAD people did pay attention in school and the number system of the great people of Rome, so MastercamX quickly became Mastercam10 in a lot of places, in the beginning this did not seem to bother people but as the subject regards to Mastercam11 was raised, so people on the inside began to let the air out that next version would be MastercamX1, MastercamX2 etc.
As MastercamX3 has just been released the question has been requested that CNC Software changing the name from MastercamX4 to possible MastercamX 2009. Two reasons was brought up for this.

1) People care about this product, and just like there favorite car, they can not stand people don't call the software by the right name.
2)By changing the name to MastercamX 2009 or totally taking the "X" out and making it Mastercam 2009, will make the name in the same category as Solidworks, Autocad even rival Esprit.

To me the whole thing comes down to what is the name chance do or not do for me as a user.
Solidworks 2008 was send out in the fall of 2007, according to a lot of users this version was "worst ever", a pre-version of 2009 there was released in September 2008. Could it be possible that because Solidworks are on a "yearly" schedule with versions, they felt it necessary to release 2008? When the company I work for decided to upgrade there Mastercam seats in December 2007 MastercamX2 was the current version, but MastercamX3 was promised to hit the streets early 2008. MastercamX3 was available for download in September 2008, and no one was really complaining.
I know that maintenance is due yearly, and that management expect a yearly version, but us users knows that we have enough crap on our hands daily, it makes no sense getting un-tested versions on our desks, and we gladly would wait 18 months to get something actually useful. Are we really afraid that the software companies are going to stall on us for 6 months just because they can? as McCain would say "Friends" technology is moving so fast now a days, these CAD/CAM companies need to bring there best to survive.

Solidworks or Mastercam, It dosn't matter, Do it right

It is strange how many people who work with computers on a daily basis seems to be leaning torch becoming more and more lazy, instead of using the new and better technology to make them self better.
I have seen people lose there job because of poor data recording, sometimes other people need to look at you file, Jack!
I came across a Solidworks file this week that looked a lot like this.
The part name was pretty useless to help identifying the part, there was no information in the design binder, and the feature names like "body" is totally unacceptable, and yeah lets not name patterns or holewizards either. There is a feature to turn on to be prompted for naming new features in the configurations you know, right?

Now this stuff also goes for Mastercam, actually here it becomes critical that these features gets recorded, and it is you responsibility. So before we go any further, make sure you check your configurations against the following.
1)Toolpath Manager, anything with the word "Manager" in it is worth paying attention to.

2)Have Machine group be the name of you machine, that way it is easy to always know what you are working with.

3)Toolpath group should be a defined name, a good one! like "Backside Flange, Operation 1". Having the Machine group being the machining center you are working on, and a good defined Toolpath group, most people should have an idea on where about in the shop and where about on the part they are working.

4)NC File, come up with the file name now, before you make 1st. toolpath, gotta stay focused and think ahead.
Now with that straighten out, every time you start programing a part you will have 1) Clearly that we are working on the Matsuura HP300 and that it is Lars who is programing, and 2)you can type in a toolpath group name. You have become better at data recording already with really having to work for it.

Now with a toolpath group name it is time to take the time to set things up for our part, so we can be promoted some day, and our follower can be amazed with our data information. And trust me we do want to do this, if you do not do this on every single file from now one, you should be fired........now go into "File"
1)Write in the program number, if you don't do it know, you will forget about it, and you will not remember until after you have posted out your NC code, what mean you will have to go back and redo it, that's being lazy and wasting time, right?
2) Pick a material, even if you are not going to use Mastercams build in feeds and speeds calculator, the file will now have the info what material to use, and if creating a setupsheet from the file data you can draw the info from here.
Last thing before making toolpath would be "stock setup" and there is no reason not to take the time to also set this up correct.
1) Just want to point out that I also gave my WCS a user defined name when I created that. New view(8) doesn't count.

2) by clicking "all solids" I don't even have to worry about what the actually dimension are of my block.

3)Looking at the Solidworks file from earlier, you will see the dimensions are coming from "Upper Left Corner" so I want to program from this datum, and of course also have my stock origin there. Clicking on any of the the corners in the little graphics field, will move the black arrow.

4)Lastly I will click on my actually part to define where the stock origin is compared to the WCS.

These steps are critical to be considered skilled at what you do, some information should by law always be handy.