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This video runs through the programming of a 5 axis impeller in 5 minutes...the 5 minute, 5 axis, impeller challenge!

Blade Expert is a toolpath add-on for Mastercam. It is a very powerful toolpath and if you find yourself programming Impellers quite often,  then this is a toolpath you should look into. It will definitely pay for itself in short time. 

Blade Expert - Use the Multiaxis Blade Expert toolpath for 5-axis machining, specifically for multi-bladed parts such as impellers or fans. Blade Expert is best suited for parts with repeating segments (a segment is a portion of the impeller).

In this video post, I try to completely program an Impeller using 5 axis toolpaths in 5 minutes. To come anywhere close to this time limit, Blade Expert will have to be used. I'll admit, I have to cheat a bit by keeping my toolpath tolerance high and stepover values high as well....this just helps to reduce toolpath calculation time. I still end up with a decent toolpath at the end even with the loose tolerances and high stepovers. 

I would suggest programming in this fashion with parts like this. Knowing that if you set your tolerances very tight and keep you stepover very small will result in long toolpath calculation times, it's a good idea to leave things loose until you know you have the toolpath you're after. Then tighten things up, regenerate, and post the code. This strategy alone will save you hours!

If you are interested in trying out Blade Expert, you will have to contact your Mastercam reseller for a demo. Unfortunately, Blade Expert is not currently available in the HLE, Home Learning Edition, just yet. We have made a request to have it added, so fingers crossed it will be included in a future release of HLE.

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