Understanding Mastercam

To compete in the global market, most manufacturers have seen the need to utilize computers to efficiently produce quality products. Computer numerical control (CNC) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) have gained a foothold in industry and have revolutionized the way manufacturers do business. The ever-increasing popularity of CNC machines has created a need for people who are knowledgeable about programming CNC machines. There is a huge demand for people who are capable of programming, setting up, and operating CNC machine tools. They will continue to be in demand as long as they stay current with technology. We decided to write this text when we were unable to find a practical, easy-to-understand book with enough examples and programming assignments. We thought it was essential to provide a clear, concise text that would enable students to learn the basics of Mastercam in a more independent and painless fashion. The information in this textbook is based on our years of experience teaching CNC courses to students at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin, and industrial CNC courses for local business and industry, university and technical school students, and on-the-job trainees. We sincerely hope that our logical, easy-to-understand approach will enable readers to accomplish more than would otherwise be possible. Thanks to the reviewers of this text for their helpful comments and suggestions: Paul Brennan, Monroe Community College; Joseph W. Johnson, College of Lake County; Richard Kibbe, Manufacturing Technology Publications; Brian LaBombard, St. Clair College; and Dan Ruesch, College of Lake County. Kelly Curran Jon StenersonStenerson, Jon is the author of 'Understanding Mastercam', published 2001 under ISBN 9780130205810 and ISBN 0130205818.