Mastercam & Fusion 360 CNC Machining Programmer 6-Week Path

Core Topics Covered:

• Orienting part geometry to machine axes and defining Stock bounding boxes / castings
• Setting Work Coordinate System (WCS) origins (`G54`, `G55`) for multi-op vise and fixture setups
• Building crib Tool Libraries (solid carbide endmills, bull-nose, ball-nose, drills, taps)
• Calculating Surface Footage (SFM / $V_c$), Chip Load ($f_z$), Spindle RPM, and Feedrate ($F$)

Core Topics Covered:

• Face milling, 2D Contour profiling with cutter compensation (`G41`/`G42` Wear/Control)
• Constant-engagement Trochoidal Milling (Mastercam Dynamic Mill / Fusion Adaptive Clearing)
• Optimizing radial stepover (8%-15% $a_e$) and full-flute axial depth of cut (2xD $a_p$)
• Helical bore interpolation, thread milling, and canned drilling cycles (`G81`, `G83` peck, `G84` rigid tap)

Core Topics Covered:

• 3D OptiRough / Pocket roughing with automated step-up/Rest Roughing stock awareness
• Steep vs Shallow boundary hybridization (Waterline / Contour on steep walls, Scallop / Parallel on flats)
• Pencil tracing and Corner Rest finishing with successively smaller ball-nose cutters
• Calculating cusp height ($h$) from ball radius and stepover for mirror mold finishes

Core Topics Covered:

• OD/ID roughing, finishing, grooving, parting, and single-point threading (`G76`)
• C-axis polar interpolation and Y-axis off-center cross-milling/drilling on Mill-Turn centers
• Sub-spindle part handoff, synchronous cutoff, and back-working operations
• Chuck jaw clearance envelopes and tailstock/steady-rest collision avoidance

Core Topics Covered:

• 3+2 tilted working planes (`G68.2` / `PLANE SPATIAL` / Dynamic Work Offsets `DWO`/`TCPC`)
• Simultaneous 5-axis Swarf milling for ruled turbine blades and structural ribs
• Multi-axis Flowline / Morph toolpaths with smooth Lead/Lean and Tilt axis limits
• Automatic tool holder collision avoidance (tilting away from deep cavity walls)

Core Topics Covered:

• Customizing Post-Processors (`.cps` JavaScript / `.pst`) for Fanuc, Haas, Siemens 840D, and Heidenhain
• In-process spindle probing cycles (Renishaw WCS alignment and bore size inspection)
• Full kinematic machine simulation and G-code verification (Vericut gouge/rapid-crash auditing)
• Generating shop-floor HTML/PDF Setup Sheets with tool overhang and gauge length specs

5-Axis Aerospace Titanium Impeller & Mold Core CAM Package: Program complete roughing, rest-milling, and simultaneous 5-axis swarf/flowline finishing toolpaths, verify zero holder/spindle gouges in machine simulation, and output Fanuc/Heidenhain G-code with setup sheets.

Training Sprint	Core Technical Competencies	Essential Commands & System Variables	Mandatory Capstone Deliverable
Weeks 1–4 Foundation	Precision coordinate geometry, ISO 13567 layer hierarchies, annotative scaling, and template (.dwt) governance.	LAYER, LTSCALE, PSLTSCALE=1, MSLTSCALE=1, DIMASSOC=2, OSNAP, PEDIT, OVERKILL	Produce a multi-viewport A1 production sheet set with 100% associative dimensions and monochrome CTB/STB plot compliance.
Weeks 5–8 Production	Parametric block authoring, external reference (Xref) federation, associative BOM data extraction, and 3D solid/BIM coordination.	BEDIT, XREF (Overlay), XCLIP, INDEXCTL=3, VISRETAIN=1, DATAEXTRACTION, IFCIMPORT	Deliver a federated multi-discipline assembly/building package with live Excel BOM sync and zero unresolved Xrefs.
Weeks 9–12 Mastery & Automation	Unattended batch publishing, AutoLISP / .NET / GRX workflow automation, QA/QC database auditing, and ISO/ASME tolerance verification.	PUBLISH, SHEETSET, APPLOAD, AUDIT, RECOVER, -PURGE (Regapps), ETRANSMIT	Write an automated QA/QC script that audits 50+ drawings and pass the official GstarCAD Skill Certification Exam.