NPT threads?

[slaughlin79]

I ask this bc I couldn’t find any recent posts. Is NPT threads still not available?

That will be the deciding factor if I buy or not bc the parts that I will be machining only work if it’s npt bc they are ul and can’t be anything but not. And those parts are the reason I even started to learn cad.

I hope I don’t have to learn a whole new software bc of a common,basic feature. And it is really common. 

is this something that will be added soon?

i know it’s been asked about for more than a few years and the answer is always it’s coming. Is there a real timeline?

[TheCADWhisperer]

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@slaughlin79 wrote:

Is NPT threads still not available?

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Are you referring to male threads or to female threads?

Are you aware modeled threads are never done except for 3D printing (never for machining)?

Are you referring to 2D drawing call-outs for detailing?

More information is needed.

[slaughlin79]

Male threads. Some parts that I will be machining have male and female npt that I will do by thread milling. 

 
Modeled threads can be cut using cam? Is that what your saying?

im not being a smart ass, I really don’t knwo

[HughesTooling]

For CAM, modeled threads are more trouble than they're worth. All you need is a hole the core diameter of the thread so the tapered hole created by the hole tool for NPT should be correct. You just need to set the pitch and thread death in the machining op. You have to do this for all threads, the CAM side does not pick up and info about threads from the design, hopefully in the future they'll improve this. If you need a male thread you'll need to model a tapered cylinder though as the thread feature doesn't do taper threads.

Here's an 1/8 NPT sectioned in the CAM workspace with a thread toolpath showing. 

Mark

[TheCADWhisperer]

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@slaughlin79 wrote:

I really don’t know...

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Until @HughesTooling response I didn't know how the CAM side of the software interpreted modeled threads.

I have been away from the CNC side of things for 20+ years.  Back when I was doing CNC programming, threading was all canned routines.

All I know is that physical modeled thread are computationally expensive and therefore always modeled as cosmetic threads unless they are to be 3D Printed. (This is the general advice in ALL the MCAD softwares that I use, cosmetic threads, not modeled threads in most cases.)

[HughesTooling]

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@TheCADWhisperer wrote:

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@slaughlin79 wrote:

I really don’t know...

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Until @HughesTooling response I didn't know how the CAM side of the software interpreted modeled threads.

I have been away from the CNC side of things for 20+ years.  Back when I was doing CNC programming, threading was all canned routines.

All I know is that physical modeled thread are computationally expensive and therefore always modeled as cosmetic threads unless they are to be 3D Printed. (This is the general advice in ALL the MCAD softwares that I use, cosmetic threads, not modeled threads in most cases.)

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Modeled threads are not a good idea in CAM side either. You can pick the surfaces but far easier to just use cosmetic, the cosmetic threads (holes & cylinders) are the correct diameters. In the op you just enter the pitch and depth of thread per side. The CAM can also output canned cycles for some of the postprocessors.

Mark

[slaughlin79]

I learn something everyday. Thank you gentlemen for taking the time