Camworks for Solidworks

Few questions about Camworks for solid works.

My current work place is asking about this software for basic 2D to simple and somewhat complex 3 axis machining as well as possible lathe support. I have checked out their website and it in my opinion looks like a somewhat cumbersome software to use. Also the request for quote instead of a base or estimated price on the site has me wondering about pricing of it.

First off what is the base or estimated price for this software that supports 3 axis machining and Lathe machining that supports full 3d surfacing and supports solids.
( I'm Trying to get an estimate for the cost of the software for the above needs or if its a good software worth investing in without being contacted by sales dept on a weekly basis trying to get me to purchase there software.

Is this a user friendly software for new users to get up to speed in a efficient manner and easily manipulated to fit the needs of the machine centers as far as post modification, tool libraries, templates, tool path default modifications etc. ( I used to use a stand alone seat of mastercam mill level 3 for many years at previous employers and in my opinion was most user friendly software in terms of ease of uses and being able to get other co-workers up to speed on using of other software I have used in my yrs in the trade. I have also used Work NC and Bobcad but preferred mastercam over them all but its not my money to spend hence the questions about Camworks.

What are the pros and cons of this software from experienced users that currently use Camworks are they impressed with the ease of use and is it better than what they had expected or does it have a lot to be desired.

my current workplace is asking me to look into this and I'm wanting to get a user point of view rather than a sales rep that has probably never used it but just trying to sell their software.

Also is this a Feature based machining software and is this better or worse as far as manipulating geo to get the toolpaths needed to complete work pieces.

Thanks in advance.

We have CAMWorks and HSMWorks. I'm responsible for the latter, because I find CAMWorks' workflow to be terribly restrictive.

First I will say that any integrated CAM in SW is going to support solids since the operating environment requires it.

Everything in CW has to be a CAM feature before it can be a toolpath, which means sometimes cutting a simple contour turns into a huge headache, which turns into drawing a sketch to drive the toolpath, which is counter to the entire idea of having a solid body to work with inside the native CAD program. It also uses Microsoft Access for its tool database, which seems clever until it needs to be altered or set up properly (which has never really been done at my job, to be fair), as it's not completely stable, and difficult to manipulate clearly from within the CAM add-in.

I don't know if it's possible to edit posts for CAMWorks. I dug around in the install directory and couldn't find anything resembling a post editing program. Our support guy talked as if it were doable for the end user, but it doesn't seem to come with any way to do so. They also use two levels of post processor, one of which is only editable by Geometric, and even our support guy couldn't access it. That doesn't sit well with me.

The job I worked at before also used Mastercam, and while I have my complaints about it as well, its design intent is far more oriented towards the machinist mindset of "get print, make part" than CAMWorks.

As far as expense goes, I'm pretty sure it's on par with other mid-tier CAM systems and will likely rival Mastercam in cost. Our maintenance was more than the yearly subscription price of HSMWorks (3+1/2, no continuous 4-/5-axis paths). If you're used to Mastercam, why not inquire about the SW add-in version? I think you'd be much happier. Might even get a deal if you tell them they have competition for the sale.

get HSMWorks free 2.5 d and try it to see it you like the interface inside of SW.

BobCam also has a SW version

MasterCam too, I think it is now included with any standalone seat..??

I know that you can get 30 day trials

I looked at ton of CAM packages for the same applications you are describing and wound up buying Camworks a few months ago. As everyone will tell you, none of the packages are perfect, pick the one that least disappoints you! Camworks is a bit janky to use at first, but I got used to it quick and can do most everything with minimal swearing. The tech DB really lets you set things up to use the strategies tools & speeds/feeds you want, all based on the size & type of features you're machining. Or you can do things semi-manually while you are tweaking the DB to your liking. I bought through CAMS in Columbus OH & they are good to deal with. They certainly keep the conversation going, but won't annoy you. For me it was a toss-up Solidcam vs Camworks; To me Solidcam is more intuitive, while Camworks has better potential for automation & was a lesser initial cost (but higher subscription cost).
Good luck, there really is no perfect answer!

I've been use CW for 10 years. Yes, it's a little odd, but having used it so long its 2nd nature to me. It's just a matter of knowing how it thinks, which is admittedly different from a lot of systems. The techDB is great once you get it set up, but can take a while to get it the way you like it. Yes, you can edit/make your own posts with a utility called UPG (Universal Post Generator). It has it's own language, so it also takes a while to learn without formal training. You have to have the source files to start with, but a number of them come with UPG. If you're licensed, you can download it from their web site. Didn't like the posts provided and wanted to add some special features, so learned how to use it some years back. The lathe and mill/turn module actually work pretty well.

I've been using CAMWorks for a couple months now, it does have a steep learning curve at first, and the Technology Database is a pain to get used to, it isn't very user friendly... I made the mistake of thinking that the claim of "seamless integration" would be a little more, seamless...

The function that i do like is the toolpath simulation, but that is probably not a selling feature for most shops.

Reasoning for using CAMWorks is that I am a highschool student working in a mold shop as a CAD designer (in Solidworks) and my boss uses Cimatron, he decided that CAMWorks was the best option for Solidworks, I don't have enough experience to make any claim at what software is better for certain functions, but CAMWorks is a little clumsy to work with at first.

does camworks come with a text editor that you can open you NC files in to further inspect the code do be sure its what you want as well as send files through DNC to machines ?

Havent found one

nomak_1835 said:

does camworks come with a text editor that you can open you NC files in to further inspect the code do be sure its what you want as well as send files through DNC to machines ?

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It does not have one that is easily displayed except for when you are exporting the code, however you can open the NC code in wordpad.

nomak_1835 said:

does camworks come with a text editor that you can open you NC files in to further inspect the code do be sure its what you want as well as send files through DNC to machines ?

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Yes. It comes with Predator CNC Editor. If you do go to Camworks, you'll like it a whole lot better once you get used to it. It just takes a while. Couple things I like (maybe other systems do this too): When running simulation, you can have it check for rapid crashes into parts/fixtures, both tool and holder. Even Z feed into stock, when you don't want it to (not enough lead-in). Other thing I like, is that you can save your work in progress as an STL file. then, you can use that as your stock for the next operation. Not a big deal on simple parts, but on complex parts, it makes it easy to make sure you got everything. There's a button on the simulation dialogue which compares what was machined with your target part. Easy to see when everything is machined or not.

The re-seller that my work went through did not supply us with Predator CNC Editor Is that only some re-sellers or was it part of the CAMworks download as well?

capital7 said:

The re-seller that my work went through did not supply us with Predator CNC Editor Is that only some re-sellers or was it part of the CAMworks download as well?

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It should be included. We have it, although the backplot is broken in our version (irritating to say the least).

CAMWorks: CNC CAD/CAM Software within SolidWorks and Solid EdgeCAMWorks: CNC CAD/CAM Software within SolidWorks and Solid Edge

Atomkinder said:

It should be included. We have it, although the backplot is broken in our version (irritating to say the least).

CAMWorks: CNC CAD/CAM Software within SolidWorks and Solid EdgeCAMWorks: CNC CAD/CAM Software within SolidWorks and Solid Edge

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Hmm, our re-seller must have forgotten to mention this when I called about viewing the exported NC code

There are things that may not be included in what your reseller gives you (e.g., UPG). Go to the Camworks web site and check it out.

rainman said:

There are things that may not be included in what your reseller gives you (e.g., UPG). Go to the Camworks web site and check it out.

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Doesn't matter in our case, we are no longer on maintenance.