Advice on Cad/Cam pls ?

Hi All,

Could someone please help me by passing on their experience on a good cad-cam system.

We are toolmakers in the UK, designing & manufacturing moulds&dies with complex 3D cavities. We currently use NCG (NC Graphics) toolmaker for this, but we are looking ahead and considering the alternatives. We have had demos of Vero & OneCNC systems so far but still unsure.

We are looking for one system capable of producing tool drawings for the shop floor and then to produce efficient smooth toolpaths for our Hurcos.

Any pointers guys ?

Thx, Paul

Paul,
For 3D in the the UK take a look at Sprutcam.

http://www.sprut.co.uk/
A very good package for the price and the service is very good.

John S.

What’s your budget? I personally like to have two separate systems, one for CAD, one for CAM so you don’t tie up one computer unless you purchase multiple seats. Plus, with two programs you get multiple translators, what one can’t translate the other may have better luck. Without knowing what your needs are in CAD, it’s hard to recommend anything. I’ve found the CAD capabilities in most CAM systems to be lacking in the dimensional detailing side, such as tolerancing. Do you need a solid modeler? Do you need the ability to edit surfaces? You may want to look at SolidWorks, Solid Edge, KeyCreator for CAD and Surfcam, Mastercam, Gibbs for CAM if the budget allows. Expect to spend $12k to $15k for a combination of these with full 3D capability. There are many cheaper alternatives but they don’t have the track record (good and bad) of the above mention programs. Remember, that witch is cheap usually is.

We use Surfcam with KeyCreator and Solid Edge with pretty good success.

Look into FeatureCAM.

Thanks for the all replies friends.

Sprutcam looks ok(like the helical profiling option ) but it's not as advanced as we need. Like I said before we use a system called NCG, it has a so..so cad side to the program and the cam is based on a surface modeler no solids wotsoever. The system is very powerful and handy for modifying surfaces, but the toolpaths have not been up-to-speed till ver12 was just released.

We are looking for a surface&solid modeler with all the latest HSM toolpaths. The ability to create a component as a surface or solid then to be able to draw it up and dimension it etc in the same prog makes sense to me.

moldcore is there such a system on the market ?

I have looked at Vero and this looks the best so far - know anything about thos anyone ?

thx guyz

Check out RhinoCam---VisualMill running native in Rhino. The cam ability of Vm with the drawing power of Rhino. 4k.

Ted

I tend to agree with moldcore, on this one.

I use high end software for both applications - Catia V4 and V5 for both design and manufacturing - but it's not cost effective unless you've built a customer base around that system. (which I have) I could easily recommend any of the CAD systems that moldcore suggested. Not so sure about the CAM side, but the notion of remaining committed to making a good business decision should trump any other idea, including any preconceived notions that someone might put in your head.

I would highly suggest that you start immediately requesting free trials from as many products as will give them, for all the packages in your price range. Test them all, take notes, compare features, analyze base cost vs. maintenance cost, etc.

This isn't really something that you can generically ask. You must carefully consider your needs, in an analytical fashion, or you will surely go wrong. And by the way - it really helps to pay attention to the level of support that you get before the sale, and the level of support that will be committed to AFTER the sale. Resellers have a bad habit of being friendlier before you buy. Get it in writing.

Thx again for all the comments.

We'll get some demos and find out a little more what best suits what we need from a system.

Cheers, Paul

The best CAM program for you is the one whoes designer thinks most like you. I like "intuitive" interfaces, I look for things where I expect them. Something that makes perfect sense to the person who designed the system may make your blood boil. Whatever you get, get a demo, program some of your own parts during it, and take over the guy's computer and have him walk you thru it. The less help you need the better the system fits you.

totally agree with that. I have always suspected that the reason some folks will rave about a certain software while others hate it is their personality/thought patterns more closely match that of the guy who initially designed the package. Thus the intuitive part...

We'll get some demos and find out a little more what best suits what we need from a system.

Click to expand...

Good luck with that. Most CAM companies don't seem to see the need to let the user actually get their hands on the software and do some test cuts.

On-line demo's are useful for seeing the GUI and getting an idea of how to do a few operations, but they don't really help as far as determining the quality of your cutter paths. A lot can go wrong with a poor post-processor.

Dan