Sorry to keep harping on but Dolphin is definitely worth a look for a low cost program.
I can't give a firm price as I don't sell it, I'm just a well satisfied user, but I believe it's around $700
Where this scores over the write the code on the fly programs such as Bobcad and Vector is that it has a genuine post processor.
For those that are not sure what this is a Post Processor is the part of the program that writes the code to suit your machine.
Bobcad etc has no post processor but configuration files. These when selected write the code in blocks between the profiles to be machined. So in Bobcad you select start program and it writes the code to initialise the machine. You then select the tool and it writes the tool change code. You then select speed and it writes the speed section code. You then tell it to lower the tool and select the first part to be cut and tell it which way to cut.
And so on until the program is done.
If you make any mistakes you have to delete that block from the code and redo that part.
In Dolphin when you define a contour you are asked it's depth. In the CAM side you first off have a setup screen where you define tool change positions and name the program. Next you get a tool definition window where you define the tool. In this window you define size, depth of cut per pass and tool number. Next screen gives you tool select. In this one you specify speed and feed for XY and Z.
Next screen will be the command needed for the operation, Goround, Pocket, Area Clear etc.
Take Goround as an option, you get to select the contour and this then automatically takes the previous defined depth, tool size and automatically works out the tool offset and number of passes to cut this to full depth and even gives you a time.
Hit the post button and your code is completly written, NO manaul editing at all.
If say you decide that the 3/8" cutter you selected isn't correct for the job after seeing the graphical display on the screen, you can double click on the tool, change it to 1/4" and hit post again and you will get the amended file. ANY operations can be edited this way.
All you ever get to see on the screen is the 2D work profile. No need to draw offsets and follow them. No need to define the direction, all this is user selectable in the various display boxes as they appear and don't worry if one is wrong, just reselect it and change it.
There is a screen shot at:-
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stevenson-engineers/files/Area%20clear1.jpg
That shows the simply layout. You can see that only four commands are entered.
Tool define, tool select, area clear the 'O' ring groove and area clear the slot. Because the slots are all defined in the same group I have selected the option 'machine all contours with same group number'
This then goes on the machine the other three slots without having to select them.
It truely is a user defined program. If say I wanted to machine the slots before the groove I would just drag the operation up a line, hit post and the new file would be produced. No redrawing, no manually editing the code and perfect code every time.
John S.
