martin_05
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
- Location
- Valencia, CA, USA
Anyone switch from CAMWorks to HSMExpress (or full HSM for that matter). I run SolidWorks. Can't use Fusion 360 for various reasons.
I am seriously considering making the move as I am pretty tired of CAMWorks (I've been using it since 2008/9). When a vendor ships you a product that calls for something like 200 ipm for a 1/8 end mill, full slot cut at 1/8 in depth...and that's just one example of the nonsense...well, eventually that shit cost you money, sometimes lots of it. Back in the early days I had at least one Z crash (thankfully into machinable wax) attributable to CAMWorks.
I know there is no utopia when it comes to CAM. I'm just sick of throwing thousands of dollars at products to end-up with nonsense that should just not exist in this day and age. I mean, I use GWizard calculator and can pretty much trust the numbers it gives me without much concern, particularly if I don't run it in "Aggressive" mode. Why can't these massive companies not handle speeds, feeds and tool selection? My guess is that they just don't know what they are doing, they bought their CAM software from someone and nobody wants to spend a year cleaning-up and fixing the tool database. <end of rant>
The typical comeback is: Well, once you setup the database it does OK.
I did not setup the database in Gwizard calculator and it does OK.
The difference is I paid thousands of dollars for CAMWorks and paid them thousands of dollars per year for maintenance. I mean, c'mon.
Oh, yes, and they want thousands of dollars more for high speed machining as well as a boost in annual maintenance fees. Nuts.
Thanks,
-Martin
I am seriously considering making the move as I am pretty tired of CAMWorks (I've been using it since 2008/9). When a vendor ships you a product that calls for something like 200 ipm for a 1/8 end mill, full slot cut at 1/8 in depth...and that's just one example of the nonsense...well, eventually that shit cost you money, sometimes lots of it. Back in the early days I had at least one Z crash (thankfully into machinable wax) attributable to CAMWorks.
I know there is no utopia when it comes to CAM. I'm just sick of throwing thousands of dollars at products to end-up with nonsense that should just not exist in this day and age. I mean, I use GWizard calculator and can pretty much trust the numbers it gives me without much concern, particularly if I don't run it in "Aggressive" mode. Why can't these massive companies not handle speeds, feeds and tool selection? My guess is that they just don't know what they are doing, they bought their CAM software from someone and nobody wants to spend a year cleaning-up and fixing the tool database. <end of rant>
The typical comeback is: Well, once you setup the database it does OK.
I did not setup the database in Gwizard calculator and it does OK.
The difference is I paid thousands of dollars for CAMWorks and paid them thousands of dollars per year for maintenance. I mean, c'mon.
Oh, yes, and they want thousands of dollars more for high speed machining as well as a boost in annual maintenance fees. Nuts.
Thanks,
-Martin