Now then all,
So after getting the machine all set up and working properly! im after CAM software with a decent post processor for either EMC or Mach3.
My lathe is the Boxford TCL 125
Any help is much appreciated.
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Now then all,
So after getting the machine all set up and working properly! im after CAM software with a decent post processor for either EMC or Mach3.
My lathe is the Boxford TCL 125
Any help is much appreciated.
Actually it does 4 and 5 axis right now using 2.5D.
3D is to be released later on.
The majority of machinists work using no more than 2.5D systems.
Most hobbyists want 3D - but very few actually need 3D, 2.5D is probably sufficient for the majority of the work.
When I was looking for A CAM package I wanted a 3D capable system because that is what most people talked about - but most of the stuff I do uses no more than 2.5D, and a lot is only 2D.
I don't do Jewellery design which needs 3D, turbine blades for jet engines (yet! lol) which also needs 3D, and sculptures as I cannot sculpt - and as I don't have a 3D scanner (yet) I can't reproduce a sculpture.
There are a number of professional machinists who still program their CNC machines by writing g-code at the console! And many hobbyists too! A CAM package such as Easymill provides machinists with greater efficiency and ease of use. It takes me a couple of minutes to launch Easymill, modify my design and generate new g-code. And, if I don't use it for a while, I don't have to go through another tuition class to relearn it.
Is this that program where you pay per use ?
For hobbyists the version of the software is called Hobbycam - there are 150 post processing tokens per year - to my knowledge no one has yet run out!
The commercial version has unlimited use, unlimited number of machines and unlimited tools used for machining cycles.
Only to post process, you can edit as much as you want.
To reassure you - hobbyists have not run out of tokens - commercial organisations would very quickly, that is why there is a commercial and a hobby version. They are the same product, so the hobbyist gets a professional product at an affordable price. The commercial organisation gets a faster turn around, as they do not have to connect to the internet etc.
I hope to post some more of my designs before too long - Easymill is quick to use, but I don't always have the time to use it and get to the workshop to cut my parts!
So the hobbyist has to be connected to the internet to post process ?
How does that work when the machines is in a workshop with no internet connection ?
One supplier of CAM software has already made this mistake and had to back pedal and move to a different system because of this problem.
So no internet connection, at either end, or a lack of continuity from the sellers end could mean you are out on a limb with a program you can't run.
Sorry not for me, at £375 there are better offering out there for what is a basic 2.5D program
Yes -the internet connection is required for PP.
Most hobbyists use MACH3 - so the buffer for the g-code is held within the PC. When I was researching how to drive my machine the advice was to have a dedicated PC driving the CNC mill/lathe. The reason is that Windows is non deterministic which could mean delays in driving the CNC machine. If you have a large g-code file which would result in several hours of cutting time - I would not want any interruption in the machining cycle because windows decided it had better things to do. I think that priorities may be programmed into Linux - but I don't really know as I don't use Linux.
At this time I still use the dedicated controller within the mill and have an RS232 cable between the mill and the PC. When I get my 4th axis (a axis) working I hope to convert it to MACH3, the upgrade cost for my mill for a 4th axis is too expensive for me.
So I use an old XP PC, dedicated machine to my mill - not connected to the internet or running any other software other than that required for driving the mill. I also have an all singing and dancing multi GHz, fast graphics etc. PC for my CAD/CAM work. I transfer g-code to my milling PC via a USB stick.
The commercial version of Easymill is £2500 and competes with the 'heavyweights' Delcam etc. but at a fraction of their prices.
There a re a number of commercial organisations who successfully use Easymill as their CAM software - and they do not consider it 'basic'. The sophistication is in the software itself - Are there other lower cost CAM software that eliminate chatter when cutting curves? Also for a 'basic' system it generates sub routines (if one wants to) in order to keep the code short and manageable, many of the 'heavyweights' do not do this, and I am not sure whether lower cost systems are capable of doing this ?
There are many parameters that may be programmed into Easymill to achieve desired goals - but not all are needed when starting to learn Easymill.
At a basic level it is quick to learn - about 2 hours, quick to boot up and modify a design, and if not used for a couple of months can be quickly remembered.
I had bought a £200 CAM software package for my mill, it was OK but it is very basic. I quickly outgrew it, Easymill will see me through for quite a long time.
If a hobby mill costs £3-7K (KX1/3 at £3-4K, Syil at £3-4K+, Tormach at £5-7K, home made £2K+) then £375 price for a CAM package would not be an unreasonable cost. After all one buys the best tools to achieve the best results - cutters etc. and one spends as much on required tools as one has spent on buying the machine e.g. DTIs, verniers, vice(s) (Kurt... v.expensive!), parallels, angles,
Mostly I find you get what you pay for ... (mostly! :-)