CAM Software

[Makin' Chips]

My company is buying a series 1 milling machine with Acur-rite controls. We use Solid Works for our designs. I need to find a CAM software. We need 3D capibility for small proto and short run molds.

So far I've looked at GIBBS CAM and ESPRIT.

Does anyone have any info on either product?

Or any suggestion/recommendations on this purchase?

THANKS!

[Randy]

If you haven't already found this BBS try this:
http://chris-mackay.hypermart.net/messageboard/

[bspooh]

Try Camsoft....I dont' have their number right off hand, but I use camsoft, and I like it...

brent

[Rob Frink]

I've gotta plug BobCad V18....I really like it! .....but it doesn't import solids....just wire frame geometry.

Rob

[Thrud]

Makin' Chips:

Seen a Professional CAM package a few years ago running on an Sun Ultra Sparc with around 64Gb of memory. Incredible stuff. Tool paths, real time 3D solids, the whole works straight from autocad drawings. The Sun Ultra Sparc used was $300K and the software upto $500k - depending on the number of users. Don't know many places that could afford that, but they apparently do sell them.

I know this is totally useless to you, but you may want to go to Chicago (sp correction - thanks Brent!)in September and check the CAM packages out there (link elsewhere) - just a thought.



[This message has been edited by Thrud (edited 04-13-2002).]

[bspooh]

hey thrud....Chigago????? learn how to spell, its chicago...

just kidding

brent

[snuffman]

I had run a 30 day demo of Gibbs about 5 years ago and their iges translation did not work as well as I would have liked it to. Mastercam works very well. The new version 9 will import Solidworks models directly among a host of other model types. Mastercam keeps improving their product every release with useful features.

[Thrud]

Brent
Maybe that's why I can't get any Chigago Deep Pan Pizza up here, eh? Doh!

Dave