Which software ?

Other CAD CAM systems used by Denford machine users but not supported by Denford themselves.
eg BobCAD, Dolphin, MasterCAM, Inventor, AutoCAD, EdgeCAM, DraftSight, Blender, SketchUP, TurboCAD, FeatureMill, SurfCAM, Mach3

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Sloan
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue 20 Nov , 2012 18:44 pm
Hardware/Software: Denford novamill cnc

Which software ?

Post by Sloan » Tue 20 Nov , 2012 18:53 pm

Hi I'm new to cnc machining and I have recently just bought a denford novamill which I will get at the end of the month, I currently do my drawings on autocad lt but I was wondering what cam software I would need and also any other software I would need as I don't really fully understand how it all works, I'm going to be making all different 1:14 scale excavator and truck model parts mostly in 2d but I would also like to try 3d parts once I get my head around it, so basically I'm asking what all will I need to go from the drawin/design stage to the completed model part stage, and also what autocad would u rate as the best for this job,?

Many thanks
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Steve

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Re: Which software ?

Post by Denford Admin » Wed 21 Nov , 2012 17:31 pm

I've moved this to the Other CAD/CAM section.
http://denfordata.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=60

There are a few popular bits of CAD/CAM software mentioned in this section but most of us don't have much experience of them. I was hoping Denford users could share their thoughts. We pretty much deal with Solidworks and our own range of CAD/CAM products.
Do you know what software is coming with the Novamill ? it may include some 2D or 3D CAD/CAM

Sloan
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue 20 Nov , 2012 18:44 pm
Hardware/Software: Denford novamill cnc

Re: Which software ?

Post by Sloan » Wed 21 Nov , 2012 19:45 pm

Hi thanks for that, I'm not too sure what software is coming with it, he did say there was a few bits and pieces with it, but all my drawings are on autocad lt 2013 and I was worried that they wouldn't be compatible with the novamill,? I'm just starting with cnc machines so I'm unsure of what software u all need to be honest to go from design to manufacture and what's involved,?

Thanks
Steve

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Re: Which software ?

Post by Denford Admin » Thu 22 Nov , 2012 10:48 am

Importing dxf or dwg drawings from CAD never works perfectly...CAM software doesn't know or care about construction lines, dimension lines and will struggle to machine around a part effectively unless it is drawn with machining in mind (eg, a hexagon shape could be made up of 6 individual lines which may not be joined at the ends...depending how it was drawn / trimmed)
It's much better to get a CAD+CAM package which lets you draw shapes with machining in mind...it will do things like joining up line end points and give you control over things like toolpath direction - CW or CCW
Most of these kind of CAM system will allow you to import a .dxf from any other CAD software but you're best preparing the drawing first (remove borders, dimension layers etc...)
Note that the .dxf format does not store units - the are simply numbers which could be mm, feet, miles, yards, KM's... most CAM software will expect the units to mean mm or inches

paul hunt
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Hardware/Software: Starturn 4 Mach 3
full conversions on Boxford mill and lathes...
now working on Denford Starturn...
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Re: Which software ?

Post by paul hunt » Sat 24 Nov , 2012 10:40 am

Hi
Here are my thoughts......

I use solidworks to create the 3d parts then I Import the model into delcam mill to produce the tool paths, with delcam I had to modify the post processor (the program that produces the G code) then into mach3 on the machine. Then if all goes well the part comes out!!
A very brief overview if you need any more info let me know

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