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I know i'm out of line for this question


junky programmer
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Maybe check out some youtube video's of fusion 360, I personally prefer did not find the interface to be particularly efficient or have a good feel, like where is the dynamic xform? Anyway it is neat and it has an api so you should code macros if you want to gain a tactical advantage.  

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No and seeing how I have my own seat not something I don't have to worry about. Hate turning down projects for people that want them done in other CAM software, but since that only happens about 1 out of 100 times I will keep plugging away with Mastercam. All the best and hope for whatever reason they switched for proves to be the right choice for the company's future moving forward. 

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I've found FeatureCAM to be dreadful software if you like control over your toolpath. My last experience with it last year; I needed to change the lead-in on what was essentially a Circle toolpath. Nope. No matter what, it did what it wanted and generated alarms at the machine.

So prepare yourself for some frustration.

 

JM2CFWIW YMMV 

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We run Featurecam  here as well as MC.

Featurecam has its place, but as James said it comes at a cost of control (I also don't care much for it's verification and there is no code filter so it has a habit of generating huge .nc files ). I did the training vids at the request of management, haven't touched it since other than to have a look at a file or two to see what was being done.

This might or might not be OK depending on what sort of machining you generally do.

 

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On 1/31/2020 at 6:33 PM, junky programmer said:

I know i'm out of line for asking this but  the company i work for just switch from Mastercam to FeatureCam has anyone on here ever got switch on like this and has anyone ever use this software? Sorry just a question. 

Thanks 

Many moons ago the company I was working for decided to go from Mastercam to UG NX for engineering CAD and CAM....in that case it turned into a $750k boondoggle.  After nearly a year it was decided that they would make the move the Engineering team had suggested and moved to Solidworks and back to Mastercam...that is where they are to this day some 15 years later.

At this point, I am so entrenched into Mastercam, if a company announced they were changing, short of a couple of software titles, I'd relocate myself. Featurecam would not be one of those titles

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I wouldn't spend too much time learning FeatureCam

At some point AD will kick you to the curb as they spend less and less time and money supporting it.

AD has a very aggressive and predatory business model with a final goal of world domination of the Cad/Cam market.

If you doubt that, speak to some old HSM for SolidWorks owners.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, JParis said:

Many moons ago the company I was working for decided to go from Mastercam to UG NX for engineering CAD and CAM....in that case it turned into a $750k boondoggle.

yes.. my current employer did the same with a move to Catia about 4 years ago.. We are still recovering from that adventure.

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5 minutes ago, gcode said:

yes.. my current employer did the same with a move to Catia about 4 years ago.. We are still recovering from that adventure.

Damn, Catia is not cheap either!!! 

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9 minutes ago, c++ said:

Damn, Catia is not cheap either!!! 

No it's not, though the guy implementing  it was very aggressive in negotiating low purchase prices

Catia dealers do not have territories. He did a cage match between an east coast dealer and a west coast dealer.

The last man standing got the PO.

The real money got chewed up in post development, training, lost productivity, and really really bad toolpaths.

Bad posts and management's refusal to pay the wages necessary to hire a top gun or two were the main reasons for the failure

IMO

 

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33 minutes ago, JParis said:

Many moons ago the company I was working for decided to go from Mastercam to UG NX for engineering CAD and CAM....in that case it turned into a $750k boondoggle.

Years ago I worked at a now defunct subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company that tried this

Somehow I got added to the admin email chain even though I was a lowly Mastercam programmer.

I recall one email chain where the NX dealer was trying to get paid for a $185K invoice.

The emails were going back and forth..

"we paid that".

"No this is a new bill"

"What for ??"

"Next year's maintenance"

"What's that???"

'What do you mean our codes have expired???"

"What codes???"

It was comical except for the fact that people's livelihoods were at stake.

I was only there 8 months, but that was long enough to know the place was a dead man walking so I moved on.

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, JParis said:

Many moons ago the company I was working for decided to go from Mastercam to UG NX for engineering CAD and CAM

We have several companies around here that went down that road.  Probably the majority of shops running Unigraphics can't get clean code to their machines if there lives depended on it. Of course they just aren't spending enough money...!

We have had some of them turn up here and say things like, "Everyone told me MC was crap, how do you get the code like that?"

Go figure.

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24 minutes ago, nickbe10 said:

"Everyone told me MC was crap, how do you get the code like that?"

People who say that probably have never used the software, does it have its share of flaws absolutely, but Imo mastercam is the best cam out there, it works very well it is loaded with funtions and it has a huge potential for growth.

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30 minutes ago, nickbe10 said:

Probably the majority of shops running Unigraphics can't get clean code to their machines if there lives depended on it. Of course they just aren't spending enough money...!

When I was looking into NX about 5 years ago I was quoted $15 to 20K for a 5X post for our Okuma MU-1000H, and given the questions

they were asking me, I had zero confidence I would get a good post.

I decided that trying to bring a new machine online, learning  a new software and dialing  in a new post in new software all at the same time was a really bad idea.

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12 minutes ago, gcode said:

When I was looking into NX about 5 years ago I was quoted $15 to 20K for a 5X post for our Okuma MU-1000H, and given the questions

they were asking me, I had zero confidence I would get a good post.

I decided that trying to bring a new machine online, learning  a new software and dialing  in a new post in new software all at the same time was a really bad idea.

That definetly sounds like potentional for another horror story, besides, even though nx has a lot of hype around their fbm features, I would be skeptical that the benefit would be that great when it comes to 5 axis.

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On 2/3/2020 at 2:35 PM, c++ said:

That definetly sounds like potentional for another horror story, besides, even though nx has a lot of hype around their fbm features, I would be skeptical that the benefit would be that great when it comes to 5 axis.

NX is a good CAM Software in the right hands just like Mastercam. CATIA is another good CAM software in the right hands, but the learning curve with NX and CATIA are ones this late in my life I wouldn't want to have to take on. Push came to shove and I couldn't program in Mastercam I would do what I had to do if those were my only options, but thankfully I own my own seat along with NCSIMUL and Vericut so as long as people need code I should be good to keep going like I am. 😉

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1 minute ago, 5th Axis CGI said:

NX is a good CAM Software in the right hands just like Mastercam. CATIA is another good CAM software in the right hands, but the learning curve with NX and CATIA are ones this late in my life I wouldn't want to have to take on. Push came to shove and I couldn't program in Mastercam I would do what I had to do if those were my only options, but thankfully I own my own seat along with NCSIMUL and Vericut so as long as people need code I should be good to keep going like I am. 😉

I have been considering getting my own seat as well, I definetly want to continue to use mastercam. Sounds like you are at a good place in your life Ron, that is one nice setup!

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36 minutes ago, c++ said:

I have been considering getting my own seat as well, I definetly want to continue to use mastercam. Sounds like you are at a good place in your life Ron, that is one nice setup!

Many years of long hours to be where I am. I am not perfect and not an expert. I just do my best and keep learning what not to do even though I still make my share of mistakes. 😯

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We all make mistakes, if someone were to ask me, not to compliment you, but I would  classify you as an expert 5 Axis programmer. I have been wondering actually if you are proficient in some coding as well?

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1 hour ago, c++ said:

We all make mistakes, if someone were to ask me, not to compliment you, but I would  classify you as an expert 5 Axis programmer. I have been wondering actually if you are proficient in some coding as well?

I started computer coding 35+ years ago when Basic, Fortran and other things were what we used in DOS. I know ladder logic, MP and other things well enough. I focused more of my efforts on tool pathing after not being on the floor full time about 10 years ago. I was a manual machinist and CNC Machinist for 20+ year. I wrote my first CNC program with Pencil and Paper around 1988 in Trade School. 5 Axis was just something that came naturally to me and thankful the Lord has blessed me with the brain and ability to do it. I drive my wife crazy saying I really feel like anyone can do what I do. I remember coming into the profession when CNC's were starting to get their foot hold in Florida. Everyone was afraid of them I just got it and read every control and programming book I could find. I was making my own soft jaws for production before US Shop tools was even around. I have bought Harvey tooling for 27 years. Doing what most people didn't want to was and is still my comfort zone. If I am not being challenged I got bored real easy. I have learned how to take the less than challenging jobs on and find doing 3 or 4 of them at a time helps me get them completed.

I have been following a lot of what you have been doing and I am very impressed with your efforts. Hopefully one day 5th Axis CG Inc will be big enough to have a full time code person for apps and things of that nature, but we aren't there yet. Keeping posting and sharing I appreciate seeing it and gives me hope the next generation will keep Manufacturing alive. 

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MC is pretty good compared to others. However, in my area many many customers are seeking alternatives because the support you get from MC in this area is god awful. They promise to show up and end up as a no-show, no-call. Their post help is inexcusably bad. I agree that you will probably not like Featurecam at all. But, it was probably a choice made out of desperation.

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I haven't used FeatureCam(yet), but I wouldn't be scared to try to learn it. I have pretty significant experience in PowerMill and Tebis, moderate experience in 3ax WorkNC and beginner GibbsCam, and now I still feel like a beginner in MasterCam. If you can program in one, then you can learn another. Fortunately MasterCam has a good forum for help since many employers won't pay for formal in-class training(grrr...). If I end up looking for a new employer in a few years I will definitely look for PowerMill or Tebis again. I've been using MasterCam since June 19' and it still takes me DAYS to program something I could have done in 3 hours before while simultaneously running 2-3 mills. Fortunately for me, my job seems to mostly consist of implementing systems to build efficiency, cohesion and standardization. If only I had unlimited funds  for this and everyone on the same page it would be much easier. I do feel like MasterCam is losing its market share to other CAM softwares. To my understanding, Fusion 360(similar to FeatureCam), is the fastest growing(market share gaining) CAM software, partially due to their very low cost, and their (free?) licenses to many schools and students. I've always welcomed change and challenges, and I think it would be to your benefit to learn FeatureCam, especially if you're younger, anything to build a resume is good in this industry. 

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