Mastercam for cad

[Storkman]

I was wondering how many use Mastercam for their cad projects. We use Mechanical desktop here and it needs to be updated. My boss was thinking about using our extra seats of Mastercam instead. (We closed some shops and have extra seats now.) I was really pushing more towards Solidworks, but he has a point. We already paid for the seats why not use them if we can. Any input you guys have would be greatly appreciated.

[robk]

Storkman I like to use mastercam for most of my cad projects, but I also have a seat of Solidworks for when I'm in a bind. It does work a lot better in conjunction with solidworks though. Gat the solids option for mastercam if you don't have yet. Easy to do layouts... I

[Paul B Toolcraft Co.]

Hi Storkman, I design about 2/3 of the day and program the rest, using MC for it all. Using solids for design works great for me. the layout option is real handy. I've only used MC and AutoCAD for CAD work and feel that I can enter data, ie. lines,arcs, triming and such, much quicker in MC, it rocks.

 

Paul B.

[Hardmill]

I use a mix of both, kinda depends on my mood

All our models come in from solidworks anyway.

Sometimes its just easier that way.

 

 

PEACE

[Storkman]

I was curious about them using templates for they're operation sheets and manufaturing prints. They have these in Acad. Can it be done the same way in Mcam? Or similar?

[cadist]

In the begining of my carreer for 2 years I solely depeneded on mastercam and did the designing of some of most complex shapes and design in scheduled time. In my opinion why forcefully go for another software when you can do it in mcam.

[Paul B Toolcraft Co.]

There are lots of tools in MC for making manufacturing drawings, layouts can be made with a boarder, and I have libraries of standard parts, boarders, notes and other things that I can merge into my drawing files that save me time.

 

The big difference between MC and AutoCAD is that in MC you don’t need to start with an existing file that has the line weights, line styles, bla, bla, bla formatted in it. In my opinion that’s a real pain in the butt hole. I also find drawing editing to be easier in MC.

[Jig Spark Master]

We too use MC for design. It is faster and easier than going into a CAD package.

[Lee.]

I use only Mastercam here. Being designing with it for almost 6 Years now. I think it is easy to use.

 

HTH

[pronc]

Quote:

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In my opinion why forcefully go for another software when you can do it in mcam.

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Mc can't do sheet metal, assembly drawing, top down design, etc,etc.....

[connormac]

pronc,

 

I think what Cadist was saying if you could do it in MC you don't need to use other software. My wife uses Tops for sheetmetal in the flat. and Pro-E for other stuff.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

MC works for me. I model my fixtures (down to the last insert and washer), parts, prints, etc...

 

JM2C

[CAM-mando]

We use CadKey for tool design and shop sketches / process drawings and MasterCam for Programming. The only drafting I do in MC is for setup sheets. I find that I can model and draw a little faster in Cadkey.

 

If X streamlines the drafting functions, I will consider droping my maintenence on CK and moving the money to cover solids and maintenence in MC. Obviously keeping everything in a single format has the benefits of no translation.

[Storkman]

Thanx guys,

 

This was to persuade the boss. The learning curve between Acad and Mcam xcan't be overlooked but he knows that. After 5 min instruction, he doesnt like it. Duh. Big change from Acad. Same reason I don't like Acad. He is still looking at it though. Mostly because the other engineers want to learn it.

[Greg Williams]

Storkman,

 

My 2 cents worth,

 

It depends on what it is that you are designing, I would consider the following

 

#Do you need assembly drawings

#Do your manufactured parts have many operations and does each of these operations require a drawing.

#Does the partfile need to be associative to the CAM file

#Do you need sheet metal CAD

#Do you do top down design

#Do you need to use derived parts in assemblys

#How will updates affect the assembly - Remember Mastercam is not parametric.

#Do you require assemblys video files

#How much do you have to spend

#Does FEA need to be used.

#Do you use Gear assemblys

#How will the CAMCADCAE files be differentated

 

Personally I feel that it is now a 3D world so products like 2D Autocad are nearing the end of there life in Manufacturing and ultimatly the drawing itself may well have numbered days.

[Threept82]

We have AutoCAD, Unigraphics, ProE, CadKey, Inventor

and I’m trying out a 30 day trial of SoilidWorks.

For what fixtures I design and oper. sheets I make.

MasterCams Design/Mill9 Combo is easier and faster

to draw and dimension.

Plus I've already got it open.

[ChuckM]

Almost everything I wanted to ask was in Budgie's reply.

 

I feel you'll answer your own questions on this matter when you look at the capabilities your shop really needs.

 

As far as solids design goes, I choose Solidworks any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I've done solids in a multitude of CAD packages and I was plenty happy to give up designing them with Boolean functions and setting up new workplanes for every feature. Anyone who says they can do solids faster this way has got to be smoking some good ganja... either that, or they aren't anywhere near proficient enough with their Solidworks, ProE, etc..

 

Fixture design with multiple components is also a real breeze in Solidworks as you can utilize mating functions to place your tooling. If you have a modular tooling system and have a library of these components, things get even better. Build your fixture in SW, print out a setup for your operators, import the assemblyt into your CAM package (Parasolids are fine) and machine your part knowing exactly where every component is located. I do 90% of my programming this way utilizing modular components. All goes back to the type of work your shop does.

 

Good luck.

 

-Chuck

[cadist]

connormac, Thanx for making my point clear. pronc if someone require " sheet metal, assembly drawing, top down design, etc,etc..... " then mc may not be the option. But you can't replace it with softwares like Autocad

[Kdiver]

For 2D design only I still like Autocad I find that the layer system is easier to use changing colors different line types. I'm forcing myself to use MC for design because so much of what I'm designing now is going to be modified and sent off to a CNC. But for drawing only I still feel Autocad will give you a nicer looking end product.

[Die Sinker]

Before I retired from this rat-race this year, I used MC for all the design of our forging dies, learned to surface and fillet forgings the hard way! Then when MC came out with solids, that was great. We tried Solidworks for a while, but being self-taught and trying to produce, was the greatest! MC does it all!

[MBMX]

Storkman,

 

I have used mastercam for the last four years to do all of my shop's operation prints. I started with Autocad, and the switch was a little rough at first, but I quickly began to favor Mastercam. The only time I use Autocad anymore is to create drawings of tooling or fixtures to go on Setup sheets (which are created in Excel). If they include OLE in Mastercam X, I won't have to use Autocad at all anymore, and I'll be a happy camper.

 

I guess I'm blabbering on, but I've found a way in Mastercam to do everything I need to do, so I say give it a shot.

[MIL-TFP-41]

for modeling...mastercam is "fuctional" at best in my opinion. Perhaps with the updated interface in X it will be easier to use, but too much clicking the way it is now.

[GreggT]

Storkman;

 

Depending on where your at with your resaler with MDT, you may be able to move to Inventor w/ very little $ invested and as Budgie outlined it, if your doing any of these things you need more than what MC brings to the table. Good luck.

 

Inventor ROCKS....... Just ask me......

 

I'm beginning to like MasterCAM.....

[Dan_AKA_ROY]

I do most everything in mastercam, with a little bit of rhinoceros when the application calls for it. I love MC and find I use Rhino in some areas of certain designs because of Rhino's editing powers, more specifically, its ability to manipulate multiple control points on a surface or spline which you can't do in MC. But basically I stick with mastercam. I have used AutoCAD and don't particularily like it too much but thats just my opinion and preference I guess.

 

quote:

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I was curious about them using templates for they're operation sheets and manufaturing prints. They have these in Acad. Can it be done the same way in Mcam? Or similar?

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Well I for one do a decent amount of blueprinting as well as designing and programming. They'll give me a clay model and I'll design and machine it or they'll give me a finished product and have me blueprint it.

 

Now to your template question: What I do is create a company template myself and then just save it. I'll give it a distinct name, of course, and thats that. No BS workarounds or whatever that AutoCONFUSE does. Then when I design a part and need the template for it I merge it in. Oh, when creating the template file as stated previously I put it on an oddball level so as to keep the level separate after merging files. Thus, I have my template for the part I designed and am ready to dimension.

 

After I merge the template into the file I'm working on if I need to scale the template or move it around [i.e. doing point coordinate dimensions with which I can't move the actual part] then I do that but if scaling the template I need to do FILE/NEXTMENU/HARDCOPY when printing it out. Normally, I design my templates so as they fit the entire page fine and dandy which in this case i do a SCREEN/NEXTMENU/PLOT.

[jeff]

I use Mastercam for everything but printing out our customers' prints that come in as .dwg format.

That I feel is still hard to beat.

But MC for everything else,I don't know how to use the other software that is out there and even if I did,our company doesn't have the $$$ to buy them.

It's tough being a job shop sometimes.

Unless you're the owner and get to build a 6,000 sq. foot mansion.

And he keeps telling us that we never make any money on jobs....ever.

Hmmmm.