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CNC dropping partnership with Volumill?


neurosis
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Tom, I am always curious and eager to learn, so I will download the trial. Thanks

 

The only trial you can downlad now is the stand alone client. So you'll to export the roughing geometry from MCAM as dxf or iges and import into Volumill and then you can post the Volumill roughing toolpath out in the end. There are some different post's in the default package. This program can then be edited into your program from MCAM or just called as a subprogram.

 

Or you could send me an email, I still have the latest Volumill chook installer. Then you just need the trial code.

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Tom, in my other post I thought you were saying that MC paths where all this way, like peel mill etc. So now i am confused, are saying paths in mill level 1 are not to be compared with volumill?

 

I only have experince with the paths in mill level 1 and other systems and thats why I said I cant see the difference. I certainly understand the difference with constant volume and corner control

 

Dave, if you have some free time (LOL), you should try some test cuts with 2D Dynamic Mill in Mastercam, and compare them to whatever the NX rep thinks is their best pocketing routine. There's not even a comparison. The Dynamic Mill/Truemill/Volumill type toolpaths are just THAT far ahead. It's a huge leap. The deeper the pocket, or the nastier the material, the more it shines.

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Dave, if you have some free time (LOL), you should try some test cuts with 2D Dynamic Mill in Mastercam, and compare them to whatever the NX rep thinks is their best pocketing routine. There's not even a comparison. The Dynamic Mill/Truemill/Volumill type toolpaths are just THAT far ahead. It's a huge leap. The deeper the pocket, or the nastier the material, the more it shines.

 

 

Hey Joe, I do use 2d dynamic paths now and I have had very good results. However, many of the parts we make don't have massive amounts of material removal so I have not had the best oppurtunity to push these.

 

My NX eval is back on and I am meeting with the reseller for a session on thursday. I have seen a video on you tube comparing MC to NX for a 3d rough cycle and while it was awhile back I remember NX being far more effiecient. I will look for that video and post it if I can find it

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The biggest gains I see in material removal have more to do with the programmer's knowledge of tooling (or in my case its knowing the tool reps number :) )

 

 

Jimmy, I can say for sure that the dynamic paths do reduce cycle time and increase tool life. I recently cut some fixtures with a lot of small clamp pockets and I got thru several fixtures with one tool and I know in the past using conventional tool paths I would have broke a tool within the first few pockets.

 

Joe, I searched for about 15 minutes and I can't find the video I was looking for. This video will not wow anyone with regard to cutting volume, however, take a look at it. I like how NX handles stuff. Pick the stock, pick the part (solid) and cut away. Maybe this can be done in MC? In MC, I am used to breaking every feature into an op of it's own.

 

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I like how NX handles stuff. Pick the stock, pick the part (solid) and cut away. Maybe this can be done in MC? In MC, I am used to breaking every feature into an op of it's own.

 

Then just upgrade to Level 3 :lol:

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Jimmy, I can say for sure that the dynamic paths do reduce cycle time and increase tool life. I recently cut some fixtures with a lot of small clamp pockets and I got thru several fixtures with one tool and I know in the past using conventional tool paths I would have broke a tool within the first few pockets.

 

Joe, I searched for about 15 minutes and I can't find the video I was looking for. This video will not wow anyone with regard to cutting volume, however, take a look at it. I like how NX handles stuff. Pick the stock, pick the part (solid) and cut away. Maybe this can be done in MC? In MC, I am used to breaking every feature into an op of it's own.

 

 

I don't know Dave, it took that dude 5 minutes to program a triangle with 3 pockets in it using a very very inefficient toolpath?

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Does MILL L3 work that way? NX works that with the standard 2D milling.

 

With L3 you can make one 3D roughing which will machine all bosses and pockets in one single op. Just select your complete solid as drive and your stock boundary as containment. Or you can use the rest rough and select a stl as stock if your stock shap is more complex.

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I don't know Dave, it took that dude 5 minutes to program a triangle with 3 pockets in it using a very very inefficient toolpath?

 

 

Haha, I knew that was coming...As I said, it's not a great video for that purpose. In the video, he is back tracking alot and showing some stuff that is part of the inital setup. And yea, taking such small cuts is now WOWing but I just wanted to illustrate how the soilds slection and path is handled. There are really not a lot of good NX videos around, Maybe RobK can add to this?

 

Ohh, and use NX MCS for one minute and you will never want to deal with WCS again...

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I have seen a video on you tube comparing MC to NX for a 3d rough cycle and while it was awhile back I remember NX being far more effiecient. I will look for that video and post it if I can find it

 

Perhaps with old fashioned 3D paths like Surface>Rough>Parallel, but Optirough is way ahead of anything NX has for 3D roughing (with the exception of Volumill). That's why I can't understand the logic behind MC dropping Volumill.

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I have Volumill and this pretty much sucks. Optirough is pretty good but it has no rest roughing and in the past I have had very little luck with Mastercam's rest roughing with the HST toolpaths. Volumill's 3D rest roughing alone is worth the purchase price. It is dead on and very efficient with little wasted motion. Volumill really hands it to Mastercam when it comes to 3D roughing and I can't see Mastercam making up that much ground over the next year. They might have something later this year but what are the odds that it will really work more than 50% of the time?

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I did an NX demo not too long ago and I came away from it feeling that Mastercam was the better option mostly because of the high speed toolpaths. NX looked like a great package and it was better in many areas, but the value of high speed toolpaths (dynamic milling, optirough, Volumill) are huge and I use them daily. Volumill is far superior to Optirough and I use both on a regular basis. Now if NX works with Volumill and Mastercam doesn't that really levels the playing field between NX and Mastercam in my eyes. This huge deficiency NX had in the high speed toolpaths is gone but it still has all of the other features that I saw as superior to Mastercam. That really makes it a difficult question as to which package I would want to add as a second seat. Mastercam loses a fair amount of luster without Volumill's functionality.

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I am in the middle of learning or should I say right now teaching my self NX6 at work but as for the video I can make that same path in mins with MC. I know there are better paths then that in NX.

I think path side NX is not light years ahead of MC. But lets not start on the design side.

But MC keeps growing and growing and has become from my view easier and easier to use and more control over the years.

 

I am intrigued by NX for sure.MC will alwas be my bread and butter. I know I can say that with ease. But I have also made a a hell of a career and living with it for sure and will always will.

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Yes the Cimco guys did develop "Adaptive Clearing" and now CNC has copied it with Dynamic Mill and OptiRough.

 

 

 

I don't see Catia being mentioned as a integrated solution only Siemens NX.

 

But when Volumill gets sacked, Cimco HSM Performance Pack might as well as it contains Adaptive Clearing and "SHS style" toolpaths making it "compeditor toolpaths"

 

Gotta give julian some credit here

 

http://www.freesteel.co.uk/wpblog/frontpage/

 

 

 

 

Also - there could be more to this than you think. Cimco Adaptive hasn't been dropped as a partner, yet they have other competitive products. I couldn't see CNC/Mastercam wanting to lose functionality

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Gotta give julian some credit herehttp://www.freesteel.co.uk/wpblog/frontpage/Also - there could be more to this than you think. Cimco Adaptive hasn't been dropped as a partner, yet they have other competitive products. I couldn't see CNC/Mastercam wanting to lose functionality

 

Yes Julian and Martin are the creators of Adaptive Clearing. Actually I think they already had this strategy developed before joining Cimco.

 

By dropping Volumill they'll for sure lose functionality. Dynamic Mill and Volumill are in basic doing the same but their approach are very different and one will excel over the another depending on the geometry.

 

A really nice thing in Volumill is the way they handle part and stock geometry. It's so easy to pick your chains, define open pockets and so on.

 

For sure Volumill will be missed in MCAM.

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