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CNC dropping partnership with Volumill?


neurosis
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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.

 

 

This is exactly what disappoints me about this whole thing. We have several parts that Volumills 2d strategy works better by far because of the geometry of the part and material. I have tried dynamic core on these parts and the tool path is very inefficient. The same can be said for dynamic over volumill as well. Some of the part geometry that we have, dynamic just works better and volumill becomes inefficient.

 

What makes the two stand apart is geometry selection, the ability to define STOCK, and more importantly, the 3d version and the ability to use check surfaces. I find myself having to create extra geometry to use optirough when it is select and go with volumill. And at this point I actually trust volumills tool path. At this point I cant say the same for dynamic milling or optirough.

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I'm quite sure CNC will lose some maintenance customers for a period because the customers don't want to give up the integrated Volumill.

 

If CNC had a toolpath doing the same as Volumill and with the same good stock/part selection I could see why they would cancel the partnership, but for now it's just stupid of them to do it.

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I don't see how that could possibly benefit anybody? I'd love to hear the reasoning behind this. People don't pay extra for Dynamic and Optirough, so it's not like Volumill is hurting CNC Software's cash flow. If anything, NOT supporting Volumill will hurt maintenance sales, since people who depend on Volumill will have no reason to move to X6.

 

Could it be that there is something on the horizon that is comparable coming out of CNC in the future?

 

 

Hmmmm....Maybe CNC is planning on adding the "Dynamic" and "Optirough" as another add on???? IOW....charging people to use those paths???? Lets hope not.

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Dave, i will send an e-mail

 

john, we have 6 seats of mc here. 12 seats of catia cad and only 2 seats of catia machining. we are going away from mastercam so i was taksed to evaluate a few cam pkg's. We do not have nx...............yet :)

 

From your perspective which one looks better Catia or NX?

 

John

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Hello everyone. I'm a CNC Software Product Mgr responsible for Mill. I want everyone to know CNC Software is listening. Dynamic Mill and OptiRough technology has been my responsibility since the first release of Dynamic Mill. I have read this thread a few times and understand, the opinions, the concerns, the speculation and so forth. I have some answers and information I'd like to share, but not until I sleep on it, this is a lot to take in. I will be reading this thread throughout the evening. I intend to respond tomorrow afternoon.

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I got word today that this was not the decision of Volumill but the decision of CNC software. I dont want to go in to the exact verbiage but the short story is, CNC doesnt want to support this plugin anymore when they have tool paths of their own that accomplish the same thing.

 

Does this mean the end for Cimco as well? Volumill and CNC had a partnership (CNC supplied Volumill with a seat of Mastercam for development) and I am not sure that they have this same partnership with Cimco. The way that it was explained to me, Volumill in some peoples opinion, has become more of a competitor than an addition. Im not sure what that means or if that is an interpretation of what is going on or an accurate statement. I'll be waiting to hear what Dave has to say about all of this.

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I dont want to go in to the exact verbiage but the short story is, CNC doesnt want to support this plugin anymore when they have tool paths of their own that accomplish the same thing.

 

They don't do the same thing. For some parts Dynamic milling or Optirough are better and for some parts Volumill is better. I use both very often as they both have their strengths. Volumill REALLY shines when it comes to 3D rest roughing and Optirough doesn't even have an option for that. Often times if one toolpath fails the other will work. I don't see them competing as much as I see them making a better complete package.

 

The way that it was explained to me, Volumill in some peoples opinion, has become more of a competitor than an addition

 

I have never programmed a part from start to finish using Volumill :-)

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I got word today that this was not the decision of Volumill but the decision of CNC software. I dont want to go in to the exact verbiage but the short story is, CNC doesnt want to support this plugin anymore when they have tool paths of their own that accomplish the same thing.

 

Does this mean the end for Cimco as well? Volumill and CNC had a partnership (CNC supplied Volumill with a seat of Mastercam for development) and I am not sure that they have this same partnership with Cimco. The way that it was explained to me, Volumill in some peoples opinion, has become more of a competitor than an addition. Im not sure what that means or if that is an interpretation of what is going on or an accurate statement. I'll be waiting to hear what Dave has to say about all of this.

 

Interesting. Is there anything that would stop Volumill from being run in Mastercam anyways if they really wanted to? I don't know enough about how chooks and add-ins are developed.

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Interesting. Is there anything that would stop Volumill from being run in Mastercam anyways if they really wanted to? I don't know enough about how chooks and add-ins are developed.

 

 

Guys, go to the volumill website and read their statement by clicking the MC link. They claim to have another product that runs in any system but that's all I know.

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There are some 5-axis parts I make that are roughed and prepped in 3-axis and roughed again and prepped in 5-axis for the final finish. With Volumill I can hit only the areas that need to be hit and not waste any time cutting air. This is with the stl driven rest roughing. I really hope Mastercam has an answer for this because I will be at a huge loss if it doesn't. Notice how close this part is roughed out before the tapered end mill begins finishing, and there was no wasted motion with the tool cutting air.

 

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Guys, go to the volumill website and read their statement by clicking the MC link. They claim to have another product that runs in any system but that's all I know.

 

Dave, after perusing the manual, I don't think it runs "in" any system. It's just a stand alone system that posts code. Kind of a bummer.

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You can use SHS rest rough.

 

Bwaaahahahahaha! Funny :-)

 

David - Please don't split out the trochoidal toolpaths and make them an option. That will REALLY suck.

 

Yeah, and it would really make me wonder exactly what I was paying maintenance for over the last few years. What exactly did it buy me if these new features are split off and sold separately? It certainly didn't buy me many bug fixes.

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Please don't split out the trochoidal toolpaths and make them an option

This is idle speculation..before we get all worked up, lets wait and see what CNC has got to say.

I don't know any more that the rest of you, but I would be seriously surprised if something like this happend

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