June 18, 2010

New free guide from Sescoi on investing in CAM software

Sescoi’s new “Investing in CAM Software” guide helps engineers to examine their motives for investing in CAD/CAM software, the benefits they should reasonably expect, and the software features they should be looking for. Download your free copy at: http://www.sescoi.com/fileadmin/en/pdf/WhitePaper_investing-in-CAM__EN.pdf

By evaluating the reasons for purchasing new CAM software, engineering companies will be able to decide which type of system is most suitable and establish whether CAM software will meet the longer term growth demands of their businesses. For particular applications, specialist add-ons such as WorkNC’s Auto 5 automatic 5-axis programming or its Feature Recognition module can produce staggering productivity improvements.

Advice on evaluating the supplier, its training, support and development mechanisms is included in the guide. Working in partnership with a CAM software supplier will ensure that there is flexibility within the chosen system and that the supplier is prepared to customize the system for the customer’s benefit. Additionally, some CAM software vendors can offer complementary products such as Sescoi’s WorkPLAN ERP software and its WorkXPlore 3D CAD viewer which encourages collaborative working. The integration of these extra systems with the CAM software can produce a revolution in working methods.

Benchmarking and visiting reference user sites help to measure how well a CAM software handles and manipulates CAD data, its ease of use, the quality of the toolpaths it generates, the effectiveness of its simulation and collision avoidance, and helps to verify the quality of the after sales service. Sescoi’s trials show that the machine cycle times for the same component can be very significantly shortened with WorkNC, saving cost and adding to the available machining capacity. Similarly, the most optimized toolpaths will greatly improve the quality of the finished part, extending the capabilities of a company immeasurably.

The guide explains the benefits that shop floor programming can bring to a business and the importance of ease of use, such as WorkNC’s automated ‘One Button CAM’ methodology, in making this work. It also describes how the speed of calculation, the configuration of the licenses and multi tasking capabilities can all help to maximize productivity by greatly reducing programming times.

By considering the points outlined in the guide in relation to their own companies, engineers may find that the gains in productivity which they expected from CAM software can be significantly more than anticipated.