Avoid Costly Mistakes!
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Ok. You bought the Techno, Shop Saber, Sherline equipment or whatever. It's setup sitting in your shop or garage. Your wife is asking "When are you going to start using this expensive toy?" Now What?
Do you have a way to program it fast and efficiently?
Do you want to know how to pick a CAD/CAM programing system that will program it fast and efficiently and stay within your budget and technical requirements?
Selecting the right CAM system can make the difference between having a profitable or pleasurable experience with your machine tool or having to explain your failure to your boss, wife or friends.
Most individuals and companies select good Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) systems for all the wrong reasons. They end up with a great, but inappropriate piece of software.
Picking the wrong CAM software wastes time and money, something most of us can not afford to do.
Here are some examples.
A small, one man, wood working shop purchased its first CNC router. Not having any NC experience, the owner did some research and selected what appeared to be best software for his shop.
His first choice was great for programming files created by other CAD packages but had no tools for creating geometry. His second choice appeared to have good CAM capabilities but was difficult to learn. He didn’t want a new career, he wanted a tool program his router. To make things worse, it was difficult to get support for the software.
Eventually he landed on yet a third CAM program that has the CAD tools he needs to make intricate designs, the strong CAM features generate reliable NC code, and is relatively easy to learn and use.
A large manufacturing company wanted to upgrade to a better CAD and CAM system. They wanted the ability to quickly transfer files and reduce the time from design to completed parts. A worthwhile goal? Absolutely!
To make sure they selected the best software, they picked a team of engineers, draftsmen, NC programmers.
When it was all said and done, the Engineering group selected a very expensive, very powerful Solid Modeling software that had CAM modules for NC programming.
The Manufacturing group, looked at several of the latest and greatest CAM programs. They were looking for “best of class” software with a focus on doing more in less time.
The end result was over $1,000,000 was spent on software, training and support and the CAM software was only used for a few months and, to this day is, sitting on a shelf.
A different company, when looking for software, had a small budget and big ideas. They did not want to pull the programmers away from their work. So a number of managers, selected software based on the “powerful Demonstration” and low cost and bought 10 seats of CAM software.
3 months later, after investing hundreds of man hours in training and postprocessor development, management realized they made a bad decision. The CAM company finally agreed to refund the price of the software but the company was out thousands of dollars for training and lost production. And, they still did not have a CAM software they could use.
You can avoid these mistakes!
Learn from other’s mistakes so you don’t have to waste your time and money.
On pages 3 and 4 of this report you will learn the questions you must answer before making a good CAM selection.
On pages 4 thru 7 you will learn the pluses and minuses of choosing software based on price, programmer preference and name brand.
On pages 8 thru 10 you will learn how to develop a feature selection matrix that will weed out the real contenders from the over hyped.
You will also learn how to prepare a potential-problem analysis so you can spot and plan for potential problems
On pages 10 through 12 you will learn some tips on software demonstrations and getting references.
Use this process for any large investment!
This process will work whether you are choosing a CAM system, a house or a spouse . . .It is about planning you major decisions rather than falling into them.
This process works equally well when choosing between such large players as SDRC, Unigraphics, NCL, SmartCAM, MasterCAM Pro/Engineer. Similarly, it helps small shops select amongst powerful but economical software such as TurboCAD, BobCAD/CAM, RAMS Gold or Enroute.
Careers can be made or broken on these types of decisions. Small shops may thrive or struggle based on these types of decisions.
About the Author
Learn from someone who has successfully purchased software ranging in price from around $1,000 per seat to over $40,000 per seat.
I am a manufacturing manager with an MBA in Technology Management, Author of 7 Easy Steps to CNC Programming books, and have recently been awarded dealer status for BobCAD/CAM software.
I have worked with numerous CAM systems in large and small companies. Contrary to what most CAM salesmen will tell you, no one CAM is good for all shops.
I have written this document as a guide for other managers, shop owners and CNC enthusiasts to use when choosing a CAM system. For those of you who do not need or can not afford the high priced, mega-software products, you may want to consider BobCAD-CAM.
A little self-promotion!
No, I do NOT sell BobCAD/CAM. However the following is the last time I will mention the subject. You need to choose a CAM system that is right for you or your shop.
When you down load this file you will be enrolled in our customer rewards program that will save you 50% on my 7 Easy Steps to CNC Programming / BobCAD books.
Remember you do not have to be a large or wealthy shop to afford powerful CAD/CAM software. Regardless of the price you are willing to pay, you do have to do a little home work and choose wisely if you are going to get the best return on your investment.
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