To choose the right CAM software for your shop, you have to carefully examine the package's capabilities and determine how they suit your specific needs. Fortunately, Manufacturing Engineering has done some of the legwork, asking CAM software developers to pinpoint the things that you should be looking for when shopping for CAM packages. Here's a list of must-have features:

[ ] Works with your own test parts. Don't rely on canned demos, says Brian Summers, vice president of Connecticut-based CNC Software Inc., which makes Mastercam software. He recommends using your own parts as test parts and your own machining preferences so you can accurately determine the program's capabilities and user-friendliness.

[ ] Supports your machining processes, in particular the toolpath patterns and axis control needs of your customers. Chuck Mathews, vice president of California-based DP Technology Corp., identifies this as one of four important CAM feature sets. His other must-haves include geometry, postprocessors and verification, meaning the CAM package should be able to perform on a machine configuration that matches your own.

[ ] Technically competent. Summers suggests checking to see if the CAM system can support cutting-edge, cost-saving machines, including those offering high-speed machining, automated feedrate optimization, and new smart toolpaths.

[ ] Easy to expand. Make sure you can add different or more complicated types of machining in the future, says Summers.

[ ] Easy to use. Consider CAM packages that were designed under Windows, says W. Thomas McCollough, Jr., vice president of software development for Engineering Geometry Systems (EGS), FeatureCAM software developer. They offer user-friendly functions such as cut-and-paste, drag-and-drop, right-click menus, icons and wizards, he points out.

[ ] Backed by strong technical support. Pay attention to the software company's track record, says Bill Gibbs, president of California-based Gibbs and Associates. The company should have a solid reputation, satisfied customers, superior tech support, good training services and the ability to accommodate future upgrades, he says. Additionally, the local software dealer can play an integral part during setup and troubleshooting, says Summers.

[ ] Compatible with all CAD (computer-aided design) packages. "Your CAM package will need to accept native files from a wide variety of packages, in a wide variety of formats--solids, surfaces, wireframe, STL, and more. It's also a big help if your CAM software can model in these formats as well," says Summers to Manufacturing Engineering.

[ ] Delivers value, not just low cost. "Although cost is clearly a consideration, value is perhaps a better consideration," Summers points out. "What are you getting for the money? Will it fill your needs now and in the future? Does the maintenance program deliver value to your shop?"

[ ] Works well with the three main areas of your operation: your parts, your machines and your people. By focusing on these three big areas, you'll avoid getting too wrapped up in specifics, says Gibbs. This means checking to see how well the package provides the features required by your parts, supports the demands of your machines, and matches the skill level of your people.

[ ] Excellent for your everyday parts and solid for your more challenging parts. "You have parts that are typical of your bread-and-butter work. You have other parts that, while less frequent, are your hard parts to program," Gibbs tells Manufacturing Engineering. "You need a CAM system that is absolutely the best at your daily type of parts, and very good on your hard ones. I give the edge to your regular parts only because you will spend so much more time working on them."

[ ] Offers high-quality postprocessors. Gibbs recommends CAM packages that don't need you to be an expert at customizing postprocessors. "Your posted output should look good, be compact and efficient, use your control's capabilities well, and should not require manual editing to run. You should not have to update your postprocessors when a new CAM version comes along."

[ ] Provides a part library so it can retrace your steps. This can be extremely valuable, says McCollough. "The current part then only needs to resemble a previous part and the program remembers the rest."

[ ] Customizable. You should be able to tailor the program to your parts, customizing features and machining processes. This will allow you to significantly boost your shop's productivity, says McCollough.

Source:

Buying CAM Software
Patrick Waurzyniak
Manufacturing Engineering, December 2004
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