[-= Keith =-]

Hi guys.

Im completely new to CAM.

I recently bought a CNC'd BF20 with a 4th axis

I have my own full version of AUTOCAD2011. and have been exporting a .stl to a trial version of VisualCAM.
I was thinking of buying the full version of VisualCAM.
I would then be runing Mach3

Would you recommend buying Solidworks as an alternative to the above?

Are there any trails out there apart form the student versions (of which i am not).

is solidworks the CAD / solidCAM the CAm software?
and do i need to purchase both or does it come as a bundle?
lastly do i need to buy bolt-ons for a 4th axis?

Thanks for your time
KEith

If so what

[JerryFlyGuy]

SolidWorks will give you good 3d mechanical models and solidCam will produce the code needed for the machine to run. I've evaluated SolidCam and many other integrated CAM programs and my pick of the litter was HSMworks. It is integrated w/ SolidWorks and uses the native SolidWorks files for it's CAM files. There are no additional files required [other than your tool library] to loose or get mixed up etc.. I found the this part of the job much more streamlined w/ HSMworks, the interface is fantastic and the code is pretty good as well.

Fwiw

[LazyMan]

Solidworks is a great but it costs around $4000 for standard version plus $1300 for yearly maintenance. These prices are from around 2008 though , but I cant imagine it got any cheaper. I think the next best option, cost to performance wise is Alibre. My limited experience with Alibre was okay. Larger assemblies were slower was my main issue,plus I had used SW for so long that learning a new CAD program just feels somewhat annoying. I do not like Autocad for 3d but I love Solidworks. If money is not concern, I would choose SW over autocad, plus there are so many CAM programs that intergrate with SW. I have extremely limited experience with Solidcam, and currently playing with visual mill trial as well. I know my post was not particularly helpful, just sharing some thoughts.

[Hirudin]

[I decided to delete my post: it was not terribly helpful]

[jupdyke]

I have used many CAD packages and in my opinion SolidWorks is my favorite. It is very powerful, and each version improves dramatically. They poll users during the year for what changes are wanted and actually follow them. It does great for large assemblies and has a lot of powerful features like being able to import an .stl file and automatically decompose it into features. I have been using this a lot in the past two days and have had very good results.

That being said it is not cheap, the previous posts is close on the price. But comparatively it is cheaper then its competitors. This is one of the reasons that SolidWorks is doing so well, outselling its competition and taking control of the market share for mid-range CAD package. There are a lot of ways you can get a copy if you look for one however.

Recently they had a engineering stimulus program where they would give you a copy, and free training to use it. The hope was to help out of work engineers become more skilled and possibly get a new job. Good for unemployed engineers, good for SolidWorks, and good for America.

I would try giving your local Value Added Reseller (VAR) a call and ask them straight up about a free trial. Often times they can give you one, if not he can tell you the price because it is not set in stone. The price changes for each company depending on how many licenses they sell.

Also, check out local clubs. SolidWorks is a big advocate of helping non-profit groups, high school clubs, university clubs. I am not sure if you are involved with any of these things, but I know that they are always looking for help from a machinist. I would bet you could find a student club that would love for you to make a few parts for them and most universities have a policy that the clubs must be open to everyone. When I was doing my graduate work if we got a single cent from the university we had to allow anyone to join. I was part of 3 clubs that asked SolidWorks to sponsor us. We got more licenses then we could use. And I just asked them to sponsor a open source robotics project and they sent us 30 copies. So find a local club or program that you could help out with. You could be teaching some young people cool stuff, and get a free copy of SolidWorks in return.

Another thought is that you do not have to upgrade each year. I know many companies that are running 2008 SW and are happy with it.

As for some of your other questions. SolidWorks is just the CAD software and you will need some form of CAM software. MasterCAM, SolidCam are the two most popular for SolidWorks that I know of. But almost all CAM packages have an add on to SW and it seems like it is one software.

Feel free to PM me if you have other questions.

Josh