Cambam limitations.

Hi,

I have been working with FreeCAD for a while but aside from teething problems, I think it is still quite a way from being finished and many rather basic features are not yet implemented. Its great, as far as it goes, but I'm soon going hit things I just can't do with it.

Rather than spend an equally long time learning to use CamBam , I thought I'd ask those who are familiar with it what are its limitations.

Please note , I'm not talking about 40 uses and 500 lines, I mean the technical limitation of the paid-for pro version.

Thanks.

I have used CamBam for a number of years. It works very well for 2D and 2.5D operations. I believe it will do full 3D but I have never done it. I still use it for quick jobs, just last evening in fact.

For anything complex, I use Fusion 360, full featured professional solid modeling and CAM functionality, and the best part is that it is FREE to hobbyists and startups. A bit of a learning curve, but there is a huge base of user groups and online tutorials. This is one of the best https://academy.titansofcnc.com/ it's free and starts you at zero and takes you from simple to complex parts in simple exercises. I was making parts in a couple of days using this course.

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Originally Posted by Jim Dawson

I have used CamBam for a number of years. It works very well for 2D and 2.5D operations. I believe it will do full 3D but I have never done it. I still use it for quick jobs, just last evening in fact.

For anything complex, I use Fusion 360, full featured professional solid modeling and CAM functionality, and the best part is that it is FREE to hobbyists and startups. A bit of a learning curve, but there is a huge base of user groups and online tutorials. This is one of the best https://academy.titansofcnc.com/ it's free and starts you at zero and takes you from simple to complex parts in simple exercises. I was making parts in a couple of days using this course.

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Thanks Jim.

One thing I'm interested in doing is importing SVG graphics for engraving and 2.5D bas-relief wood sculpting. Have you any experience doing that with CamBam?

Also how well does it cope with different tool forms like v-cut, bull-nosed and ball-end milling tools?

CamBam does not handle SVG natively. Someone on the CamBam forum has a SVG plugin available for download, but I know nothing about it. V1.xxx of CamBam will import raster images and do an edge find to create vector paths. Again, I've not played with that much.

One other piece of software you might look at is PixelCNC https://deftware.itch.io/pixelcnc I have to say it is a bit buggy and tends to crash under some conditions, but it does work. I purchased it and haven't used it very much because I haven't had time to play with it.

CamBam is not really aware of the tool type as far as I know. I have used it for engraving with V-cutters, but have always calculated the depth manually. Also have done milling with ball mills but again do the calculations manually.

Searching Google for > svg fusion 360 < turns up a lot of hits, so it looks like Fusion 360 is friendly to SVG formats. Might be worth a look.

OK, thanks for the input Jim, that saves a lot of time. It looks like FreeCAD maybe ahead of CamBam then, at least in terms SVG capabilities.

I'm trying to avoid fusion for two reasons. It only supports Windoze and it is an online only service , not installable software. I want an autonomous solution which does not require a permanent connection and some dubious non-privacy policy software watching my every move and selling that info. While I'm sure you are right it is technically a good option but that's really not the way I want to work.

I tried to download it last week only to discover that it is not downloadable and it does not support my OS when on-line. :(

For the moment, I own my computer and I'd like it to stay that way. I would consider boots to Win7 to run CamBam but it does not get a connection. I would probably get tired of flipping OS too before long.

I'd used CB very briefly a couple of time but not enough to learn its limitations. Your experience has been most useful. Thanks.

Fusion is NOT an online service. It does indeed install on your PC. You can use it offline for up to 12 months at a time I think?

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Rather than spend an equally long time learning to use CamBam , I thought I'd ask those who are familiar with it what are its limitations.

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You're asking for people to tell you what are limitations to you. This is nearly impossible.
You're better off giving a list of your requirements and asking if it supports them.

Last I looked, Cambam hadn't been updated for several years. I guess, as long as it works, that shouldn't matter, but it makes me wonder if I should invest time in it.


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Originally Posted by lens42

Last I looked, Cambam hadn't been updated for several years. I guess, as long as it works, that shouldn't matter, but it makes me wonder if I should invest time in it.

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Only you can answer that question. It depends on the kind of work you do, what are your expectations, and what style of software you are accustomed to.

To me, CamBam is the best program for drawing and machining 2D and 2.5D parts. The CAD interface is intuitive and quite powerful (especially with some useful plugins). The CAM part is great for 2D; the 3D part is pretty rudimental though.

The best CAM feature of CamBam is so-called "machining styles". A style is a set of default parameters (tool number, spindle speed, feed rate, plunge rate, climb/conventional cut, cut depth, holding tabs etc.) for each kind of work you do. This speeds things up and reduces human errors. Once you set up your tool table and styles, you can make a basic part - from a blank screen to complete ready-to-run G-code - in less than a minute.