[TURNER]

Hi to all you onecnc users. I have a onecnc guy coming to our shop next week to give me the run down on mill pro & expert. Not wanting to slate the software cos so far it looks really good, could anyone whos had problems and or dissatisfaction with this piece of kit let me know what and why. As with all programs different ones work in different situations, what is good for 1 shop may not be for others. As for our type of work it would involve:
1) irregular shaped pockets ( open and closed )
2) slots
3) drilling
4) face milling
5) taper edge tool profiles
6) scooping a profile as we call it
which is milling arcs in the Y and Z axis following a profile
( i think the 3d surface milling would do that ok )
7) milling slots along a 2d profile of arcs and lines
also above sometimes has a depth at one end and a different depth at
the other in Z.
8) milling a face tapered in Z ( ie on a tilted plane )

From what i have researched so far it looks like it ticks all the boxes, the only problem then would be to do it in a quick way.
Also in the nc manager at the right side of screen in the ToolPath Groups
the entries like eg "1:Pocketting" can they be renamed eg "1:bush seating".
One last question, if say i created geometry and added toolpaths/operations to it, if i deleted ALL the geometry does the entries in the nc manager remain so that i could do a similar job using the same processes by drawing and selecting new geometry?
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Keith.

[Roy's cnc]

I've been using One CNC Mill Pro for about 5 Yrs. Can't say enough about how easy it is and I think it will do any of the things you mentioned.The drawing program is very user friendly once you get familiar with it. Their support is like no other, just a phone call or online" FREE" . I'm very satisfied and with free updates will never use all that is included in their software...

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Keith,

I don't have answers to all your specific questions but this may be of some help.

I have enclosed a sample of what one of the files looks like in my NC Manager and also what some of the screens look like in the hole wizard function. Also included a picture of what the simulation screen looks like with the Sectioning feature.

You can see in the photo you can rename the operations as you see fit in the NC Manager.

I don't know what type of demo if any the ONECNC guy is going to give you there in the UK. Here in the USA you can get a demo copy of the program to run for 30 days at no cost so you can evaluate it and ask questions prior to your purchase.

Maybe you could give him an example of the types of operations or maybe even a sample part to program in ONECNC and run it on your machine to show you how it works. You would have to give him your machine manufacturer and model number so he could post the part out correctly to your machine.

Also here in the USA they have the ability to use a program like net meeting that allows the TECH at ONECNC to temporarily take control of your PC and show you how the program works while you are running the Demo software.

If you already have a 3D modeling package or you receive files from your customers from a 3D modeling program the Mill Advantage package may??? work for you as you are able to import various types of files into ONECNC and then assign tool paths to them. Ask your dealer to give you a demo and see it that may fit your needs.

John

[HuFlungDung]

Also in the nc manager at the right side of screen in the ToolPath Groups
the entries like eg "1:Pocketting" can they be renamed eg "1:bush seating".
One last question, if say i created geometry and added toolpaths/operations to it, if i deleted ALL the geometry does the entries in the nc manager remain so that i could do a similar job using the same processes by drawing and selecting new geometry?
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Keith.

Yes, you can rename the operations however you'd like. I'd typically append a description onto the default name, just so I remember at a glance what kind of operation it was based on.

And yes, the NC manager remembers all the details of the operations in it, regardless of whether you have any geometry in the CAD window or not. So yes, you can apply a given set of operations to brand new parts. Of course this only makes sense where the parts are generically similar and you want to reuse a given set of tools. But you have ultimate flexibility to do what you wish.

Add to the above that if you are doing a lot of similar parts, there are 'templates' saved in each type of operation that you open in the NCmanager. These templates can be flexible or they can be temporarily locked to maintain all the parameters that you made use of previously. All you need to do is pick the geometry (or the surfaces, or the boundaries) you want to machine, select the type of operation you want to do, the tool parameters open, double click the appropriate template name, it loads in all the saved paraemeters, and then you click on through (because some might need adjusting) and it sets up the new operation on the currently selected geometry. So this might be quicker than deleting all the geometry out of an existing file just for the sake of robbing the NC manager data out of it, and merging it with a new cad file. However, you can do that, too

[TURNER]

And yes, the NC manager remembers all the details of the operations in it, regardless of whether you have any geometry in the CAD window or not. So yes, you can apply a given set of operations to brand new parts. Of course this only makes sense where the parts are generically similar and you want to reuse a given set of tools. But you have ultimate flexibility to do what you wish.

Hi, all and thanks for the feedback. Yes we do a lot of similar parts with differing dimensions. We make moulds, the outers have similar features which have to be cut in a certain order & method, the cavity part is always unique to the job. At the minute we use a lot of macro's for the outer features to save programming time, and then do all the cavity related stuff manually.
I already have been trying a script macro to write a dxf with all the geometry for the outer part, tested and works.
This could then be imported for a start of the job.
Looks promising.
p.s everyone seems to talk of the excellent customer support,how do they do it with no maintainance fees?
Cheers, Keith

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Keith,

Make sure to get the ONECNC guy to demo the DXF import to ensure that it will work as expected for your application.

ONECNC also has the ability to insert custom code. Have the representative show you how that works.

The private ONECNC users forum is a real asset. A bunch of GREAT guys there can can help you along the way.

If you are looking for additional information you can check on You Tube. Just type in ONECNC and you will find plenty of how to videos.

John

[TURNER]

Hi again, can it produce text on arcs? see image for example.
Cheers
Keith.

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Keith,

Here is a sample on both the inside and outside of an arc.

John

[TURNER]

Hi Keith,

Make sure to get the ONECNC guy to demo the DXF import to ensure that it will work as expected for your application.


John

Hi John, thanks for your answers. Would it be possible for you to draw a couple of lines, using different colours and export it as .dxf form onecnc. Could you upload it to here so i can take a look at the format. By the way if you import it back in does it import with the colours you used? Sorry if im pestering but we get through a hell of a lot of programs and any significant increase in programming time would be a major issue. I am trying to run through a few ideas of speeding up if we get new software, as from what i have seen even expensive systems would be slower to do than how we are doing with our old cacky software. How we do now is great when using macro/parametric progs, but when we get jobs beyond the scope of the macro's they are a real pain and have been known to take 6hrs to get done.
Many thanks,
Keith.

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Keith,

Just an old retired guy/hobbyist learning stuff in the CNC world. Maybe some of the real ONECNC experts could step in and give you more accurate information.

Here are a couple of screen shots. The answer is that the colors exported from ONECNC as a DXF file came back the same color except as noted below when re-imported back into ONECNC as a DXF file.

One is of the original file in ONECNC prior to being exported as DXF. It has the thicker Green and Orange lines. The other line is thinner.

The other is what the file looks like after it is imported back into ONECNC. The colors stayed the same but the line thickness on the Green and Orange lines were not thick as originally exported.

If you would like a copy of the exported DXF file from ONECNC just send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will forward to you.

Hope this was of some help.

John