[rschmidberger]

Hello everyone,

I work for a large metal fabricator and we are trying to find a way to program our 2 punch presses and our Komo cnc router all at once. Right now we have to program each one seperately and would love to be able to do it once and have it work on all 3 machines. Does anyone know if this is possible?

Thanks!

[ee_t]

yes, I use one hand on each keyboard.

I don't understand the question, you can't program a cnc router and a punch press with the same code.

[metalworkz]

Hello,
I believe this is a bit like a trick question, but the answer might be yes and no. What brand CNC turret punches are you using? The parts can be drawn and saved in .dxf format and then the same file should be usable to post the file to each of the machines. That being said the g-code used for the CNC router will be very different from the code used by the CNC punch presses and you will need separate part programs for the 2 types of machines. I run an Amada CNC turret punch press at work and have a home built CNC router and a small CNC mill in my home shop so I am somewhat familiar with both types. The same 2D drawing (.dxf) file should be usable for generating the toolpaths for both types but you will need to use different post processors for each to obtain the correct code.
I hope I explained that so it is understandable, but if not just ask more questions.

Regards,

[rschmidberger]

Thanks Wes. We are running an Amada and Salvagnini punch press and a Komo CNC router. All of our software at this moment is propritary to the machines so if one is down we need to renest everything on the other machine. We are looking to streamline everything as much as possible. I guess I am more looking for a program that works well at doing this.

Thanks!

[BlueChip]

Hi ... if you are asking about auto-converting a program created for one machine into the format for another machine ... take a look at KipwareXC. This application is specifically designed to allow for this scenario.

Info and video presentation at www.KentechInc.com

[metalworkz]

Hello,
You will probably do well to investigate the other software companies that allow you to draw the parts and post the toolpaths to different machines with a list of post processors that includes your machines. Most CAD/CAM programs come with a set of machine post processors and if your machine is not included you can usually have the PP created for your machine at a cost. Sometimes the custom post processor will be included in the cost but you should verify these things before making the decision to buy it. It looks like BlueChip has linked one alternative in his post but you should probably shop around for the best deal and the best coverage for your machines.

Best regards,
Wes

[Independent CNC]

If you are looking for a one solution software you may want to look at WE-CIM form Wittlock Engineeing. http://www.wittlockeng.com/

Many companies miss the fact that as CNC programmers move up or away from a company their replacements have to be trained on all the software used to generate code. By having a one solution it becomes easer to manage.

Besides WE-CIM there are some other, however, I do know they can drive your machines you have listed.

Independent CNC Programmer
www.independentcnc.com

My mission is to share CNC programming innovations for a lifetime.