[camaru]

For years I asked for a turret type interface in Surfcam and never have gotten it. Does anyone know of a cam system that has a turret, to me it seems logical to have one but for some reason surfcam dosnt think so. My idea is simple a turret, every time you pick a new tool it loads into a reference turret so when you go to use that same tool again later in your programming you can simply pick it. other benefits are cool as well for instance to move a tool from one pocket to anyother drag it, to change tool diameter, corner rad etc. and as anyone who has been programming the more complex parts knows you can spend a lot of time renumbering tools. I don't know it seems such a simple thing that could make work on programs that have 40+ plus tool paths easier to manage and it seems to extract proper tool list setups could be much more concise. much of my programming is in 2-5 axis programming but I'm sure this appliys to lathe as well and maybe sinker with multiple tips..

[Billetgrip]

You kinda lost me. Are you wanting a drag and drop interface? Why would you get Surfcam in the first place if you wanted to change it?

Have you looked into Gibbscam? I think it's sort of what you're talking about.

[jsanders]

This would be helpful, and it sounds exactly like the Tool Kits / Job Kits that are part of the new Surfcam Workflow software.

[machinster]

Many software packages that you might be exposed to have features that you wish that you had available on the package that you're currently using. Switching software to the one that has that feature one that you like and you may come to realize that there were features that you used to have in that other package that your 'new' software is lacking. I've been through this a couple of times, go to HyperMill and you'll be able to do awesome 5 axis tool paths and machine turbine blades with ease but doing simple 2 axis parts becomes a major draw back, in fact far as I know lathe programs are not really even doable.

CAD/CAM software development is kind of a strange business. When we in machining see or develop a new strategy we can incorporate it in our machining processes without thinking twice about how it came to be or if anyone else has used this previously. In software development this is not the case at all, a software developer can't simply incorporate something that seems like a good idea that some other package is using or has developed for their own product.

Software developers have to worry about things like patent and copyright infringement laws and rules, they can't simply use what another package uses or even incorporate a new method that they developed without involving lawyers to do patent searches, file provisional patent applications and the like. Surfcam, which actually has some pretty good 3, 4 and 5 axis machining strategies, having been bought up by Vero, which has been bought up by Hexagon, is now in a unique position to incorporate many advantages of several software packages, like EdgeCam, which has some pretty good multi-turret and mill-turn machining, WorkNC, AlphaCam, and on and on, into one comprehensive piece of software or share strategies with several packages at once.

It remains to be seen if they can figure all of this out and ultimately take advantage of it...