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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Posts
    6

    Novakon NM200

    Hello to all, and Merry soon-to-be Christmas,

    I purchased a Novakon NM200 a while ago for a couple thousand bucks. As I near retirement, thought it may be fun to mess with and to round out my farm Bridgeport, manual lathe type machine shop that I have had for years. The Novakon was refitted with a different spindle motor to overcome what I understand was a weak factory motor. I have run the MACH 3 canned programs successfully in aluminum just to ensure the machine does work as the former owner assured me. Not bad and fairly accurate for a stepper motor machine. My problem is post processing . I have Creo as a CAD package and Pro NC for programming. I have not found a good Post Processor to talk to Mach 3 for Creo, and beginning to doubt there is one without hiring someone to write it or spending the rest of my sixties learning to write post processors. So looking for suggestions ( other than why did you buy this thing, old dude? Already heard that from my bride.)

    My background is in manufacturing , toolmaking and tool design, but mostly management for the last 25 years, so I am an old school toolmaker with fairly good Creo CAD skills and just want to CNC things on occasion. Should I buy a seat of BobCad and just STEP out my Creo designs, program in BobCAD and post to Mach 3 ? Or some other CAM software that has post processors already written to talk to my Mach 3 system already on the machine? Fusion 360?
    Not looking for "free" and am willing to buy a reasonable CAM package that readily talks to Mach 3.
    I'm probably not going to spend a ton of time on the CNC and I'm not as bright as some of you who have built your own machines, just want to find a system that will work relatively seemless.

    Thanks you in advance.

    Alf52314

  2. #2

    Re: Novakon NM200

    I have zero knowledge of Creo, so I can't help there.

    I do know that the Fusion post works great with Mach3. You will have to make the jump into their CAD though.

    Depending hon how much time you want to invest, making the CAD switch might be harder and more costly than paying for a post processor for Creo. Again, I have no experience in Creo so I could be a bit off target there.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Posts
    6

    Re: Novakon NM200

    Thanks, I hear good things about Fusion.Can a guy buy a stand alone , or is it an annual subscription? I guess I can visit Fusion site too.

  4. #4

    Re: Novakon NM200

    Fusion is great but recently they changed the subscription model. It was free and quite capable but now it limits rapids and tool changes and perhaps other things in the post as a part of the free model. I’m sure others can be more enlightening. I lay for Fusion as I am too entrenched to move on. I know there are low cost versions of Soldiworks these days and I think it has built in CAM now. I don’t know how well that CAM works.

  5. #5

    Re: Novakon NM200

    does creo give the option of modifying your post ? A generic fanuc post with a couple slight mods should do the job .
    I've been using bobcad for a long time and it gets the job done for anything I need . Theres a guy selling a seat of v26 express on ebay for $150 . It's another 100 to transfer the license through bobcad support , but it's a good deal and it also puts you a position where you can later negotiate a low cost upgrade to a new version . The express version is more basic than the pro version but it's a lot of software for what the guy is selling it for

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    481

    Re: Novakon NM200

    Congratulations on the new machine.

    You have several low to no cost options that may fit your needs.

    1. Are you a US military veteran? If so, Solidworks offers a one year license for around $20.

    2. Are you able to sign up for a class at your local community college? Or perhaps you have children in high school or college? If so, Autodesk (which is Fusion 360, Inventor, HSMWorks, AutoCAD and others) allows a one year free Educational Access to their entire suite of software. I signed up for a Solidworks class at the local CC and got access to full Educational version of Solidworks at no cost.

    3. The Experimental Aircraft Association offers members access to Solidworks at no charge. EAA membership is $40 per year.

    https://www.eaa.org/eaa/eaa-membersh...esource-center

    4. There is still a free, albeit slightly denutted, version of Fusion360 available for hobbyists.


    I can’t stress enough the benefits of being a “student”. Even taking one class per term opens up all sorts of opportunities with these CAD and CAM companies.

    The Solidworks Educational Version comes with a built in CAM, but it will only do 2.5D CAM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Posts
    6
    Quote Originally Posted by metalmayhem View Post
    does creo give the option of modifying your post ? A generic fanuc post with a couple slight mods should do the job .
    I've been using bobcad for a long time and it gets the job done for anything I need . Theres a guy selling a seat of v26 express on ebay for $150 . It's another 100 to transfer the license through bobcad support , but it's a good deal and it also puts you a position where you can later negotiate a low cost upgrade to a new version . The express version is more basic than the pro version but it's a lot of software for what the guy is selling it for
    Appreciate the info. It seems Bobcad pops up the most in a lot of Mach 3 posts.I will continue to investigate.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Posts
    6
    [QUOTE=metalmayhem;2421002]does creo give the option of modifying your post ? A generic fanuc post with a couple slight mods should do the job .
    I've been using bobcad for a long time and it gets the job done for anything I need . Theres a guy selling a seat of v26 express on ebay for $150 . It's another 100 to transfer the license through bobcad support , but it's a good deal and it also puts you a position where you can later negotiate a low cost upgrade to a new version . The express version is more basic than the pro version but it's a lot of software for what the guy is selling it for[/QUOTe
    I know there is an editor in Creo, but that Bob cad V26 may do the trick too.I will have a look.a few hundred to get this machine capable is well worth it.Thanks

  9. #9

    Re: Novakon NM200

    it's a good deal for having the basics . I can't remember what 3d options it allows in the express version but I think it gives parallel tool paths and possibly equidistant offset

    The sales team at bobcad always want to push the new versions and they tend to be negotiable to owners of the software . 2 things to remember if you ever want to upgrade is "I am broke" and "I am a hobbiest" lol .

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Posts
    6

    Re: Novakon NM200

    Yes, there is an editor that allows to to edit the Post processor, and I have printed off a canned program I know runs on Mach 3, and was going to try and edit , as some have suggested, a 3 axis Fanuc post. I guess I am being lazy.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Posts
    6

    Re: Novakon NM200

    Good information.Thanks you.
    I am a veteran, so maybe the Solidworks route. Creo does have an editor so maybe I should be looking at trying to edit a FANUC post, though easy works for me. I suspect I am being lazy about it.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    594

    Re: Novakon NM200

    I am a vet too and have a NM200 and Solidworks. I haven't used the SW CAM features as I've been using CamBam for a decade or so. To use SW for CAM you'd need to be able to model the part in 3D first. That's probably similar to Creo modeling. With CamBam, you just need a DXF to import for 2.5D machining.

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