Think future use when buying CAM system

When acquiring a new CAM software package make sure the system you are about to purchase can improve the efficiency of your machine, your workforce and your material utilisation. Keep in mind that when you invest on a new CAM system and then decide to buy another machine tool from another manufacturer in the future, the system will most likely not be compatible with the machine tool. You will need another one to program the new machine. In any case, it is always a good idea to compare offerings from a variety of CAM system vendors when purchasing a machine tool. Most machine tool builders offer some sort of CNC programming system with their machines. These might come from independent software vendors or may be developed by the machine manufacturer. The ones developed by machine manufacturers usually support only their machine tools. The software's functionality and automation will determine its price. It is a fact that, although CAM systems affect numerous areas of the business, many companies make the mistake of tasking the selection of CAM software to the CNC /programming department alone. Ideally, it should have sponsorship and final expenditure signoff at the executive level, people who should understand the potential impact of it on the whole operation. Selecting a CAM system Choosing the right CAM system depends very much on your shop's operation, machine tools in use, and the quantities and mix of parts being produced. The materials you process and their prices also figure strongly in this evaluation. Numerous CAM systems offering and various levels of functionality are available worldwide. But only a few offer a range of levels from the fairly simple and inexpensive to full automation. If you decide that your shop currently has no need for high functionality and automation and select an entry-level CAM system make sure that it will grow with you. You may have only one simple machine tool today with limited programming needs, but in a year or two the situation may change, and you suddenly may realise that you need to program another machine or two that you just acquired. It is imperative to consider future use when purchasing a new CAM system. Make sure that the CAM system you select now can be upgraded to higher levels of functionality and automation and that it can effectively support any machine tool you may purchase in the future. Some CAM systems simply take component geometries, nest them, and apply tooling or cutting at the nest level. Such a system cannot retain any information regarding fabricating of individual components, which means that any manufacturing information added or modified on a particular component exists only on that particular nest. If a programmer needs to nest that same component sometime in the future, that same fabricating information will have to be added or modified manually again. On the other hand, some CAM systems can store a component's fabricating information in a component file together with component geometry. However, a separate component file may be required for each machine the component is made on and sometimes even for each different angular position of the component on a nest. This complicate matters quite a bit, as any revision of the component geometry or tooling may force modifications of many similar files. However, as the fabricating information is stored together with particular component geometry, the programmer does not need to re-enter any of it when the component needs to be nested again. Highly capable CAM systems use a combination of both methods to achieve the most efficient machine programming system, storing geometry and fabricating information in a single component file. In such systems, once programmed (either manually or automatically), a component file stores all important fabricating information for any angular position in a nest and for any number of machines you may beOriginals