The release of BobCAD-CAM V26 marks yet another milestone in the history of the BobCAD-CAM software family. The Development team at BobCAD-CAM has rebuilt the CAM portion of the software to bring our customers the most advanced and versatile machining package ever available from BobCAD-CAM.
Benefit: Improved Workflow and Simplified User-Interface
Many aspects of the CAM Tree are improved to make job creation easier, faster, and more consistent across all CAM modules.
Benefit: Improved Shortcut Menus
The shortcut menus are more logically ordered and minimized to aid in speed and navigation. The CAM features can now be edited and computed from the top level of the feature. No more expanding numerous tree items just to get to the feature edit icon. Even the shortcut menus for the operations of the feature can be accessed faster with the new design.
Benefit: Expand and Collapse Tree Items
Expand and Collapse functions are added to the CAM Tree for more easily viewing or minimizing all items of the Job, Machine Setup, Index System, or Wrapping Group.
Benefit: Speeds Workflow for Redundant or Similar Tasks
You can now use copy and paste to quickly handle redundant work or similar tasks when creating features and operations. This is provided in addition to the existing Feature Save and Load options as a faster solution to saving and reloading features repetitively. The copy and paste commands even work across multiple open documents!
Benefit: Faster Job Setup with the Machining Job Dialog Box
When you are ready to start a job, you open the Machining Job dialog box to select the Job type and a machine for the job. You can then immediately start the Mill Stock Wizard, Lathe Stock Wizard, or Nesting Wizard directly from the dialog box to get started defining the program.
Benefit: Geometry-Based Machining
For both Mill and Lathe, BobCAD-CAM has moved to a CAM system that is based on CAD features (or geometry). Now a feature, by definition, is part of the CAD model and pertains to the geometry.
When you select a feature of the model, you can choose any combination of the available operations to machine that one feature. Previously in the CAM Wizards, the machining strategies contained a fixed number and type of operations that were available. With the new dynamic operations, the CAM Wizards can contain any number and order of operations that can be applied to a single CAD feature or geometry selection.
Benefit: Dynamic Operations Allows You to Cut Parts Up to 30% Faster
Both Mill and Lathe now provide the flexibility of Dynamic Machining Strategies™, which allow you to apply any combination of machining operations based on the type of geometry that you are machining.
The Hole Drilling features are greatly improved with the use of dynamic operations. Now if you want to drill a hole, but need to use a smaller drill to pre-drill, there is no need to edit the Tool Pattern, you can just add another drill operation!
Dynamic operations benefit 2-axis machining as well. You can now add several finish passes by just adding more operations to the feature. The operations don’t share parameters as they did in the past, so you gain complete control of the 2-Axis operations. Rough and finish operations can start in different locations, without using multiple CAM features, with the addition of chain start points at the operation level. There is also a default chain start point that can be used to set the start for all operations in the 2-Axis feature that also contain a start point.
The dynamic operations also create a major advantage for 3-axis machining. Now instead of having to create multiple CAM features and select the same model over and over again, you can simply create one feature, select the model, and apply any or all of the 3-Axis operations to that model. You can even define a boundary for each operation that overrides the boundary that is assigned at the feature level.
Benefit: Dynamic Posting Order
The Machining Order dialog box controls the posting order of operations for the program. In BobCAD-CAM V26, you now have full control of the posting order including the previously existing optimization types: Individual Tool, Individual Feature, and Individual Tool Per Machine Setup. You can set the optimization type to reorder the operations, and you can also select and move individual operations up or down in the list to give you total control with dynamic posting order.
Benefit: Chain Start Point at the Feature Level and Operation Level
The 2-Axis feature now contains a Default Chain Start Point. This feature item is used to define the start point for all operations in the feature. Individual Chain Start Points are also available for all applicable 2-Axis operations (Profile Rough/Finish, Engrave, and Chamfer Mill). This means that you can define the start point separately for each operation in the feature. Start the rough tool in one location and modify the finish tool start point independently.
Benefit: Multiple Threads per Feature and Thread Start Angle
The Mill Thread feature is greatly improved with the addition of the ability to create one or more threads from a single feature. It is no longer necessary to create a separate feature for each thread. In addition to supporting multiple hole or boss locations, the thread milling operation now contains a Thread Start Angle to define the exact location where the tool starts cutting the thread. This provides yet another way for you to create multi-start threads by using more than one thread milling operation with different start angles.
Benefit: Create Multiple Toolpath Patterns
The toolpath patterns that are available for Milling features were enhanced to provide the ability to create more than one pattern from all applicable locations. Instead of only allowing a single pattern for a feature, Machine Setup, or Index System, you can now assign one or more toolpath patterns to each of these items. In addition, the Wrapping Group can now have toolpath patterns applied to the entire group, which was previously not available.
Benefit: Output Job Setup Information
Milling and Turning Jobs both provide the ability to create Setup Sheets from the current job information. Programmers can create the setup sheet for the operator to get all the pertinent information for an upcoming job setup. This includes information such as the program data, stock data, material data, tool lists, and operation data that is output locally by opening a browser window with an .html report. The Setup Sheets were designed so that they can be customized utilizing an .xsl and .css file that control the output information and format. Templates are provided with the system that include full reports or tool-only lists to get you started creating Setup Sheets.
Benefit: Multiple Depths for 3D Engrave Roughing
Capability is now included to support multi-depth and multi-pass cuts with 3D Engrave Rough and includes a 3D Engrave Finish operation.
In addition to these 10 benefits, the Lathe module has received a complete overhaul. Lathe Drilling matches Mill now. All of the power of the new hole drilling functionality for Mill is also available for Lathe. This includes the center drill, drill, tap, ream, and bore cycles for both Milling and Turning Jobs. The drilling canned cycles and the use of the Cutting Conditions to set the default values for each drilling strategy are consistent through Mill and Lathe. Drill tools are now shared between the two with the addition of the unified Tool Library that handles all Mill, Drill, and Lathe tools in a single location. There is no longer a need to have the same drill tools defined separately for Lathe and Mill. Other Lathe enhancements include:
Lathe Wizards
The Lathe module received a total overhaul with the addition of the Lathe CAM Wizards which completely match the workflow of the Mill CAM Wizards. The Lathe CAM Wizard starts with geometry selection and leads you through setting up the feature parameters, machining strategy, and operation parameters of all Lathe features.
Improved Lathe Feature Creation
The new Lathe CAM Wizards provide a much more consistent and logical layout of the parameters for Lathe features. Once again the old dialog boxes were redesigned to more logically group the parameters as you work through the wizard. New images help to illustrate the parameters that you are editing, and the much-loved wizard workflow greatly improves Lathe feature creation, especially for anyone familiar with the Mill CAM Wizards.
Lathe Stock Wizard
A Lathe Stock Wizard was added to make the Turning Job setup process the same as the Milling Job setup process. You can create standard Cylindrical stock by typing the values into the dialog box, or you can also create custom stock geometry using the Revolve option to revolve a closed 2D chain. The Lathe Stock Wizard then leads you into the Machine Setup to define the clearance plane values for the job. When you finish, you are ready to start creating Lathe machining features.
An Overall Greater Cohesion Across the CAM Modules
Simplicity of the system is greatly improved by the fact that many of the informational databases are now either shared or identical between Mill and Lathe. The functionality of the Tool Library, Thread Library, Tool Pattern, Tool Crib, Stock Wizards, Material Library, Cutting Conditions, Current Settings, Machining Order, and Setup Sheets are all available to both Milling and Turning Jobs. The Nesting Jobs also follow as closely to the Mill and Lathe as possible with a few minor adjustments to accommodate nesting creation.
By upgrading your existing BobCAD-CAM software to the new v26 system you will recieve these 10 benefits as well as continue to use all of the powerful functionality that you already have. Experience the power and capabilities of the new v26 software today! Call us directly at 877-262-2231 or 727-442-3554
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