[Jewelry making - Article 00413] - Re: [Orchid] CAD/CAM - What works for you?

[David D. Bright]

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Neil

>     Now let me ask further...are the resultant design files usable by
>     any CAM machine? Must the cad and cam be of the same type? can they
>     be translated if need be? 

    First your CAD file must be turned into an STL Or stereolithography
    file. Almost any CAD program that you could name will be capable of
    this. You must then export/import this file into a separate
    toolpathing software and orient it correctly so that it can be
    milled. Here you set the job up and tell the program how you want to
    mill the file. Setting up flat items and two sided items are done
    differently than setting up a ring. You also tell the program what
    tool you will be using as well as a few other things, and the
    program generates a G code that will cut your wax. 

    A good program for this task is Deskproto. Deskproto has toolposts
    for a vast amount of CAM machines. The machine that you have must be
    capable of accepting the G code that the program outputs. If there is
    a "toolpost" within the program your machine will be able to cut the
    file because the code the program generates takes all the specific
    parameters of your machine into consideration. Since Deskproto
    supports a very large number of machines, it is conceivable that you
    will be able to use almost any machine to mill the G code that is
    generated by Deskproto. Failing having a specific toolpost for a
    machine, it is possible to write one or have one written for you that
    will allow you to use the mill with the CAM program. 

    This is probablly a more complicated answer than you were expecting,
    but the short answer is that there are some programs like ArtCam that
    have a toolpathing software built right into the program. These
    programs sometimes do not have the versatility of a program like
    Deskproto and the number of mills that you can use with them COULD be
    limited. This is NOT really a big problem. But it is wise to look at
    the big picture first and make sure that your plans and budget all
    work together. By this I mean that you should plan ahead and be aware
    of what options you have for milling when you buy the CAD program. 

David
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