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After a lot of time spent evaluating the software needed to produce 3D models and to tell my new desktop cnc router how to cut them, I have settled on Rhino (see my note on ver. 2) and SprutCam Lite, the subject of this page. This is an area on the outer limits of computing as we know it. CAM software, needed to calculate the toolpath files needed by cnc machine control software, is produced by relatively few companies. The market is (numerically) quite small and the important customers are to be found in industry. Until recently, there has been little motivation to develop CAM software for the small business or individual user. If, like me, you bought a small cnc machine expecting to be able to use it effectively with one of the low price CAM products which have appeared in recent years, it is likely you will be disappointed. Budget CAM software will tend to only allow models to be imported in a "mesh" or "triangulated" format like .stl. This can be a big hassle since if you are converting a 3D model with a lot of detail an .stl file can be huge - and if you have unexpected results you will always wonder if you specified the correct mesh parameters. However, the great problem with budget CAM software lies in the lack of cutting strategies. This means that some machining jobs will take much longer than they should and some jobs will not be possible. After much research I finally found an answer to the problem in SprutCam Lite. SprutCam is a powerful CAM solution from a respected Russian software house and in its full form is just too expensive for the cnc enthusiast on a budget. SprutCam Lite is based on an earlier version of the full product but uses (so far as I can tell) much of the power and flexibility of the senior partner. SprutCam Lite does not permit some of the more complex cutting strategies and is restricted to a single postprocessor, but costs hundreds of pounds rather than thousands .... SprutCam Light has a nice interface, power, flexibility and good cutting simulation. It runs well on an average modern PC, thrives on Rhino's native files (and bags of other file formats) and has the stability of a mature product. Best of all, however, is the big range of cutting strategies it offers. These include the 3D raster or plane roughing and finishing you would get in low end products (but it does these better), waterline, pocketing, drive, 2.5D pocketing, engraving, 2D contouring etc and a big variety of rest milling operations. UK customers can purchase SprutCam Lite on line (see the link below). So, we have good modelling software and a powerful CAM application - what else needs consideration? User support. For most software products the determined user can do without support agreements. CNC CAM software is different. Remember that, unless you have years of training as a machinist, you will need to have addressed many questions when you finally rev up your cnc milling machine or router and begin to cut. What is the right strategy and cutting tool for the job and the material, what is the right feed rate, the right spindle speed, the correct tool stepover, the best way to hold the workpiece, the best method to achieve the surface finish you need? In my own experience (tackling a variety of projects in hardwoods) setting up and milling a model can be very time consuming. Mistakes can be very costly. This is one field in which a support agreement with the vendor can be considered a must. Check out SprutCam in the UK.
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| John Weston / Data Wales |
