Solidworks CAM as the design software

erickson6441 · August 1, 2018, 12:14am

Will we be able to use Solidworks? And Post to Mach3?

Jeremy · August 1, 2018, 1:53am

You can use Solidworks for the CAD portion yes. However, you still need CAM to create tool paths and post process the design. Often Solidworks is packaged with Mastercam, or their own Solidworks CAM which I believe each are purchased separately. Both awesome programs, but super expensive for individuals. (several thousand dollars)

That is the value of fusion 360. Honestly I don’t know how Autodesk pulls it off basically giving it away. It does probably 80-90% of what SW will do (Maybe more?) and IMO 100% of anything most moderately advanced users need. And, there are TONS of information on using fusion 360 out there for the taking, One would have to get really deep for fusion to be a limiting factor for designing and CAM.

erickson6441 · August 1, 2018, 2:42am

I do have the full SolidWorks including CAM and FEA etc. so glad it will work. Just have to tell is what tool to use. I also have Fusion 360. I’ll try both. Couldn’t find a Langmuir tool in Fusion. Do we creat custome ones.

I don’t have my machine yet. Just getting ready for some fun.

Jeremy · August 1, 2018, 2:55am

Nothing is Langmuir specific. All you need is the “Mach 3 Plasma” post processor. I would assume mastercam or SW cam would have that. That will spit out the appropriate .tap file for mach 3 to use and make cool stuff!!! lol

Good luck! FYI, in fusion preferences you can set it up to be like SW for shortcuts and mouse clicks etc… it makes the transition a lot easier!

rkartman45 · August 1, 2018, 3:14am

I been using solidworks and mastercam for over fifteen years. In my opinion I think they’re both overkill for this machine way too hard for beginner to use. I use solidworks and Inkscape to draw transform into vector And dxf files. I use sheetcam to generate the tool pass works great.

ottingdesigns · August 7, 2018, 2:34am

I think sheetcam is a good cam system, pretty easy to use and not to expensive.

langmuir-daniel · August 7, 2018, 2:51am

Sheetcam works very well for plasma cutting. The primary reason that we support Fusion 360 is for the ‘keep nozzle down’ function. Since the machine does not have a powered Z axis, it cannot retract to avoid tipups during rapid moves between cuts. Keep Nozzle Down ensures that the torch will avoid tipups during rapid moves between cuts. It significantly reduces the risk of the torch colliding with a tipup.

Below is a screenshot from our CAM tutorial video showing rapid moves employing the ‘keep nozzle down’ strategy.