what would i need to get autocad to talk to a mazak cnc machine?

 

There are a few programs out there that will write G-code for your CNC machine based on AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and other modeling programs. They are often tricky to use. The best one for SolidWorks is CAMWorks. I have never generated G-code from AutoDesk, however.

 

Gibbs Cam

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MAX_CFM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Gibbs Cam</TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks, is this a standalone product or does it run inside of autocad? i see it can import dxf/dwg but in the fine print mentions sat formats. do you use this?

 

we us a post processor..... Draw the file, convert to an .aptsouce, post process to machine code.... the PP's are machine specific, and cost a fortune....

I've seen a much cheaper versions using autocad Ver14 and a program called bobcat.... you pretty much just hit a button and the file was converted and sent to the machine all in one action... only saw it on a 2axis machine

 

you only use autocad to draw the part you want to make, you can use gibbs cam, surf cam or bobcad or any cam software for that matter to write your g-code, once you have the cam software you will need to call the company you got it from and get a post processor made for your machine, it usually takes 24 to 48 hours for them to make the post processor unless the have made one for the machine already, bob cad is the cheapest and the most crappiest of them all i had to use it for 3 years when i ran a cnc laser u get what you pay for with cam systems and all of them are a standalone program none of them run inside of auto cad if you have any questions pm me i have been writing g code for about 5 years as my job i will help you if i can

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 89crxhf &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you only use autocad to draw the part you want to make, you can use gibbs cam, surf cam or bobcad or any cam software for that matter to write your g-code, once you have the cam software you will need to call the company you got it from and get a post processor made for your machine, it usually takes 24 to 48 hours for them to make the post processor unless the have made one for the machine already, bob cad is the cheapest and the most crappiest of them all i had to use it for 3 years when i ran a cnc laser u get what you pay for with cam systems and all of them are a standalone program none of them run inside of auto cad if you have any questions pm me i have been writing g code for about 5 years as my job i will help you if i can</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yea I used bob cad about 7 years ago its good for 2 axis stuff thats about it ...

 

thanks guys, i've been a cad operator for well over 10 years now starting with acad r10 and now on inventor 9. everything i do is in 3d and i've just started working p/t at a machine shop that has a mazak. i really don't know much at all about the cnc machine and how to get it to interface with autocad (since that's what they use). they manually program the mazak from what i understand, but have taken me on to do some of their design work. i just figured that there had to be an easy way to get autocad to talk to their cnc machine.

 

autocad wont talk to there machine u need a cam system for that

 

i realize that already from the previous posts. so basically i need a program that will read the autocad solid and traslate it to g code correct?

 

I belive mastercam can convert a dwg/dxf into G-code...

I bought a brand new 2004 mill with the new prototrak computer control on it which acually directly reads dwg files and writes out all the programming for it on its own! its a VERY nice system. but also costed about $5000