I'm looking for a cad system for my machine shop. Most of the parts are simple(involve tap,drill, facing, pocketing), occasionally we get some complicated parts). But not too difficult that we can't handle them.
Basically what i'm looking for in a cad system is:
1.something that is easy to learn
2.will work on winxp
I'm not planning on getting the maintenance package for any potential cad system, that we do decided to purchase, since i'm only buying 1 license. And were a small machine shop.
anyway please post cons and pros of each cad system. thanks for help. :)
Either SW or SE will fill the bill for you nicely for model creation. What you might want to look into is data interchange and CAM packages that tie into either software. Since you are a machine shop you will likely be receiving geometry files from customer in digital formats like IGES (2D and
3D), STEP, Parasolid, Pro/E native, UG, CATIA, ACIS (or SAT), STL and of course DWG and DXF.
Here is how they stack up:
IGES 2D SE IGES 3D SW,SE (SW has issues) STEP SW, SE Parasolid, SW, SE Pro/E native SW with addin UG SW, SE (SE can get some information from UG files that SW can't) Catia SW with addin or translation service ACIS SW (SW may have issues), SE STL don't know, SW can view but not import geometry. DWG SW (SW has a very efficient way of dealing with these, SE DXF SW (see DWG), SE
SW at least has issues with IGES because of two things. Although SW complies with the IGES standard it does not do a good job of flavoring either input or output and uses some parts of the standard that others do not. It can also be very bothersome to repair parts imported from IGES if the automatic repair facility is not able to deal with it (about 50% of the time). Also IGES 2D (drawing format) is not supported although if you do any work for Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers or some government work you will likely see drawings in this format.
SW is well integrated into many CAM packages so that you can go directly from art to G Codes.
SW has copied several good things from the SE user interface over the years so that that issue will probably be moot. SE has done the same.
I th> I'm looking for a cad system for my machine shop. Most of the parts
It really depends on what types of work you are going to be doing with it. Are you going to be using the files for CNC machining or making drawings to machine to. Will you be needing to bring in customers files. If so what types of files will they be able to provide you. Solidworks and Solidedge can import several different file types but Solidedge can import Pro E files without going to Delcam to decrypt them. Both Solidworks and Solidedge are able to do simple parts and are pretty easy to use and will work on XP and the cost is about the same for the basic package. How much CAD experience do you have and any 3d experience with anything. I think of the 2, Solidworks is the easier to learn. Solidedge does a better job with surfacing than Solidworks does.
Like Nick said take them both for a test drive. They both have at least a 30 day trial period you can use and some will give you more time if needed for mak> Why limiting your choice to these two?
others with pretty good data translation, it might
One of the EEs here just bought Alibre for doing fixtures and such. He used to borrow SW to do that type of work. He seems to be happy so far. He likes that fact that it doesn't have as many choices available, since he doesn't need any of the fancy stuff.
If I were in your shoes, my first priority would be "what CAD system do most of my customers use?" If you don't want to buy the system most of them use, then which less expensive system interfaces best with the systems that most of your customers use?
Did you take a look at Autodesk Inventor? You might like. By far, its the easiest to learn CAD software I have ever used. I teach Catia, SW, Autocad and Inventor, which my students pick up the fastest.
"I'm looking for a cad system for my machine shop. Most of the parts are simple(involve tap,drill, facing, pocketing), occasionally we get some complicated parts). But not too difficult that we can't handle them."
You need to be more specific.
How much of your business is receiving solid models from other CAD/CAM systems ???
How much will you be drawing from scratch ???
"Basically what i'm looking for in a cad system is:
1.something that is easy to learn 2.will work on winxp"
That requirement can be met by almost all CAD/CAM systems at present.
"I'm not planning on getting the maintenance package for any potential cad system, that we do decided to purchase, since i'm only buying 1 license. And were a small machine shop."
This is typical of the approach that many small machining job shops take.
A question for you. Do you understand *why* IronCAD is being recommended vs. SolidEdge or SolidWorks ??? There are some very important concepts to be understood behind the recommendation for IronCAD and why IronCAD (and other CAD/CAM systems not mentioned yet.) have a *far superior approach* for a machine shop working with imported non-native geometry than SolidWorks or SolidEdge.
A product that has a far superior approach to surfacing than SolidWorks.
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"Solid Edge shatters the barriers of traditional modeling systems, combining the flexibility of nonhistory based modelers that appeal to industrial designers with the engineering benefits of a history-based approach. While the history-based paradigm makes perfect sense for solid modeling, it creates unnecessary complications when it comes to complex shape design. In contrast, non-history-based modelers provide a more flexible modeling method, but at the expense of automating the update of related model elements - a key drawback in modeling stylized parts which often require a significant number of iterations. An industry first, Rapid Blue unites the advantages of each of these respective modeling technologies. Unique to Solid Edge, BlueDots provide a flexible system in which the order curves are created places no restrictions on editing, yet provides all the benefits of properly updating related geometry when changes are made."
"Unsurpassed flexibility Industrial design is, by nature, a creative process that involves a great deal of editing as designs evolve. Curves are the foundation for all shape modeling, and it is critically important that they are able to represent the desired shape and be highly flexible in their editing. Recognizing this, Rapid Blue provides unique "shape-preserving" curves, which encapsulate in their behavior the ability to preserve their general shape characteristics such that your original design intent is built into each curve. For example, if a curve is convex along its entire length (as many consumer product designs main faces are) it will remain convex through all but the most extreme edits. As a result, you save significant time when creating and editing designs using shape-preserving curves, and experience less fatigue and frustration as Solid Edge automates an otherwise highly tedious process. "
"Evaluate more ideas in less time Engineers and designers all design in an iterative manner, and this is truer in industrial design than anywhere else. Because the style of the part is a key component, you explore many more alternatives. And the subjective element of industrial design calls for the ability to make changes with continual feedback of the results. With the Dynamic Edit capabilities of Rapid Blue, you can edit your designs and see the results instantly as you drag your cursor on the screen. All design intent and history is preserved, and the graphics update on every mouse move. This unique Solid Edge feature means that more iterations can be tried in a shorter time, improving product quality and acceptance. For the first time, you can now interactively tweak highlight lines and see the effects on all downstream rounds, fillets and blends."
"Your designs typically evolve over time, particularly given input from the various players as they see the design progress. For example, after review, it may be decided that more flair is needed in one area of the product - a change that can only be achieved by swapping a simple arc for a more flexible curve. With traditional systems, this would require a significant amount of rework, including having to manually repair the history tree if the change is severe. In contrast, Rapid Blue presumes that change is necessary, and that starting simple and adding further control later is a valuable workflow."
"Convert to Curve and BlueSurf are two key technologies enabling a truly iterative workflow. Convert to Curve allows analytic elements, such as lines and arcs, to be converted to NURBS with a single click. With no loss of shape data, the elements become editable curves. Even more importantly, this conversion does not destroy the downstream work that has been completed. BlueSurf acknowledges and accommodates the inevitable increase in control required as designs progress. BlueSurf is the only technology in the industry to incorporate sweep, loft, and blend into a single simple- to-use command. So, when appropriate, that initial simple sweep can be made more elaborate without having to manually repair the feature tree."
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