Okay, I can understand your budget limitations now that you mention that CNC machining/programming is not a large part of your normal business operations. On the other hand, programming and machining occupies most of the time of our business. I agree...good CAM software will not directly MAKE more money, but it will reduce the time required to program a part or series of parts without errors. Money is made where time is saved and more parts are produced.
I'm not necessarily preaching for Mastercam, nor am I preaching against OneCNC...I am just saying they are not in the same league. You're not going to get Mastercam X2's level of functionality at the price of any product priced in OneCNC's price range. The level of functionality provided by OneCNC may be quite sufficient for you...just don't expect to get more than what you pay for.
Before we started our own business, I used Pro/NC and Esprit. OneCNC seemed like a good choice, and I liked it at first, but when time became more critical and the more I used OneCNC, the more frustrated I became with it's limitations. Making the transition to Mastercam was very time consuming at an a bad time...nevermind the cost. I am still kicking myself for skimping with a cheaper CAM system. Looking back, we left a lot of money on the table.
We sold our copy of OneCNC to a gentleman on one of the forums here who was using the software for a hobby. Last I heard, he was very happy with the software.
OneCNC's fundamental limitation is based on the following: After you have selected a geometry to apply a toolpath in OneCNC, you cannot reselect the geometry. (unless you use the SMT toolpath selection, then you have very limited control of the toolpath) Have OneCNC demonstrate the following, with 2D and 3D geometry, with SMT and non-SMT toolpaths:
1. Fully program your part created with Solidworks. Then, go back to SW, slightly change the model, and try to bring the changed model back into OneCNC while retaining all your programmed operations. (you can't...all that programming is wasted)
2. Fully program a part created with Solidworks. Now, create a similar part, that should be able to use the same machining technique. IMO, it is logical to "save as," then swap out the model, and reselect the geometry. (OneCNC can't do it, must start with a blank file)
3. Start with a complex part with lots of similar features, that all could use the same machining strategy. It would make sense to get one feature programed just the way you want, then copy this operation, and simply reselect the geometry for all remaining features. (only possible with SMT generated toolpaths, but like I said earlier, these are less flexible)
I'm not even getting into toolpath trimming, thread milling, transform operations, high speed toolpaths, adaptive feedrates (highfeed), post flexibility, 5 axis support, simulation *.stl output.
It sounds like your parts may be fairly complex...ours are fairly complex [mostly] 2.5D that take anywhere from 4-12 hours to program. We design, prototype, and produce our own parts...changes happen, and I can't afford to start over from scratch whenever we make a similar part or make changes. Even worse, we found ourselves avoiding changes because it takes too long to reprogram. Not good for the product! Another instance, we had a customer call and make one change to a high level parent contour in a Pro/E designed part fifteen minutes before we were supposed to start production. Reprogramming took 12 hours. In Mastercam, it would have taken 15-20 minutes.
Like I said, I'm not trying to discourage one over the other, and I'm not trying to provoke a OneCNC vs "AnyOtherCAM" war. I just want you to know what you're leaving on the table. I feel like I fell into a little trap because of OneCNC's overzealous marketing (they do a great job). The extra functionality simply costs more, and it is worth it to us, but not everybody. If you want to discuss, let me know and I'll PM you my phone number.
Justin  |