I've been an avid Esprit user for several years now and can't say enough about it. In the past I started with SmartCAM, then EdgeCAM and find they don't hold a candle to Esprit. You can create features from solid models or any geometry you made need to cut the part. I worked with a guy that used MasterCAM and he was impressed with Esprit when I programmed an Okuma Multus with no hand editting. I'm currently programming Citizen lathes with Esprit and don't edit anything. It helps to have post experiance but the biggest thing I found was having a good machine setup so things work correctly in the simulation. It took a couple weeks to get the machine modeled but once complete it sure was time well spent. Here's a photo of what it looks like in Simulation mode. I personally haven't used MasterCAM and hear others talk highly about it. I think it all depends on what machine and parts your machining. We use Esprit to program EDM's, VMC's, HMC's, Swiss, Integrex, Multus and even the older machines like Acroloc. Happy machining. |