drawing software

[mike46]

i was looking at the Albre design pro 9.2
it has a 3d milling package for 3axis milling and produces g-codes it's 139.00 if you are a college student
my? was does any body know about this product is it a good deal or not and if it is would it work with standard stepper config. thanks mikec new to cnc

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by mike46 i was looking at the Albre design pro 9.2 it has a 3d milling package for 3axis milling and produces g-codes it's 139.00 if you are a college student my? was does any body know about this product is it a good deal or not and if it is would it work with standard stepper config. thanks mikec new to cnc

Alibre is up to V10 at the moment. I had no idea that they were still selling V9.2 Pro. I would say go for the V10.

As for the CNC Machining with Mechsoft I have heard a 50/50 here and on other boards so you might wand to download it a try it out.

I have no clue about standard stepper configurations though.

[ger21]

9.2 probably does not have the new Mecsoft CAM package. It probably has the old one (SprutCAM?).

CAM programs use post processors to configure the g-code to work with your controller. Most can be modified to your controller, and most also have generic ones that should work.

[MichaelHenry]

There were 2 CAM packages (VM Basic 3 and SprutCAM 4) included with Alibre 9.2 Expert (and maybe Pro) and both were essentially time-limited trial versions. VM is up to Version 6 now and SprutCAM has also released a newer version (SC2007). If you are a student, the time limit probably won't bother you, but using older software might be an issue.

Mike

[mike46]

gerry i read that it had mecsoft 3.0 that 's what v10 has i don't know what version

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by mike46 gerry i read that it had mecsoft 3.0 that 's what v10 has i don't know what version

Alibre is good as far as having up to date plug-ins. It would probably be safe to say they are using the current version of mecsoft. I have been told by one of the Beta Testers that the Milling Package is limited but the full blown package that you can purchase is much better.

Have you thought about BobCAD/CAM V21 or V22 for A CAM Package??? BCC works well with Alibre.

[tjones]

The V10 Expert has the milling package but it has limited capabilities. It is an adddon powered by Mecsoft but it is like a light version. You can purchase the full blown version from Mecsoft directly though. However we use Alibre for design and Bobcad for machining.

Boibcad also has some pretty nice surfacing tools that compliment Alibre's solid parametric modeling. For us they make a good team.

[MichaelHenry]

Alibre Expert V10 includes Alibre CAM, which is apparently based on Visual Mill Basic 5.0, though it may be limited a bit more than retail VM Basic 5.

There seem to be some issues with Alibre CAM but Mecsoft seems to be working on them and working on a minor update as well as an optional upgrade for more features.

A big limitation for me is that there seems to be no way to transpose an Alibre part to present different faces of the part to the Z-axis for vertical milling. At present you have to design the part so that the milled face is aligned properly in Z.

Mike

[tjones]

THERE IS A WAY!!!


The only current way to move the part around is by creating a second Part file. Lets just call this a machining only part file and you can use it as a standard for any part you wish to machine.

In this part file you simply do a Boolean Add of the part you wish to machine. Since it is a boolean operation you can now orient it in any way you see fit just like in assembly mode.

You can also 'save as' with this file and keep the machining info while removing one part and placing a new part or changing the orientation of the same part. Remember that since Alibre is parametric that when you change the original design and open the machining file it will update with the new part. This way it is easy to make changes but with a few more part files based on the original.

I would also label the part files based on the machining operation.....Top, Left Side, etc.. Personally I create a sub folder called machining where these machining files are located. This way I don't clutter my CAD directory.

[MichaelHenry]

That's doable but it seems to me that programs should make tasks simpler, not more complicated.

Mike

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by MichaelHenry That's doable but it seems to me that programs should make tasks simpler, not more complicated. Mike

LOL, isn't that the truth. At present I just import into BCC and Translate and Rotate if needed.

All and all Alibre is still good software!!

[osphoto]

I'm using V10 Pro with the Cam. Works great for me as I'm a novice user.

Currently, I'm wanting to update my cam for more features/wants/needs. So I'm looking at going VM6.0 and was looking at BobC.

BC, wasn't able to control the dept of the Z cut. I asked them to demo that portion but that didn't work. I want to produce two sided parts so, need that control. Anyone that could offer help on BC?

So far, Visual Mill 6 (demoing) will work fine.

As for two sided parts in Alibre, use the method mentioned above post in creating the boolean. Works great specially for multi sided parts. It also helps cover up poor design methods.

The reason Alibre is doing this is because of the parametric modeling. Imagine changing your "z" axis on a part and then pulling up your assemblies! You think the rubic cubes was fun.