I've been learning CamWorks the hard way, sort of the try-it-and-figure-out-as-I-go way, and ran into a few stumbling blocks. I haven't managed to get the the level of control that I would like: details like rotating the tool carousel to the prior tool after a tool change (that is, positioning the machine for a collision), manually adding %'s at the beginning and end of programs...

These seem like shop or at least machine-specific customizations, and I couldn't readily find anything in the TDB or the CamWorks help or options, etc, that seemed even remotely related.. So where do you look for answers to these questions? Good book? Good website? Good mossy rock?

Thanks.

Camworks generates the tool paths.
When you simulate the tool path in camworks, you see the second to last thing camworks does for you.

The last step in the process is generating the GCode. You have to tell camworks what type of CNC machine yu use. It will then use a file called a Postprocessesor to convert the toolpaths to make g-code.

In order to get gcode to suit your CNC machine you have to modify this postprocessor file.

Camworks has a program hidden in the directory to do this. the program is called UPG. do a search for "post.exe"

UPG will allow you to customise your Gcode.

The bad news is that you will have to do more "learning the hard way"

what type of machine do you have?

Thank you. Found & fixed, & then broke a few other things, centerdrills mostly, & then fixed again. So it goes.

We've a Hardinge VMC1000 w/ 3-axis spindle, Fanuc OM.

Two new problems and a quick question:

- If I enable CNC compensation in the toolpath edit definition->NC tab, camworks will use G41/2, put out the toolpaths fine, but instead of 'D (tool diameter variable)' it does 'H (tool diameter variable).' Which would be rather nasty for the holder. It's doubly inconvenient because we recently got an order of undersized carbide endmills (pretty consistently .002-.003 too narrow), which would be almost trivial to work around with CNC compensation. It's not much work to use toolpath compensation and tell camworks the proper diameter, but it means that the program files are customized for a specific endmill: Even though our shop does predominately limited-run speciality work (2-4 of the same part, or less), we hang on to all of our old programs.

- In UPG, there's a section to add gcode for a program stop. But there's nothing for restarting a program: If the program stop falls in between two operations with the same tool, camworks doesn't add anything to restart the spindle, reset tool height offset, etc; I had a pretty embarassing crash, all feeding in Z, pushing a brand new carbide endmill completely up into the holder, holder hitting the part... while aircutting two inches up.

I added GCode to the program stop section to restart the spindle/coolant and reselect the tool, which looked as though it would work (put out the right tool number), but I couldn't get the height offset in the right place; it seemed that I was starting to hardcode something that should really be more fluid if you're going to the trouble of using CAM. And besides that, I don't really want random tool lines without a tool comment, and for whatever reason the tool number was right but the tool comments would not show up. It really seems as though there should either be another section for program start, or some way to force a gratiutious tool change at the start of a feature. The workaround to date has just been to reorganize operations until the tool after the stop is different from the tool before the stop.

- Finally, where do you tell camworks what work coordinates to use? It's chosen G54 with a vengeance.

thanks again,
--gv.