Can anyone please give me some feedback on the use of Hypermill within Solidworks. I am particularly interested in how it handles parts and assemblies which have been copied and the modified. As a formed Pro-E user I am looking for something that works as well in this area. Most of our work is 2.5D milling so the higher end functionallity is not required.

Are you a hyperMILL user in ProE?

No. My experience was using the embedded CAM program Pro-Mfg within Pro-E

"I am particularly interested in how it handles parts and assemblies which have been copied and the modified."

Can you be more specific with what you are looking for. It has been years since I have opened ProE and it would not be acurate for me to draw comparisions. Modified in which way and do you need to maintain association to the parent files? What is the intent?

Keith

Hi!

Are you looking for a fully integrated SolidWorks CAM-solution, please have a look at SolidCAM (www.solidcam.com)

All feature geometry (sketches, surfaces, solids, coordinate systems, planes etc.) are usable in the CAM work. Make a 2D scetch and use it for milling a path, and choose the bottom plane to control the milling depth.

After a modification of a CAM-used geometry you'll get a question of update the CAM-job. If yes you'll syncronize and recalculate and the CAM job are also modyfied.
Modify the sketch and move the bottom plane, the CAM job is then modyfied also and you just need to POST it out to the machine.

You could also use configurations, as different manufacturing stages or as stock / target definition.

You could very easily define fixtures, vices and clamps as you go along with the CAM-work as you've already SolidWorks open and are inside. Very useful to control forbidden areas for tool movement, or see the fixture as well as the part when simulate tool path.

Hole recognition is a very strong tool to find holes, directions, as groups containing same dimension and geometry types (counter sunk, blind hole, treaded etc.)

Use templates for your work, just load your favourite way to make the work, all is preset and you'll just need to specify the new geometry and change whatever you need, done in almost no time. Tool library is both as global or local, all data pre-set.

SolidCAM ranges from 2.5D to full 5-axis sim movement with a extremly nice way to control what you're doing and what you want to do. The output is really fast and accurate, and POST's are open for modify if needed any special outputs.

Version 12 is just out, check it !

Best regards
Piobaire

Piobaire,

I think you must have miss read the topic on this thread. Please note that it doesn't mention anything in regards to SolidCAM in SolidWorks. Please stick to the topic if you actually have pertinent information.

Please also pay note that I have used all four SolidWorks integrated CAM platforms. While drawing comparisons between systems or throwing out a series of random feature is easy to do, but these software’s are two completely different leagues pertaining in specific to features, functionality and stability.

Yes try SolidCAM and the others as I have and the software and integration will speak for itself. Open Mind designed hyperMILL with Integration in Mind and develops its technologies still today as opposed to trying to integrate third or fourth party technology that multiple other CAM systems also incorperate. Open Mind is a leader in CAM technology and typically sets a proverbial bar for others systems.

...for stepping on your toes! Are you a Openmind reseller ? ;-)
You could also add "Price" on those different leagues. It always comes to what you're looking for in integration, functionallity and price.

BR
/Piobaire

As I investigated Integrated solutions I have had the opportunity to have looked at price lists. All I can say hyperMILL is competitive and in some cases very competitive.

"It always comes to what you're looking for in integration, functionallity and price."

Yes it is always what you are looking for in a software. It is a tool just like any other. Yes I am a reseller but I am also a Tool and Die Mold Maker by trade and believe that this warrants a certain amount of value to my opinion. One thing that alot of people seems to forget or atleast neglect to think of is that a tool is just that, we all won't pick the same one for the task at hand. Some of us will even right tool, lets use a wrench for this example. Some will pick an adjustable, some may pick an open ended and other will use the boxed end as it has the best success and result.

Each software will speak for itself and differently based on what it's intended use will be and the set of variables that each user places on its use. As a general I choose to represent hyperMILL, not because it was convinent but because it offers the roundest CAM solutions (not just SW integrated). The people that back the software are some of the best in the industry as it is not just about the software as it stands today it is and will remain to be about evolution. What kind of foundation does your software have?!

Yes, but when I investigate a SW integrated CAM-solution around 2004-2005, Hypermill was not even on the map. Don't get me wrong, I don't say it's a bad system in any way. Depends what you're going to do, which tool would be best for the job.

BR
/Piobaire

"SW integrated CAM-solution around 2004-2005"

Agreed, but that is not to say hyperMILL was not around, it was integrated into Inventor, ProE and Catia. The fact that it is now integrated into SolidWorks doesn't mean that it is an infant in it's capabilities.

Keith

Thanks for your answers. I was hoping to get an idea on how well it sits inside SW. I am hoping to be able to easily copy parts with a CAM program and modify the copy without having to do much work on the CAM program to manufacture the new part. (DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?)

As a gold partner product, hyperMILL works directly on the SolidWorks part model and react associatively to changes.

The CAM strategies remain and will just need an update calculation.

Of course, if the model is dramatically changed, the process may be a bit more involved, but existing process data can still be reused.

Thanks Alan. While your on does HyperMill have AFR. I have had some experience of this and it can be a bit hit and miss depending on the features in the part. Also what is it like for assembly machining of multiple parts and does the CAM data stay with the part or is it like SolidCam which creates another part?

Sure I'd say our AFR is very good, but in reality the best would be to try it out yourself.

hyperMILL stays with the SolidWorks model (part or assembly), not a copy.

Cheers Alan for your info. As I said prevoius I am a former user of Pro-Mfg. And if HyperMill performs as well as that did on copied programs I will be "well chuffed" (Northern English for quite pleased).

I've been using Hypermill in Solidworks for a few months now and I can't imagine it being any better integrated. I came from using Mastercam and Hypermill is just as good at making geometry, sketches, check surfaces, etc. to assist in creating the toolpaths you want. It can calculate one toolpath while you work on another, but most of the time it calculates very quickly anyway. All the toolpaths are saved in one file so you don't need to copy a folder full of files if you want to take it home. I typically get the file from the designer, then save a copy with HM at the end so I don't take a chance at changing the designer's work. Their service is excellent, they don't make stuff up. If your question can't be answered locally(this happened once with us), they will get the answer from the headquarters in Germany. Being in the US, it works great for us because we can ask the question at the end of our day, and have the answer the next morning, because Germany is 9 hours ahead of us. We have Mastercam, Powermill, and Hypermill, and Hypermill has the best service, with no BS. I would recommend it, and no, I'm not a reseller.

Thanks Divaliket. What I would like to know is do you use copied parts and assemblies with CAM data and how does it handle modified features. I want to reduce the programming input as much as possible on parts where the features are slightly modifed from the donor they were copied from.

Hypermill job steps handle modified features well. To use a job step in conjunction with boundaries and stop faces and the like requires care in the setup. The associativity and programmability is there for solving parametric machining problems if you so choose to learn it and use it.


Cheers
SF