Multiple sheet nestings

[Moondog]

Hope you guys can help me?

I have seen Artcam and really like the features especially the nesting.

Question: Can Artcam do Multiple Nestings? A friend of mine uses Alphacam in his business (cabinet doors) and he setup an Excel spreadsheet that uses Macros to export the Job details to his Alphacam.. for example , he receives an order for a custom lot of doors, enters this into Excel and then sends the code to Alphacam. He can enter details, nest all of the parts and send to the controller in a matter of minutes.

Can you set up Macros in Excel for example and then import the code into Artcam for nesting and G code production.

Or is there other programs out there more suitable. I could go Alphacam but the $20k pricetag is a bit high. Does Mastercam do it?....

I need this capability for business use?...

Cheers


Frans

[ger21]

Check out CadCode, http://www.cadcode.com. It will do nesting and can import excel files as .csv's. By using either a template, or macros, you should be able to do what you want. This depends on the parts you are making.
I think it's sold in seperate modules, but it should be a bit less than AlphaCAM. They don't have a lot of info on their website, though. You may want to call their Australian dealer and have him give you a demo.

[erase42]

Hi guys, Im interested in what you are discussing. If I Understand correctly this cadcode may be able to do what I need. Heres the task. I make arches cut out of foam with a cnc machine of my own design. I would like to be able to enter dimensions of arches into a list, length and height arch is basically all I need to define the radius. Then the hopeful next step would be for some program to take those numbers create a nest of those parts, then create the gcode for it. It seems that the nesting is the most expensive part of the process. Any input would be appreciated, it seem you have some experience in this or at least share a similar need.

Ed Rees
E3 Foam

[ger21]

You really should give them a call. I'm using an older version, which is capable of creating machine code from Excel spreadsheets. I don't use this feature, so I wouldn't be much help. Give them a call and ask.

[erase42]

What was the price range of what you are using?