Camwork 2006 vs Cw2007

[scott4tg]

I have a general question regarding CW2006 and CW2007. We are currently using CW2006 w/SP3. We have the upgrade to CW2007 but are hesitant about installing. If it is not broke don't fix it! My Camworks instructor told me there were a lot of bugs in 2007. I was wondering if anybody could give me their opinions on this. What is different, what is better, what is not better and so on. Is it worth the headache of upgrading.

Thanks in advance.

Scott4tg

[ltmquik]

Scott,
You can load CW2007 in parallel with CW2006. Just be sure to save the parts with a seperate name so you can go back to 2006. When you load CW2007 be sure to immediately install the latest SP as the initial release was very buggy.

[scott4tg]

Thanks for the info. I guess what I am looking for is someone to go out on a limb and tell me if there is a good reason to upgrade. Are there big differences in CW2007 that would make it worth while.

regards,

Scott4tg

[ltmquik]

I think that any "upgrade" should be just that and upgrade. There are some better features and they (CAMWorks) are always adding new features. I suggested that you install the 07 version so you could run the two and you could make the choice as to which is better on your own without wiping out your existing parts.

What I think is better in 2007 may not prove as such to someone else. Bottom line is that I personally think that it is better but then again, I like to keep up to date with the latest items.

[Skillet]

Is CamWorks what you would recommend? I have used several other programs, but I am thinking about switching. I already use SolidWorks, so I am thinking this software might be a good choice. We do a lot of surface milling, so I don't want software with glitches.

Thanks,

Skillet

[ltmquik]

Don't be fooled, they all have glitches. We have been using CAMWorks for about five (5) years. It is very powerful but you have to spend alot of time tayloring the TechDB to suit your own needs. It will work right out of the box however, you will eventually be doing what I described above.

The 3D+ surfacing is good. You will need to have a VERY powerful high end computer, at least 4 GB of RAM and minimum 1GB Video RAM.

There is a feature called Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR) that CAMWorks seems to push. It is suposed to automatically take features and assign particular milling operations to them. In my opinion the AFR is a waste of time and effort. One ends up doing so much modifying to the operations it creates that it is faster to just start from the base. Also, this feature does not work for 3D+ features.

Last fall we purchased a seat of SurfCAM to fill the gaps that CAMWorks leaves. So far, with the two (2) different packages, we can achieve most anything.

[Skillet]

Thanks for the assist! I work at a university down south. Luckily, we get an educational discount. I use FeatureCam, for the most part. We also, use Esprit for our wire. I am a Solidworks user, which I love. I have heard a lot about CamWorks, so that is where the interest is. When DelCam bought FeatureCam they began integrating PowerMill with FeatureCam. It turns out very buggy! The algorithms are different, so the end result is a file that can have problems. Especially, on surfaces! I have been invited to a 2 day CamWorks seminar, so I will be able to make a decision, afterwards.

Thanks again!

[ltmquik]

My advice to you and others is to take a part you are working on and have the person demoing CAMWorks use your part. So often these guys demo the software using their "canned" parts that they have taylored for years.

[Skillet]

Jim,

I did not get any info on the TechDB. Do I need to use that, or is it just the way to customize it for my machine?

Thanks,

Skillet

[cnc@52]

Support problems with Camworks. Difficult to talk directly with their support. I think it would be best to have direct access number rather than going through reseller who may be good at Solidworks but not a machininst. I'm looking at Virtual Gibbs for that reason alone. They offer direct support line.

[SHenthorn]

the Tech DB is a wonderful tool. I find myself using it to add or things in it at least ten times a day just to help with the fine tuning of Camworks. The tech DB is what is used to help your AFR (automatic feature recognition) recognize operations with your part. Once you start to understand the Tech DB you will be amazed at how much your AFR can do.

[ltmquik]

To answer your question, yes you do need the TechDB. You do not however need to modify it to use CAMWorks. As mentioned above, when one gets familar with CW and starts to customize the TechDB it can be a very powerful tool. This is especially true if one does alot of similar parts.