New WorkNC forum

[Dan B]

Thanks! Hopefully we can attract some WorkNC users here. I will contact our WorkNC support and let them know that this forum exists. Hopefully he can direct his customers here.

Dan

[ynneb]

Good stuff Dan. Why dont you tell us all about WorkNC.
What is it?
Is it software ? Is it hardware?
Can you give us some links to check out?
Lavish us with some information.

[Dan B]

www.sescoi.com

WorkNC is a high-end CAM software widely used in the mold, tool and die and fixture industries. It is capable of producing 2 axis, 3 axis, 3+2 axis and simultaneous 5-axis toolpaths. It has automatic stock recognition, machine simulation, a newly introduced 3D stock model, user friendly post-processor configuration and a whole lot more.

It also comes with CAD software called WorkNC-CAD which has some great features. I'm not real familiar with the CAD side of it, as we are heavily into using Rhino. I will say though, that if we were still surfacing with Cadkey/Fastsurf, WorkNC-CAD would have been a huge step forward.

We have been using WorkNC since it's early days 10 years ago. It started as a DOS program, and we have seen it evolve into a very impressive program.

We took a look at PowerMill based on recommendations from the supplier of our new 5-axis machine, but we came to the conclusion that we couldn't beat WorkNC for the type of work we do. (No offense to the Delcam guys who lurk in the background but never post- this is not a hack on your product!)

I have sent an e-mail to Steve, my WorkNC support guy. Hopefully he will direct some of his customers here, or even become a member himself.

Dan

[kad2kam]

I have used WorkNC in my previous job and must say it's one of the greatest CAM package ever used. We created many custom scripts to customise according to our needs e.g.
creating tool library database and program automatically picks the suitable tool if available in the library.

Creating automatic HTML operation sheets (which is part of package now a days) I'm talking 6yrs ago.

Creating automatic setup sheets for electrode manufacturing like working out the blank sizes, center of the block ... make them really handy for clamping on 3R system.

I haven't used the package for last couple of years, not sure what they upto now. We used UG for CAD so never looked at the CAD side. Anyway their speciality is in CAM side.

[Dan B]

Hi Kad2Kam,

Welcome to CNCZone!

I'm pretty impressed with the new version (16). I especially like the new 3D stock model that allows you to machine from various axis, and have the software automatically calculate the remaining stock for the next cut. In the world of 5-axis, this is a must.

There is a new graphical tool library that is pretty sweet too.

Dan

[kad2kam]

That's interesting, I might go to my old company and have a good look. Unfortunately we use only 3-axis machining and I know they did lot of work on tool library and holders in last few revisions.

Kevin

[rolinjunk]

reply to dated posting

Hey you worknc heads. I have used the software since the dos version also.
It is so easy to use I have convinced advanced cam users several times to abandon
their clunky system and buy from Sescoi. I have taught many cnc operators how
to become programers in hours. I think the product is strong. It does tend to jump around quite alot and we nicknamed it work-nocontrol. The edit function is great
and like I tell new users right away.......just trust it. Do not leave any holes or it will
try to cut the table.

later

rolin

[Dan B]

Do not leave any holes or it will try to cut the table.

This is not necessarily true. If you have a hole in a surface the tool will "waterfall" until the radius wraps around the edge, then it will retract. If your detail is thin, (less than the radius of the tool) then yes, it will hit the table. If you use a machining plane at the table level, then yes, it will cut the table. I would venture to say that any CAM system will cause problems if you don't use it correctly.

Dan

[pbrey]

Am in the process of deciding between WorkNC and PowerMILL.
WorkNC will let us try it out for 30 days - no charge,
while PowerMILL will only let us see demo CD's.
Both came in with about the same price, so that's not an issue.
Anyone out there have any opinions they would like to share?
Thanks.......

[Dan B]

Ask the Delcam rep why you can't demo it. I went through the same thing a couple of years ago. We had to buy it to try it, and when we were not convinced that it was better than WorkNC, they gave me some grief. They seem like nice guys when they are trying to make the sale, but if you ask for your money back, they start pouring on the pressure to keep the sale.

Support was horrendous too. It took 5 or 6 weeks to get a post for our Fadal, and all the promises of helping us through the transition went unfulfilled. They justified this by crying about how busy they were. Whatever the reason, the bottom line was that I didn't get what was promised.

It was an all-around bad experience. Not that PowerMill was a bad product, because it wasn't. It just didn't seem superior enough to WorkNC to justify the expense and time loss of switching over. That's what a free demo would have proven, without the hassle. We even sent guys for training at our expense, so we did take this quite seriously.

Always demo software of this magnitude before you buy. If they won't let you, then walk away.

Hope this helps.

Dan

[pbrey]

Thanks Dan,
I value your input as I have read many of your posts.
I've used WorkNC back in Version 98 and 99 and V17 looks interesting.
PowerMILL seems to be the rave everyone is talking about, but
I'm leaning more towards WorkNC because that's all they do... WorkNC.
Are you running V17? How is the 2 axis for pocketing and holes?
I really don't want to have another package for that.
Also, is .stp included with the V17 basic translator package?
It would be nice to keep the model in a solid instead of .igs.

[Dan B]

Yes, there is a lot of hype about PowerMill these days. For the record, the incident I spoke of was the 3rd time we had taken a look at Powermill, spanning probably 10 years or so, and we keep coming to the conclusion that WorkNC is worth sticking with for what we do. PowerMill has come a long way over the years, and is an impressive software. The way this last incident was handled by the Delcam guys has burned bridges. In other words, there won't be a 4th look at it while I'm CAM manager!

Yes, we are using V17. It is a far superior product than what you have experienced back with version 98 and 99. 2-axis pocketing is superb, and for holes, it has automatic feature recognition. It will automatically drill, ream, tap etc. It's a bit of a pain to set up, but it will be worth it.

V17 has full simultaneous 5-axis capabilities, and something called "Auto-5" which will convert 3-axis toolpaths to 5-axis automatically.

STP is an optional translator that is not included. I'm not sure what the price is on that, as we use IGES from Rhino for our surfaces.

Realistically, the 2 products are both very good. As you probably know, support is very important with CAM software. That in itself makes WorkNC a winner over PowerMill, in my opinion.

Dan