which controller to use?

[willhrt]

hi

im part of a small team trying to get a CNC milling machine working in an art school in london. the machine were using is a "unimatic educam" (forty-something) 4-axis machine. we have been having troubles using delcam powermill to create toolpaths and kaye (part of the galaad package) to control the mill.

We are looking to use another controller preferably shareware of freeware as out money has run out, or a package which has the toolpath creation and mill controller rolled into one. We'd like somehting simple and stable as students who dont care too much for the process will be using it.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[DareBee]

Fagor 8040 control comes to mind as a machine control that is easy to program using the built in conversational software.
$15000 here. I think the pound is worth abouy 2 of my $.
I may be wrong but IMO anything that you are going to coble up out of free controls and software will be a terrible training tool.
There will be idiosyncreses, and glitches to work around all the time and it will not be straightforward to use, this will frusturate and alienate the students and is not representative of todays working CNCs.
If you are not teaching the CNC itself then my above point is moot, Do as you will.