Before making a decision on what CAM software to purchase, Jess Coleman experimented with the software that originally came with his new Atlas router. Using some programs downloaded from the internet, he could put his machine through all the motions. With that little experiment he could tell that the time spent manually writing programs, even in the latest version of that program, would negate the benefits of automatically manufacturing parts.
Then he asked around and found out what other people were using. After taking a closer look at one other package, he chose the entry-level version of Mastercam Router.
In this case, the software had two other things going for it. The local reseller was located only a mile from Jess' shop and he was familiar with the Atlas router and would be able to provide a postprocessor for the CAM software that would work seamlessly with the machine's Fanuc controller.
The reseller spent the better part of a day at the shop setting up the router and showing Jess how to use it. Then he spent most of the weekend getting familiar with his new tool and the basic software functions. And that was it. He now had CNC router capabilities.
Since that time, Jess has not gone back for formal training in using the CAM software, although he knows it is available. Every time a new capability is required, he figures it out for himself. If he gets stuck, which is not often, Jess picks up the phone and calls the dealer who will either give him a few pointers on the spot or come over and show him what needs to be done.
At present, the router is used on an as-needed basis that amounts to about eight hours a week. With the software's ATP (automatic toolpathing) capabilities it takes Jess almost no time at all to import a drawing from AutoCAD and create the cutting program. Now that he is more familiar with the program, Jess believes that its drafting capabilities are comparable to AutoCAD, and he is creating some of his drawings directly in Mastercam.
Does it even pay to have a CNC router that you only use 8 hours a week? "Absolutely," he said, "We do work for other shops that don't have routers and we will cut parts and templates for them. We get tons of requests for stuff that needs a real quick turn-around. Often it's somebody who comes in and needs something right away. So I will sit down and draw something up and send it to the router. I rarely have to start from scratch. I can usually pull up a similar piece and use most of the settings I used before."
In addition to making his own business more productive and opening up opportunities to make parts for other shops, the new software and router make it possible for Jess to compete in a totally new business area, cabinetry. These tools allow James River Millwork to efficiently manufacture a lot of different parts of various sizes quickly. I
n addition, the software's automatic nesting capabilities are a real money saver. In one case he did eight sets of kitchen cabinets that would have required 60 sheets of prefinished plywood if it were done on a table saw. With nesting, all of the parts were produced using just 50 sheets. At $50 per sheet that amounted to a savings of $500 on this one job, not to mention the labor savings attributable to CNC manufacturing. He anticipates the utilization of his router and CAM software to grow substantially in the months ahead. Jess said he's looking forward to it because "it's my cheapest employee." |