Transitioning from HSMworks to Featurecam

[Anonymous]

Hey guys --

I am an avid HSMworks user who finally drank the Koolaid and jumped (up??) to Featurecam.  Mainly because I just got an okuma 5ax, and since AD seems to have stopped all meaningful development on HSM products, I need some more robust 5 ax toolpath options.  

But this transition is really clunky.  It feel like FC is really manual and seemingly requires a lot of repetition and WAY more clicks to get started.  My FC VAR is a GREAT FC user but doesn't seem to be very familiar with the HSM line and thus doesnt seem to get my questions comapring the apple to the orange, so I have stopped asking.  A lot of 'great' features in FC are also in HSMworks (eg reordering for tool number).  

I really want to love FC.  Are there others of you out there that made the jump from HSM product to FC and if so, any advice on how to start loving this product?  Also, the tooling library.  It would be really awesome to be able to leverage all that information and time spent in HSM to convert over to FC.  Are there any tools to help with this?   Maybe I'm a tooling snob (or still bitterly fighting the transition), but Im not sure how many people spent $100-$200 K on a cnc mill to run 2 flute HSS tooling at 30 ipm in alum as it seems to recommend.  

Another question on tooling, has anyone in featurecam found any great tooling resources for downloading manufacturers tooling?  Helical supports F360 and HSM but not FC / PM yet.  I dont think the big guys, like Sandvik or Seco have anything for anyone.  But any help would be appreciated.  

[kelbie.ockey]

A lot to unpack here...

First, congrats on jumping to FC. I'm extremely biased, but I think FC is one of the best CAM systems out there - but that's probably just because that's what I learned on.

To your point about repetitive clicks....that's interesting as one of FC's core benefits is the automation of repetitive tasks through feature-based programming. I would be interested in hearing more specifics on what you are finding repetitive.

I can't speak to the HWMWorks to FC transition, as I have not been through that. I can say that coming from a SW background and learning FC, I felt like it was a very intuitive transition to think about 'features' rather than operations, if that makes sense.

As for tooling, FC comes with a few default tool cribs. Basic, which is a standard assortment of common tools found in shops, basic metric, which is the same but for metric tooling, and tools which is a combination of the two. I always recommend building your own personal crib by taking similar tools from those defaults. It's a fair amount of work in the front end (no HSM to FC import tool exists to my knowledge), but is very worth it in the long haul. While a standard import of a given tool manufacturers tooling doesn't exactly exist, chances are the same tool already exists in the default libraries (e.x. a 0.5" BEM) and just needs to be honed into your exact specifications.

As for feeds and speeds - I can't disagree. FC's default values were first input years ago, and certainly do not reflect modern tooling. I always personally recommend defining feeds and speeds at the tool level, vs. the material level, as it is so incredibly dependent on what tool you are running.

Hopefully, some of this info is helpful. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask and I'm happy to answer.

I do think that it may be worth it for you to jump into a class to get you up to speed quickly. Do you know who your reseller is? Most of our partners offer standard training as a service. 

[ChristopherMarion]

@Anonymous 

I can definitely relate to an adjustment in learning.  I am a PowerMill user by nature and used this system for many years to program my parts.  Learning FeatureCAM on top of PowerMill was a really big hurdle, in fact, I really disliked FeatureCAM at first.  Now, I really like it because of the robustness of the software and quick programming.  I can't think of another system that will program your simple parts quicker.

I just started really diving into Fusion 360 and I like it too.  The ability to just pick pocket edges or holes is great, but it still can't pack the same punch that FeatureCAM can deliver. 

HSM, PowerMill, Fusion 360, MasterCAM, etc.... are all operational CAM systems that take a lot of planning and programming, while FeatureCAM is a feature based CAM system like Kelbie pointed out.  The system is already set up for automating your 2.5D programming and turning.  That's where the time saving comes in.

Since you are more interested in the 5 axis functionality, there really is a whole other side of FeatureCAM.  Surface milling allows you to machine more complex 3-dimensional parts (3 axes, 3+1, 3+2, and 4 & 5 axes simultaneous).  When you are surface milling, the feature-based programming is basically throughout and you gravitate back to operational based programming.

I'd highly suggest you inquire about training from an Autodesk partner.  In the meantime, look into how Machining Attributes and Configurations play a role in FeatureCAM's decision making.  Also, like Kelbie mentioned, the speeds and feeds can be stored at the tool level which FeatureCAM will respect first before the material default speeds and feeds.

Lastly, the forum here is a great place to ask questions.  Keep them coming and we'll keep answering 😉

[kgueorguiev]

I made the switch from HSMWorks to FeatureCam about 3 years ago when I started working at a new machine shop, and it took me some time to start appreciating FC properly. FeatureCAM seems faster and simpler to use, at least for the type of work that I do (less complex one-off parts that need to be set up quickly, vs the more complex production run parts I did before). I like the stock material selection that automatically generates feeds and speeds for the specified material. It saves me the time of having to research and optimize what speeds/feeds I need to use for a metal that I have never machined before. (Especially when cycle times are not that important). Automatic feature recognition is nice, though I don't use it as much as I'm supposed to since there's still quite a bit of tinkering around to do with the feature properties after they are recognized. Duplicating/copying features and setups from one to another is a breeze, as is creating stock and X/Y/Z coordinate systems. 

There are a lot of little things that bug me and have always bugged me when transitioning from HSMWorks: not being able to put notes on your features, can't put a manufacturer name and tool# on your tools, not being able to make automatic calculations (typing in "25/2" or "25mm" like in SolidWorks doesn't do anything), etc. I prefer the graphics and Tool Crib of HSMWorks to FeatureCAM. Sketching is one thing that is definitely better in HSMWorks. I've always found FeatureCAM's drawing tools frustrating to use, and I don't like how most features automatically generate Curves that are dumped in with the rest of your Curves in the same location.  I think generating Curves from Features should be optional.

That being said, I think FeatureCAM is better suited to the types of parts I have to make now than HSMWorks would've been, though also keep in mind that HSMWorks was the first CAM software I ever learned to use and I haven't used it for couple years now. In that time FeatureCAM has introduced a number of improvements. I'm sure all CAMs have their pros and cons relative to the type of work that you do. I encourage you to get more into FeatureCAM using the four main online resources that are available: this forum, Youtube, Instructables, and the FeatureCAM Help page.