It also has an add-on to upgrade it to a CAD-CAM software. The software highlights the problems, so we can easily fix them.Īlso, no translation of file formats is necessary, simplifying the whole process considerably.īut what are those programs? And which one is suitable for your needs? Fusion 360Įveryone knows SolidWorks, the most popular computer-aided design program out there. So, having already touched the subject, we can easily find a lot of programs that have CAD-CAM capabilities.ĭesigning the parts with such programs helps us to go back and forth, getting feedback about the possibility to produce a certain part.

Having clarity helps us move on, as we are focusing only on milling and turning here. And talking about CNC is not limited to machining only. In short, every contemporary automated metal fabrication system uses this method. But computer numerical control finds use with other fabrication methods as well. CNC machining services include CNC milling and CNC turning. We have actually written a longer piece about this topic, giving an overview of CNC machining and CNC machines.īut let’s make a short summary here as well. CNC machining software, on the other hand, easily detects faces and surfaces that would be difficult to create using milling or turning. This last feature can be very powerful, as taking all the intricacies of CNC machining into account may be difficult for people. This way you can create your models, translate them to code and go back and forth between making changes and getting feedback on the producibility of parts. This means CAD software that also has CAM capabilities. Some are CAM only, meaning you can feed in the engineering drawings and models for translating it to CNC programs. There are a few different CAM packages to choose from. So these programs are the ones doing the coding part for you. CAM is an acronym of computer-aided manufacturing. But why risk making mistakes? Automating this part is easy with CAM software. It is, of course, possible to create the code on your own. Meaning that computers read the code and run the manufacturing machinery accordingly.

CNC stands for computer numerical control. CNC machining software is necessary to translate your drawings and CAD models into code.

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