We are looking into software for turning and milling. Anyone have thoughts on SolidCAM vs SolidWorks CAM pro? This is for a VTL machine.
Not sure what a VTL is?
we are in this delema ourselves since HSMWorks is being shutoff March 2028, and you now long can get it if you didn’t befoe March 2025.
SWCAM you get with subscription, Pro a cost and then what they don’t support you have to jump to CAMWorks for things like MILL Turn and Swiss.
SolidCAM has different levels too. now you know you can try it with SolidCAM Maker for free, light version but you can try and see if you like it. I know Ken Meritt the COO, he and I we both surfcam users here in AZ then he worked for them as an AE…..now a COO @solidCAM, he knows his stuff, maybe you can talk to him?? trll him lenny sent ya.
now both you probably have to pay for a post not sure if there’s one for your machines.
we get SWCAMPRO with our EDU so most likely thats the way were going as we have 8000 seats here at ASU.
best of luck
lenny
Vertical Turning Lathe, We have th base CAM license that comes free. Turning however requires an upgrade to Pro, not sure if it supports VTL though. More to figure out.
The post will be the thing that make it work, what brand is the VTL?
might have to have a custom post made.
1 Like
We are also just now looking to move to CNC so I opened my big mouth and said that Solid-Doesn’t-Works had a CNC program included that we can use. As I am going through the tutorial most of the icons I am instructed to use are grayed out. From what I see above, am I to take it that we need SW CAM Pro for turning and only the mill is supported with the base version? That would figure.
Yes. Turning is part of SOLIDWORKS CAM Professional. Standard includes only 2.5 Axis milling, Area Clear Roughing, Flat Area and Z-Level Finishing.
1 Like
For what its worth, our manufacturing guys just purchased SolidCAM over Cam/Works Pro. They felt it was more capable with turning and had more training videos available.
1 Like
Well, that is almost to be expected these days. Thank you for the replys guys.
There is also BOBCAM for SolidWorks….
SWCAM you need to be on subscription, to due any upper level toolpath you have to jump to CAMWorks, SWCAM PRO still doesn’t give enough options.
SolidCAM we just got EDU entitlement of 100 seats, over winter break is tutorial time.
so here is my last suggestion, take it or not. Fusion 360 is $680\year the CAM is the same as HSMWorks (now dead) if you have to use more than 3+2 mill and standard lathe it’s $2,040/year, AD has a ton of posts for no cost where you’ll have to pay the others for post.
best of luck on your search
lenny
EDIT: we use Fusion 360 for programming our lathe and 5 axis HAAS
2 Likes
I already had a F360 subscription, so picking that as my CAM solution was a no brainer.
1 Like
This is all cloud tools with your files stored in the cloud or is it local?
If you are using SW and then uploading to Fusion to do CAM those are in the cloud, but your SW files are not. Fusion isn’t ITAR compliant but OnShape is.
Machining parts with fusion is just like using any other CAM not internal to a CAD system, make a change and then import again and repick to machine.
It works fine for us because we used HSMWorks since 2012 and CAM in Fusion looks and works the same with a lot of new enhancements that were never ported to HSMWorks.
1 Like
The design is still uploaded which is like a big no-non here. It would take an act of congress to get approved. They just recently blocked the Canva website as some departments I guess were using it to edit company pictures, probably marketing or some customer facing groups.
Yes, I just received a message from our Var that said that if we were using a basic lathe CAM Pro would do what we want. With the post processor it is a little under $4000 with $750 maintenance. I didn’t like the “basic” part in case we ever want to increase what we want to do.
Jim, you can get all that for $680 a year in Fusion 360 and there is probably alreay a post for free. if you can cloud why break the bank. we use it with SW all the time for our lathe work, mill 3-5 axis every day. I’m not a SWCAM\CAMWorks fan.
I used to say to others CON-Fusion, now I tell them I am ON-Fusion 
SolidCAM I am still getting my head around it.
JMO
Lenny,
That could be a good idea but, the “If you can cloud” is the hangup. The company is still reluctant to go that route. Our rural setting with as yet still unreliable internet service it probably the main reason but they have not been interested in even considering cloud based services.
Jim
1 Like
There’s that too….