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This Web site is dedicated to the thousands of "users" of my programs, those who have helped test my programs over the last 22 or so years, and especially those who shared their experiences with me.
You must read this notice: This is a licensed Web site (HTML document and associated files). You must read and agree to be legally bound in contract by the Terms of Use and conditions given in the End User License Agreement ("EULA"), Legal Notices, Instructions, Warnings, Disclaimers, and all other text in "SECTION: 0" of "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) before reading or using any of the information, software programs, and or files, contained in, linked to, and or associated with, "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files). Any use or "Beta Testing" of "This Web Site" constitutes your acknowledgment of your full agreement with the current End User License Agreement ("EULA") and your decision to have this current license supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements and understandings. Information and files in "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) have been placed here so that long time users of "The Author's" programs DANCAD3D.COM (tm) , DANCAM.EXE (tm) , or DANPLOT.EXE (tm) could help proofread the text of the documentation files or screens displayed, and also help test data files, example files, and or any software programs that might be made available from time to time, to aid "The Author" in finding mistakes, bugs, and other errors, omissions, defects, mistakes, and faults. Everything in "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) is "Beta Test", "Beta Code", Experimental, Preliminary, requires proofreading, or is being evaluated for possible revision, and is NOT warranted to be free of defect. To help "The Author" report any bugs, foul-ups, defects, or mistakes that you find, see "SECTION: 8" for instructions. "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) and all other files and programs by Daniel H. Hudgins are made available "AS IS" without warranty of any kind express, expressed, or implied. All offers and specifications are subject to change or discontinuation without notice of any kind. Please read "SECTION: 8" of "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) before trying to contact "The Author."
SECTION: 7.10 is for some "general" information about CAM, CNC, or NC type automated machine tools, see also the program files in the current distribution of my programs, the other parts of this HTML documentation, and the current On- Line version of this Web site for information more specifically about my programs. Any comparisons of my programs or methods to some others is only given as a vague generality of my opinion and is not intended as a recommendation or reference to any particular products, always make your own evaluations and comparisons before taking any action.
Computers used for the control of a CAM machine tool generally need some kind of software to control the motion of a machine tool. Software used with CAM machines is generally divided into two parts: 1) creating the tool path, and 2) using the tool path to operate the machine.
Software for creating tool paths generally comes in about five types:
CAD programs that can draw the tool path directly as line segments for point to point movements such as my CAD programs DANCAD3D (tm) and DANCAD87 (tm). In my CAD programs you might try to draw out any sort of 3D movement, including quasi curves, by using a series of line segments, long or short. In my CAD programs you can write a macro program, or use the drawing editing commands, to produce the tool path drawing file, rather than draw all of the lines in the tool path manually.
CAD/CAM programs that make a "solid model" of the part to be manufactured and then will automatically generate the G code tool path file without the user needing to edit the tool path directly. The NC Fill Tri Path, a.k.a. FILL_TRIANGLES, command in my CAD programs, v2.7, might be used to convert a element of a surface made of triangles for "solid" hidden line display into part of a tool path element.
CAM G code editors that may have a "dialog" with the user to produce the right G codes, or may just be a text editor designed for editing G codes with features such as renumbering of lines (NC blocks) and a graphic preview simulation. My CAD programs, v2.7, have a G code output option that outputs G codes while you use some of the drawing commands so that you can see the tool path lines in the drawing editor as you save the G codes one by one. You can also use the Write command in my CAD programs to write a G code sub-set file, then load the G code file into the drawing workspace with the Files Load Industry G code command and look at the tool path lines with the drawing editor.
CAM software that lets the user "teach" the tool where to move when the part is later cut out by moving the tool around manually. My CAM programs DANCAM.EXE (tm) and DANPLOT.EXE (tm) have an option to make, i.e. teach, a tool path file by using the teach version of the Jog command to position the tool at an end-point of a line segment tool movement and then pressing a key to mark that point before moving on to the next point along the tool path. The teach command in my CAM programs may also have a quasi curve fitting feature that lets you mark several points on a curved surface, and then the program tries to make a "smooth" tool path quasi curved line through the marked points.
Scanning software that probes or measures a physical part and produces a tool path that can be used to duplicate the scanned part. My CAM programs have a replicate mode that lets you scan objects of images to make files that can be edited in my CAD programs to produce various kinds of tool path file.
The software program for generating the tool path is usually installed in the office computer, and the software program that operates the CAM machine is generally installed in the computer that is associated with the control electronics next to the automated machine tool on the shop floor. This division might be thought of going back to the draftsman wearing a white shirt sitting in the upstairs office of the factory, and the machinist on the shop floor with his blue or gray work clothes.
Some CNC systems are designed to be programed by the machinist himself, standing up and using a screen and keyboard or keypad on the automated machine tool, by selecting options from some menus to make common or frequently used shapes. My CAM programs have options in the Jog command to machine "canned cycles" or move the tool with a large DRO tool position display, so some types of semi-manual machining might be done on the shop floor that way. My CAM programs also have a teach mode that might be used to "record" the movements to make a part by the machinist, and then "play back" the taught tool path to make copies of the part.
Software for operating the machine generally comes in about five types:
A program that runs on a generic personal computer and uses the parallel port to send step pulse and direction signals to external electronics picked out buy the user. This type one software generally is one of the cheapest since no special computer hardware is needed, and is how my CAM programs operate.
A program that runs on a personal computer that uses a special interface card and connects to electronics packaged by the software manufacture.
A program that uses a card in the computer that has its own motion control micro controller chips so that the computer does not need to do all the motion control work.
A packaged NC control unit that is available separate from any particular machine, a "black box," that has a built in proprietary computer and generally would be serviced by its manufacture.
A proprietary computer with proprietary single purpose software "permanently" installed for the exclusive operation of an expensive commercial NC machine tool.
It is possible to slightly reduce the cost of the motion control motor driver circuitry by having the software output stepper motor "phase" signals in place of Step pulse and Direction from the parallel port, but since the cost difference can be less that ten dollars, and some commercial stepper and servo motor drivers may not readily work with phase signals, I decided to use the more universal Step pulse and Direction signals in my CAM software programs. Software that outputs TTL signal Step pulse and Direction signals, such as those you can get from the computer's parallel port, might let you pick from many manufactures' motor types and drivers, might let you upgrade to a faster type of motor later, might let you replace a burned out driver with a driver from a different manufacture, or might let you design your own driver circuits.
If you use CAM software that runs on a personal computer and the computer burns out, you might be able to install the CAM programs on another easily obtained personal computer and continue. If you use software that does not require a particular "special" card to be installed into your computer, you might not need to worry about single source issues if you later need a replacement. If you purchase proprietary products you might not have options for hardware interchangeability or substitution that commodity or generic products possibly present.
Since my CAM programs can be run on old "junk" computers, you probably do not need to worry very much about a proprietary CAM system's manufacture not having parts available in the future, since parts for "junk" IBM (tm) PC computers to run my CAD and CAM programs on will probably be available for some time to come. You should probably make a point of keeping backup copies of your files when using a "junk" computer in case the harddisk goes bad.
My software programs are generally distributed now as *.ZIP files that would be downloaded. After the software is downloaded, the programs would be installed on the computers that they will be used on. My CAM programs need to be configured to correspond to the computer and machine you will be using them with. The same would probably also be true for some other programs, except perhaps when you purchase a complete system that has already been configured for you. Since there are many options of how your machine can be constructed, you will need to work carefully through the configuration menus in my CAM programs to have my software operate the various aspects of your machine as you have configured. My CAM programs have some motor testing commands built in to help determine the fastest operational speed for your machine, as limited by the drive electronics and such. You should probably not try to configure your CAM software to run your machine too fast, or you may find problems when you try to make parts.
There are often different ways of getting the same result from using various kinds of software, or different commands in a given software, so you will need to learn the capabilities of the system and programs you now have and determine what you might require in addition. You might not need to acquire more software since the programs you have might be able to do the job if you use the commands available in a new or different sequence. In my programs you can always try to draw out the tool motions one by one, if you cannot find some other way of getting the result you are looking for.
My CAM software programs can display the tool position with a large DRO in the Jog tool into position and Teach tool path file commands. In order for the Z axis to be moved, i.e. to lower and raise the tool, with the Joy- Stick you need a Joy-Stick that has a throttle control, or a splitter cable (or dual port Joy-Stick board) and two Joy-Sticks, the Y axis of the second Joy-Stick will operate the Z axis.
The throttle control on the Joy-Stick in this photo is the triangular projection on the left side of the base, sliding it will make the tool move up or down at different speeds, when the triangular projection on the left side of the base is centered the tool will generally stop moving up or down. On very hot or cold days the center point on the Joy-Stick may drift, requiring the Joy- Stick configuration to be re-done.
Do not leave my CAM programs in a section, Jog screen, Teach mode, or menu that uses the Joy-Stick and leave the room since the Joy-Stick can drift and the motors on your automated machine might start turning spontaneously.
The Joy-Stick on some ISA slot sound boards might sometimes be used with my CAM programs, but you might have problems using the Joy-Stick port on PCI slot sound board cards since the card might need a driver, and your PCI sound card may not have a DOS driver available. Do not confuse a driver that runs under a multitasking operating system with a driver that will run under DOS, when I speak of DOS here I mean DOS, not DOS imitation.
The Joy-Stick port on multi-I/O cards generally supports only one Joy-Stick and not the normal two, so you will not be able to get the Z axis to work on these single Joy-Stick port boards. When you install a dual ISA slot Joy-Stick port card in a computer that has a single Joy-Stick port on its sound board or multi- I/O card you will need to "disable" the original Joy-Stick port, possibly by changing a jumper, dip-switch, cutting a link on the PCB foil, or changing a command line value in the call to the boards driver in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file.
