QCAD/CAM versus QCAD - Sheetcam

Discussions around the CAM Add-On of QCAD.

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newinwit
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Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 3:36 pm

QCAD/CAM versus QCAD - Sheetcam

Post by newinwit » Thu Jun 05, 2014 12:02 am

Hello All. I am deciding whether or not to purchase the CAM Add-On. Can anyone give me some advice?
We are a very small machine shop making gardening tools on a tight budget. We currently use QCAD Pro for .dxf, then Sheetcam to produce the G-code for our Arclight Dynamics plasma table. If we spring for the CAM, what kinds of changes/improvements should we expect in our process? And, importantly, how complicated/challenging will it be to set up CAM so it makes G-code that our table can use?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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andrew
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Re: QCAD/CAM versus QCAD - Sheetcam

Post by andrew » Thu Jun 05, 2014 9:22 am

QCAD/CAM is mainly interesting for two categories of users at this point:
- users who only require the simple G-Code produced by the example configuration
- users with development experience or access to developers who can implement the required functionality for their machines

Please note that QCAD/CAM does not do tool path cutter compensation, pocketing or customizable ramp on / ramp off at this point. So any such advanced feature would have to be implemented on your end.

More out of the box features are planned for QCAD/CAM. However, there is no schedule yet.

Note that you can upgrade from QCAD Professional to QCAD/CAM anytime. Simply contact me to receive an upgrade coupon code to get a discount for the QCAD Professional price when purchasing QCAD/CAM.

newinwit
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Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 3:36 pm

Re: QCAD/CAM versus QCAD - Sheetcam

Post by newinwit » Sun Jun 08, 2014 12:54 pm

Andrew, thank you for the candid appraisal. I'm not sure what you mean by "example configuration," but our needs are fairly basic.
I was hoping to find someone with experience using both QCAD/CAM and Sheetcam who could offer a comparison in terms of ease-of-use, compatibility, etc.

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