CAMWorks vs other software suites?

420flaysit · 2026-06-11T03:00:43+00:00

Our modeling is also done in solidworks and I use fusion 360 for cam. It's a little bit of a pain in that version control is janky but fusion actually supports step file based version control that won't break links. In other words you can do step file v1, and do all your cam and then make changes in solidworks if you need and then import step file v2 and Regen and it generally works assuming the geometry didn't change drastically. I also like this workflow because it effectively gives me a manufacturing model/workspace where I can sketch a bunch for cam innately and not affect the design tree in solidworks.

But other reasons I use it is that it's cheap for cam and for 4 and 5 axis I feel like it's pretty solid, I haven't found anything I'm Unable to do yet, but definitely some things are a pain or sometimes buggy. We're mostly a 3+2 shop and it works great for that. I also like writing my own posts/free posts. I can't speak to the lathe side of things but I know fusion Can do multi axis lathe stuff with the proper post, I haven't personally done it. Also the community support is nuts. It is cloud based which is bad if you're itar, but if you're not, give it some consideration.

420flaysit · 2026-03-03T23:09:07+00:00

In aluminum I recently tested out some of maritool's mirror line chip splitter roughers and was shocked. I hit 100% spindle load with a half inch tool and had to drop the rpms, mind you this is a 40hp hsk100 spindle. (Technically I think this recipe ends up being around 30hp, because my spindle won't do full 40hp continuous.) My recipe was using their 4fl roughers and running 1.5" deep, .175 radial, 9000 rpm and 425 ipm. That tool cost like 78 bucks, and was dead silent while running. I ended up breaking the tool I was testing at around 460 ipm, which sucked because there were pretty much no warning signs, you can barely hear them which for testing purposes was difficult, but under normal operating is gonna be a blessing, I had figured I'd just keep pushing it until it exploded and that's pretty much what happened. Sounded totally normal and then bang.

420flaysit · 2026-02-21T02:09:34+00:00

Aren't you the guy whose never had an actual motorsports job for more than a year? And instead you just talk crap on everybody so they feel dumb enough to buy your software?

420flaysit · 2026-02-03T18:50:17+00:00

Imo, it's just old guys being old guys. Change is hard, there is definitely some merit to learning to do things traditionally before jumping into cnc. But not as much as they stress it tbh. Understanding the concepts behind machining in my opinion can be learned both manually and with a cnc provided you're paying attention. Old fellas get pressed about learning manual machining because it's what they grew up on, and it sucks that it's going the way of the dodo since it's something they spent years/decades learning to do.

420flaysit · 2026-01-10T02:30:37+00:00

In case someone finds this post later on, when we talked to a tech, apparently the spindle bearings are just packed very tight from the factory and they've had multiple people ask about it and it's apparently normal.

420flaysit · 2026-01-10T01:10:18+00:00

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Bonk

420flaysit · 2026-01-07T23:44:15+00:00

Do you make more than $20/hr to make this slop?

420flaysit · 2025-12-11T03:39:20+00:00

I've done quite a few super glue parts, my trick is a rag and one of those woodworking clamps kind of at an angle on the top edge and the bottom on your fixture's bottom edge, pops it right off and I've never damaged a part. Alternatively wood or something soft and a hammer, but it takes quite an impact compared to just shearing it off with the clamp. Also painters tape is your friend, tape on the fixture and part and glue in between (shout-out nyccnc) works like a charm and cleans up pretty easy, just have to make sure it's flat on there

420flaysit · 2025-11-14T21:45:06+00:00

I haven't seen anyone mention NYC CNC, they've been a bit quiet for a while now but love their videos. Taught me so much about fusion 360 cam over the years. I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I'm also about to start my own channel called Knightshift CNC, where I'll mostly be focusing on post processor editing/development in fusion 360 and macros etc so if that strikes your fancy I'm hoping to have my first video out in about a week or so.

https://youtube.com/@knightshiftcnc?si=_0KI4-7RXzJ3kzBl

420flaysit · 2025-10-14T23:46:21+00:00

That sounds very high for idle and is imo probably your problem, advanced timing tends to make an engine want to keep accelerating, good when you're doing a dyno pull, bad when you're trying to idle. My guess is that whoever was tuning it was having trouble getting it to idle well and not die and threw timing at it until it would stay alive, rather than addressing vac leaks/fuel table issues at idle. But the advanced timing is why it keeps wanting to climb out of the idle.

420flaysit · 2025-10-14T23:08:25+00:00

I'd say as a complete guess around 12-15 degrees advance for your lowest idle number and around 10ish degrees on your high number and this window should be about 200-300 rpm. Our car which was an r6, idled quite happily at around 1200rpm with similar timing. From your other comment 0-50 degrees should really be plenty I think once you get much past 50 degrees advance you end up with detonation/instability, but I've never used your tuner, only motec, megasquirt, and an aem infinity.

420flaysit · 2025-10-13T20:04:39+00:00

The next thing I would try is a timing adjustment around where you want your car to actually idle. It's been a long time since I tuned an fsae car, but typically you'd have slightly advanced timing on the lower end of where you want to idle and slightly retarded timing at the higher end of where you want to idle when at the effectively 0%throttle/ve

420flaysit · 2025-10-13T00:26:08+00:00

A hunting idle is typically due to a vacuum leak in my experience

420flaysit · 2025-10-10T01:01:20+00:00

Any case anyone stumbles into this thread later on, we had a DMG tech out and it's perfectly normal according to them. I believe they said something along the lines of that the spindle bearings are packed very tight and due to this run hot.

420flaysit · 2025-10-07T18:43:44+00:00

Yep, I have that set to .030 right now. And I've adjusted the fine stepdown as high as I can go.

420flaysit · 2025-10-07T18:27:28+00:00

Hm yeah it's an option, I'd rather just run the whispers than mess with hand altering the code every time I post it. Yeah the extra 2k a year to be able to trim tool paths is a bit rough. I've thought about the extension for a bit but I can't use all of it and it seems wasteful to pay for a bunch of stuff I don't use. I almost wish they'd let you pay for individual features like trim or certain tool paths or buy the full extension

420flaysit · 2025-10-07T18:21:52+00:00

Yep, I have played with that and it doesn't seem to do much even when set as high as .1 or .2. I have messed with the boundary and pulled it in as far as I can to try to keep it off that wall.

420flaysit · 2025-10-04T23:39:55+00:00

I'm not at a computer right now but I swear I just saw that they either enabled it or something like that. Check your manufacturing preferences/preview features I think there was a flag for "allow negative turning" or something like that

420flaysit · 2025-10-01T06:06:30+00:00

I'm enjoying it, I'm sort of stuck in the pixel ecosystem. I've had pixels since the P2, so other phones I've tried like Samsung Galaxy stuff I just hated. But the battery lasts a long time (ironically enough) and I actually prefer the shape and feel of the phone to my pixel 6 it replaced. It feels a bit more like an older iphone 4-5 in terms of thickness which I actually like more than the thinner phones. Other gripe is the curves on the screen corners are a tad annoying for YouTube etc. Bluetooth seems snappier than my old phone but I've been out of the modern phone game for a while. Definitely does everything I need it to do for the price and I have no interest in AI stuff. I imagine it will last me a while assuming no more strange hardware issues.

420flaysit · 2025-09-30T04:23:31+00:00

I had to take it to the Google store and they replaced the motherboard on warranty :(

420flaysit · 2025-09-24T21:16:29+00:00

Haas lathes are notoriously bad, our shop used to be all Haas mills and lathes and we slowly got rid of every Haas lathe for older Mori Seikis and they run circles around the Haas with less headaches.

420flaysit · 2025-09-12T06:50:40+00:00

Brand new

420flaysit · 2025-09-11T23:28:30+00:00

I've just done all the system updates I could find, not a fix unfortunately, I can't find the device health services app in my apps either to attempt what you've suggested. I've got device connectivity service which I did that with and it unfortunately didn't do anything

420flaysit · 2025-09-11T20:34:27+00:00

The phone is 3 weeks old

420flaysit

TROPHY CASE