BobCad-Cam has a cam software for solidworks. You load it as an "Add-on" and once you set it up for tool paths, it generated the g-code from the model. You would then just need something like Mach3 or something to send thje g-code to. Let me know if you need more info on it. I have a contact at BobCad which might be able to get you a discount.
It depends... Don't you just love that. What do you mean turn model to g-code? For a printer, 3axis Cnc, or an 8axis. I'm guessing you need something pretty basic. I dislike bobcad personally . It's maybe because of their super pushy salespeople. I do however have mastercam x6 and while for a few years I was a grumpy user I have found that's its finally pretty awesome! However not for the budget minded. I've tried enroute... Super basic. And have ventric very reasonable. Bob cad I still haven't used as I am happy now with having something very basic and something extremely complicated. If you need to turn that file into g-code it's pretty much an endless rabbithole of possibility. Decide your work flow. And find a the route that will work ending with what do you want the g-code to look like for what machine? I however have yet to suggest a full integration of a cam program embedded into solidworks. Get stand alone that works well with many file formats and you will have an additional tool. Good luck!
There are a lot of great software packages out there that can generate g-code. Like radiorobot mentioned, it also depends on what you are sending the code to and what you are looking to get out of it. If you are familiar with Solidworks and CNC machines in general, it might be easier to export the file as a .step and use something like mastercam. If you don't have any knowledge about cnc software and are familiar with Solidworks, then Bobcad cam might be the way to go. Cost is also another big issue where some of these big name brands costs tend to be higher. I think there are some free or near free software out there that might do what you are looking to do. Let us know what you decide to use and your setup. It might help some of us other forum members.
good points all round. We have an old Cincinnati machine and we've been using Cadlink quite happily for basic 2D profile's, and as part of a factory move we are adding a new Haas machine. so, I have my funky solidworks system and a new CNC machine - what can I do. Turns out like many things in life, there are lots of ways to skin a cat ! My orgional post was at the start of a research process and wasn't well phrased, should really of given the background first. So, moving on. Thanks for the input to date. I think you're right, have the CAD/CAM link separate and take in files from other programs is a good point. Now I need to see what our existing Cadlink can do and a review (sounds like a project for one of my engineers) of the other systems and the capabilities of the machines. Will keep you posted. tony
As the first CAM solution to offer true knowledge-based machining capabilities, CAMWorks leads the way in advancements in Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR) and Interactive Feature Recognition (IFR). CAMWorks offers true associative machining - automatically accommodating changes to the part model. This means that any modifications made to the design are automatically updated in the CAM data, which eliminates time consuming CAM system rework due to design alterations. Thanks to its seamless integration with SOLIDWORKS, CAMWorks allows you to: Use and manage just one file for both CAD and CAM systems. Use the CAMWorks machining tree and commands at the click of a button along with SOLIDWORKS, plus generate toolpaths without leaving the familiar SOLIDWORKS environment. Use the same SOLIDWORKS geometry to generate toolpaths to ensure the part machined is the same as the part that is modeled. Eliminate time-consuming file transfers using standard file formats such as IGES and STP.
