John -
Although I may have been feeling "6 feet under" on occasion, I'm hoping it wasn't that bad. To be honest, the forum still hasn't seemed to have taken up the reins from the mailing list like one may have wished. That, and there really wasn't any real activity to the post!
To answer my own question though, I've migrated to SprutCam (Master) for my needs with my Mazak mill, (4 axis, g code, no Mazatrol, thank you!) my Tsugami lathe (with C and live tools), and my Mitsubishi laser table. The Tsugami lathe is the only unit that has LinuxCNC on it; the other machines still have their original controls.
What I like about SprutCam:
- great postprocessor editing capabilities - for a "coding guy", I like the fact you can get deep under the hood. Not as simple or straightforward as VisualCam (my old cam system), and if you're not into coding, it can be daunting, although Tormach/Sprut will help you out greatly
- good tool library - lots of options
- rather good series of machining ops.
- allowance for trichoidal paths. Although some users don't use it, I use it a lot for rough milling since I have high speed capabilities on the Mazak. Keeps the cutter load really constant.
- simulation is excellent, almost rivals VeriCut. Not quite, but almost.
-Tormach is the USA reseller and have really run with the local support and training videos.
-support contracts aren't too expensive, and to date have been quite worth it!
What I don't like about SprutCam:
-part orientation link between Rhino3d plugin and lathe always turns out wrong. It's fine when I import an iges however. And I prefer to keep CAD and CAM files separate, anyway.
- simulator editing (to create your own machine) is a PITA if you don't buy the extra machine creator. I didn't see the point to buy the ability to create any and every machine when I only had a couple changes for my one. It's a module aimed at resellers and service bureaus, not the end user. If your machine is already simulated, it's not a problem, however. And there's a pretty good list.
- grouping machining ops for simulation or output (ie. skipping parts) is not as friendly as it was with VisualCam. But it's a minor irk.
-hardware dongle. I hate USB keys. As a developer, I understand the reasoning, but I still hate them. I'm a mobile, laptop-kind-of--guy and those things either get lost, or destroy USB ports when they get bumped. Still, not a gamechanger.
- Sprut update site is not always up. Sprut Forum is not always up. But they're doing better. Slack has been taken up by SprutAmerica.
-hardware licensing drivers and license file seems to become broken on every other update. It's fixed by an email to support. Probably just waiting for the "next generation rewrite" for it to disappear.
- can be difficult to split tool offsets between the control and the CAM; I like tool radius offsets to be done by CAM, but tool length offsets to be done by the control. More often you don't need to substitute a 1/8" cutter for a 1/4" one, but do need to replace a 1/4" with a 1/4". With a toolsetter on my Mazak, I prefer it to change the length offset there, instead of having to go back to the CAM and repost. I don't like running no-radius offset from the CAM, as it doesn't simulate properly, and the Mazatrol tool table can get confused with custom tools and its own radius offsets. If the post processor in Sprutcam isn't written correctly, the offsets don't get called correctly. BTW - if you have a Haas, this is the CAM software for you.
Ted.
