Question:
I'm seeking advice on what CAM software to purchase for our school.
Answer:
Smartcam and Mastercam are both very good applications and I
think they and others are working on / releasing the kernels of their software
to run within such applications as Solidworks and other solid modeling CAD
packages. From my perspective, this is definiately the way to go. Our world is
increasingly being driven from 'expert software' with users who need to know the
how and why not for their direct implementation but for verification that the
software is doing the right thing. CNC is no exception.
Providers with any foresight may be interested in a school 'standardizing on
their product because employers will be willing to buy software to match the
augment the employee's ability rather than the other way around - it's cheaper!
(But PLEEEEZ pound your students with advanced algebra and trig. IMHO, that's
where many come up short leaving them floundering to understand even some simple
concepts.)
