[Cammotion]

Just wondering if there are any Unigraphics folks here. Our company uses NX3, and going to NX4 very soon.

From a modeling standpoint, it's very powerful. We also CAM with it, and while it's powerful there too, it has a learning curve that's nearly vertical! I'm hoping it won't take too long to be able to find my way through the maze and be able to make some toolpath. It sure ain't like the Surfcam/Mastercam programming I'm used to! OK, rant off!

[kaye7877]

I've been using UG for a while, but have never made a CNC program with it even though I have the manufacturing module. So, I would be of no help in that area. It is a goal of mine to learn to do CNC programming with it and have investigate the training classes. Certainly too much to tackly by myself.

[Scott_bob]

Same here... This is Not a program to self teach. Like you I have the SurfCam, MasterCam, EdgeCam (to name a few) background, and just could not get myself up that steep learning curve without training. Even the training materials available from UGS has poor quality documentation. Unbelievable with todays word processors. There is just no excuse for unreadable graphics in their documentation. I had to use my glasses and I still could just barely make out the text in their graphic illustrations.

Awesome software though, very expensive, but there is nothing better out there, if you can get it to work for you...

[Cammotion]

Scott_bob and Kaye7877, I agree about the learning UG on your own. I went throught the CAST training that comes with NX3, plus some additional training from a third party vendor which is very similar to CAST, and I got enough info to ask educated questions of the more experienced folks in the department!

Having some experience with Solidworks helps a lot in the modeling side, but CAMing I need help with. Fortunately, the guys I work with are willing to help, because THEY needed help too!

[Brian Kidd]

I also use UG NX3 (been using UG since version 9) and most of it actually has been self taught. I've taken a class here and there but for the most part it's been on the job training for me. I use it for modelling and modifiying customer data to prepare to build investment casting patterns on our Stereolithograpy machines. Although I've never used it to CAM anything (we don't have the CAM module) I am going to use the software to model parts that I will mill on my IH CNC but using a third party CAM software (right now I just have MESHCAM).

B.Kidd

[camster]

I have been using UG for the past 23+ years. Started with UG I in 1983. It has helped to keep me employed since then. Currenty working for iKS (Formerly Cadpo) Most of my focus is on CAM and UG Post.

[Brian Kidd]

I have been using UG for the past 23+ years. Started with UG I in 1983. It has helped to keep me employed since then. Currenty working for iKS (Formerly Cadpo) Most of my focus is on CAM and UG Post.

Back then wasn't it Mcauto or something like that from McDonnell Douglas? We had some tooling vendors that ran it back in about that era, we were running GE's CALMA for our main CAD program until GE and PRATT went to UG then gave us some licenses.

B.KIdd

[Cammotion]

I have been using UG for the past 23+ years. Started with UG I in 1983. It has helped to keep me employed since then. Currenty working for iKS (Formerly Cadpo) Most of my focus is on CAM and UG Post.

Camster, that's a long time with a software package! It's good to hear from you folks with experience. I've been learning for about 10 years now, although I'm just starting with NX3. Coming from a largely Surfcam background (with some Mastercam before that), it is taking some time to get into camming with UG.

I have gone through the CAST system in the areas I thought were most important, i.e., modeling, sketching, feature modeling and some others, then on to the manufacturing lessons. I've done basically the same courses from Cadpo's "I get it" site. After having done all that, it's still hard to remember all the stuff I did! I will say however, that the repetitiveness of doing all that does make a lot of the info stick to this hard head trained to think in terms of the other systems.

I will be going for an instructor led course at one of UG's training sites soon, and I'm looking forward to that. I'm hopeing I will get things somewhat "smoothed out", and will become productive in UG camming. Do you know of any other resources or sites for discussing and learning? I know that the real learning comes from being "baptized by fire" so to speak, but I'm always looking for other sources of information. Thanks for reading,

Bill

[camster]

Bill,

Do you have a web key login to the UG bbsnotes?

[Cammotion]

Bill,

Do you have a web key login to the UG bbsnotes?

Camster, I'm not sure. Is it a matter of going to the UGS site and registering, or is that set up by my workplace through their site license? What's available there?

Bill

[camster]

If you have the Sold to id you can do it yourself other wise you will need your sys admin to assist. It is something you, or your company are already paying for. It does not cost anything extra to sign up.

[Cammotion]

If you have the Sold to id you can do it yourself other wise you will need your sys admin to assist. It is something you, or your company are already paying for. It does not cost anything extra to sign up.

Great, thanks for the info. I will look into it tomorrow. Always looking for good tips and tricks!

Bill

[Dawson]

I use NX2 now. Started with V15 in 99. I got 1 week of training out at CadPo, and I've had others from my company go there because of the thorough job they do. The last time I had training was V18 when they drastically changed the manufacturing side, but most of the changes were for the better.

There are only a few modules I use in manufacturing to make pretty much any shape imaginable within the 3-4 axis environment:

Fixed Contour for planar milling and contours.
Cavity Mill to rough out our blocks.
Hole making.

That is all it takes to use this software. There is no reason at all to go picking through the ump-teen other choices since they are just fixed contour with preset options, or planar mill which boundary method covers. Once you get a few good templates setup it's not bad at all.

[Cammotion]

I use NX2 now. Started with V15 in 99. I got 1 week of training out at CadPo, and I've had others from my company go there because of the thorough job they do. The last time I had training was V18 when they drastically changed the manufacturing side, but most of the changes were for the better.

There are only a few modules I use in manufacturing to make pretty much any shape imaginable within the 3-4 axis environment:

Fixed Contour for planar milling and contours.
Cavity Mill to rough out our blocks.
Hole making.

That is all it takes to use this software. There is no reason at all to go picking through the ump-teen other choices since they are just fixed contour with preset options, or planar mill which boundary method covers. Once you get a few good templates setup it's not bad at all.

Dawson, thanks for the post. I'm starting to get the hang of it now. The guys I work with seem to do most of their work the same way as you. They use what works most efficiently, and don't spend a lot of time digging around for other ways to do it.

It's just that coming from a background in Surfcam, it's a pretty huge leap. I know what I want to do with a particular part, but the approach in UG is so different. One thing I've found that I like is the "sequence tool" for roughing, where the successive tools remove what was left by the previous tool. In Surfcam, that was called SRM, or step reduction milling. Well, I will keep plugging away, and one day I will be more efficient!

One other question: We use Vericut to check our programs at the G-code level, and do not use the verify in UG. My co-workers say it can't be trusted. I use the verify to get a pre-look at what's going to happen before I run the programs through Vericut, and I haven't discovered anything unexpected yet, although it's still early.

Bill

[Dawson]

If you have the Cavity Mill module you can get it to remove only what what the previous tool missed. To do this go into cutting. Towards the bottom you will see reference tool. Chose the previous tool from there and your done. I then usually change the method to profile since I normally step down tools in 1/2*dia. increments. It's pretty much an automated process. I can usually get a roughing program done in 10-15 minutes this way.

As for Vericut, I always run the cls file to check my code. The only time it will be less accurate than the G-Code is if you make a lot of edits to the .nc code after it's posted which I don't recommend for obvious reasons. Also, it takes only a few key-strokes within UG to vericut from the .cls file. I've figured out how to do it from the .nc code, but it takes substantially longer. I don't post process until the file is complete using this method, and I've found the results to be 100% reliable.

[larrycoyle]

CAMSTER,

Since you have so much experience I have a question for you. My first CAD/CAM software package was NX and I am now using NX4 doing simultaneous 5-axis machining with a FIDIA CNC. We CNC Port cylinder heads and the problem I am having (I am wanting to change the way I currently do it) is that I need to be able to create a helix along a curved line. If you can help me I would really appreciate it and just to let you know, I am not asking you to do this for nothing. I just need to get the problem resolved.

Larry

[camster]

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner I have been out of the office for a while. Contact me directly at

[email protected]