Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] inexpensive 4 axis CNC software (yeah, right!)

Ha Ha Ha Ha Haw!!
Yup, it's a long shot all right.
Last time I checked out Mastercam mill level 3 (not quite up to 4 axis yet
without a nasty custom post processor) we were talking about $15,000.00 USD.
Most 4th axis work is faked on the rotary axis anyway, (one axis is swiped,
and used to drive the rotary table) and the rotary axis typically moves in
very simple ways, and not in conjunction with more than one other axis.
(okay, I ignored helical tapers)
You should be able to fake it with any normal CAM system by hand coding the
rotary moves, and doing the appropriate axis swap.
If you need full four axis simultaneous interpolation, for "surfacing on the
round" like say machining a human head like shape, you are in for either a
programming nightmare from hell, or a post processing nightmare from hell.
Cheers

Marcus
-----Original Message-----
From: S.L.Ramsay <slramsay@...>
To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Monday, October 29, 2001 10:06 PM
Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] inexpensive 4 axis CNC software (yeah, right!)

>ok, so it's a long shot. but does anyone know of an inexpensive 4 axis CNC

software that will run a closed loop CNC mill on windows NT or 2000?

>
>Scott