Re: 2.5 axis vs. 3 axis

Howdy Michael;

Thanks for your assistance with Dolphin software. No wonder I have
never heard of it, it being from the Uk. I thought I had lost touch
with my field there for a bit. I have been programming and working
with CNC for 17 years but was not familiar with your product.

I hope that I did not sound as if I doubted the ability of the
software; I had no idea about it. That is where the dome suggestion
came into play. The dome idea was a simple project meant to assist
anyone out there in determining what their software and hardware is
capable of doing.

From another posting, I see that your product is going for 800 GBP.
That puts you in competition with an American software called Bobcad.
Bobcad is the cheapest 2 – ½ axis programming software on the
American market. The software was very good for the price and they
are making improvements every year. For what it can do (create
geometry, tool paths, post import geometry) the price is very
attractive for the small shop or individual.

It sounds like the Dolphin software is very similar to the Bobcad in
capabilities and use. I have not used Bobcad for years, but at the
time, it was very user friendly and a no thrills CAM software. For
general machining involving profiling, facing, drilling and
pocketing, it was quick and accurate. I'd say that for %75 of the
machining projects I worked on, this type of software would prove
worthy. If Dolphin software is as good as I hear, then you should
have no problem marketing it successfully here in the states.

If your software could produce multiple surfaces or even import them
and then successfully machine them automatically with out having to
construct a secondary "offset" surface to develop the tool path, then
this would give you the edge. Failure to perform such a task at the
attractive price is Bobcad's downfall.