Michael, I wrote SmartEdge 3 years ago while working for Micro Engineering Solutions (MES) and they retained the copyright. This utility is run from inside SmartCAM and uses macros to extract data from the current SmartCAM file and passes it on to a Visual Basic program. The VB program then processes the data and generates an EdgeCam macro file that when run will build the equivalent of the SmartCAM file within EdgeCam. You do need both SmartCAM and EdgeCam in order to complete the file translation but they don't have to be on the same PC. I did attempt to bring in all layer and tool path geometry as well as all tooling information from the planner. The original release has full support for 3 axis milling and 2 axis turning. I thought it worked very well, so well that it was easier to state what it didn't translate rather than what it did.
Limitations of SmartEdge original release: 1. Does not support the Advanced Fabrication product. 2. Does not support the Advanced Wire EDM product. 3. No support for mill/turn lathe operations. 4. No support for synchronized multi-turret lathe operations. 5. Limited support for multi axis milling work. 6. Did not support all of SmartCAM's tool types but did assign an EdgeCam compatible tool, i.e. use a drill instead of a center drill. 7. Did not support all of SmartCAM's element types but did assign an EdgeCam compatible type, i.e. builds a 3D spline to represent a helix. 8. Cannot automatically transfer surfaces from SmartCAM. This was the biggest obstacle I encountered. It is a bug in SmartCAM in that the macro command to export doesn't work. (It will export fine while you record it, the command is present in the macro file and the syntax is correct, it just doesn't work.) This requires you to manually export the surfaces from SmartCAM and merge them into the EdgeCam file. I wrote SmartEdge for SmartCAM v11.x and EdgeCam v3.1. I wrote the framework for 4 and 5 axis milling applications and multi-turret lathe but did not have time to finish all the details. I have heard that some of this has since been updated but do not know the current status. I do know the code has been updated to support newer versions of EdgeCam, but I don't know what the current revision is. I also don't know what features have been added to support some of the original limitations previously listed. MES no longer exists as a company. You may want to find out who currently supports SmartEdge. I'm curious, who is your EdgeCam rep? ============================================= Fred Lauzus, CAM Programming Coordinator High Steel Structures, Incorporated mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.highsteel.com ============================================= -----Original Message----- From: Michael Senack [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 5:57 PM To: 'Pete Ruehle'; 'SmartCam Forum' Subject: RE: [mfg-smartcam] slow week Okay here is one for the forum. A sales person from EdgeCAM stopped in for a short get to know us visit. At this visit he gave a general over view of his cam package. The thing that caught my eye in a big way is an add on module call "SmartEDGE". What this module is "suppose" to do is take any V11.x SmartCAM .pm4 file and read it directly into an EdgeCAM. Once in EdgeCAM it is a 100% useable file with all tool paths in tack and ready for post processing. No touchy anything, just read and go. Theoretically speaking, all our SmartCAM .pm4, .sh3 and .sh2 files "could" be salvageable! Has anyone out there heard of this product? If so, any feed back is welcome. The sales person is coming in, in the next week or so to do a full dog and pony show of EdgeCAM from Pathtrace. I'll be sure to have a few files on a diskette for him to try out this SmartEDGE. Regards, Michael Senack. -----Original Message----- From: Pete Ruehle [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 4:21 PM To: 'SmartCam Forum' Subject: [mfg-smartcam] slow week I think we may have hit an all time low on the forum for fewest posts in one week. Or have I been asleep? Probably both. Have a great weekend ====================================================================== To find out more about this mailing list including how to unsubscribe, send the message "info mfg-smartcam" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ====================================================================== ====================================================================== To find out more about this mailing list including how to unsubscribe, send the message "info mfg-smartcam" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ====================================================================== ====================================================================== To find out more about this mailing list including how to unsubscribe, send the message "info mfg-smartcam" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ======================================================================
