Test out some new software?

Hey everyone, I hope it’s OK to post this here… I’m making some cloud based CAM software for CNC machines.

We’ve been building and testing for a while now and are looking to expand our test group.

Our software allows you to take a 3D SketchUp model and have it nested, and toolpath’d very quickly. It’s all done in the cloud. We support G Code machines, including GRBL so any Inventables users should be able to use our service.

Here’s a little preview vide: https://youtu.be/ITtOYTRq_tM

If there’s anyone here that’d like to try it out we’d love for you to try it. We’re running a free beta right now.

Mods: if this is not an appropriate post I’m happy to remove it.

You can get started on the beta here: https://youtu.be/ITtOYTRq_tM

Very cool idea and it shows that a lot of thought, time and effort went into this.

BUT

I’m not convinced of the ‘We know the best feeds & speeds so you don’t have to think about it.’ argument, especially with hobby machines like these. I think it’s a dangerous premise to give a one size fits all solution to a machinist. Coming up with optimal toolpath strategies is a skill that any machinist should posses imo.
I also wonder about liability. “Yeah but the software said my machine could handle it…”

3 Likes

We’ve been carefully considering that… So this is how we do it:

We either use our own experience, or get data from machine makers to determine feeds and speeds that work with the machine/bit/material combo you’ve got.

If you don’t like our assumptions, or we don’t have a setup for you we let you setup a machine/material/bit combo just like you do in a regular CAM software so you can set it however you’d like.

The hope is that we can get a big database of “settings that work” and really help users de-mystify the feeds and speeds.