Content Comparison

v1.16

Release date: 13 May 2024

Features

• Cutting Parameters AI (Preview Feature) - get started with our new Cutting Parameters AI explorer. 

  • You can now explore and optimize your cutting parameters with our all-new Cutting Parameters AI feature. 

  • This powerful feature enables the modification and exploration of optimal cutting operations.

  • Interact with sliders or heatmaps to explore optimal tool life, chip loads, feed rate, spindle speeds and so much more.

  • Cutting Parameters has been a major focus for us; we’d love to hear your feedback!

  • To use Cutting Parameters AI, right-click on a toolpath after CAM Assist has run and access it through the option provided in the menu. 

• Soft Jaw Designer (Preview Feature)

  • Accessible via the Fixture Management panel, the Soft Jaw Designer allows you to design customized fixtures efficiently. 

  • Open the Soft Jaw Designer from the fixture management panel. 

  • Select your part, jaws, spindle direction and opening direction as well as your z level(s) and CAM Assist will generate a custom fixture for your part. 

  •  The Soft Jaw designer is also smart enough to create clearance allowances for sharp corners, will avoid interlocking geometry, and will allow for your parts to slide effectively during use. 

  • Note - this feature is only available in the Windows version of CAM Assist as of this release

• Avoidance Geometry

  • Now available in preview is the CAM Assist Avoidance Geometry Generator. 

  • This feature helps you create bodies that ensure machining operations are limited to specific areas. 

  • This feature is especially helpful in keeping toolpaths from drifting in between vise jaws or other areas where you don’t want the tool to go. 

  • Avoidance geometry is slightly different from fixture geometry. While fixture bodies must be avoided, Avoidance Geometry is considered to be part of the stock and may be gouged in certain situations.

  • Note - this feature is only available in the Windows version of CAM Assist as of this release

• Cycle Times Estimator (Preview Feature)

  • The Cycle times Estimator uses your tool library and machine preferences to generate precise and editable cycle time estimates in bulk. 

  • Upload up to 10 parts in one go, select your machine, tool library, material and your common machining mode then let CAM Assist generate your cycle time estimates for all. 

  • In the report tab, you will receive a breakdown report of your stock and part sizes/weights, faces machined, and more. 

  • Finally, export your report into a formatted CSV document ready to share with your team. 

Improvements

• We have improved some of the wording in our existing tooltips to make them more clear and concise. 

Fixes

• We have removed the feedback and support button from the General tab so that the interface is not cluttered: you can still use all other channels for reporting feedback to us. 

• ‘Beta program only’ has been removed from the automatic 3+2 machining mode option.

• We have updated the interface so that when you click run after updating your machine properties, it will save those properties to persist over to the next session or run.

  • You can still click the ‘Save Machine Properties’ button prior to running. Both options will now save the updated properties. 

v1.15

This version was an internal release.

v1.14

Release date: 3 April 2024

Improvements

• ‘Detailed roughing’ is on by default (see the Advanced tab)

  • Detailed roughing helps to ensure all necessary material has been removed before finishing.

  • It reduces the number of collisions in finishing toolpaths, delivering a higher quality strategy.

  • It will take a little more computation time when you run CAM Assist, in most cases.

  • Detailed roughing can be enabled or disabled in the Advanced tab.

  • Note: even with Detailed roughing turned on, you must still check the simulation to ensure all material is removed before finishing.

  • We welcome your feedback on this feature.

• Improvement to wall entries - particularly tight corners, providing some clearance from the part.

v1.13

Release date: 8 March 2024

Features

• CAM Assist can now run in the background (see the General tab)

  • Before clicking ‘Run’ in CAM Assist, just check the ‘Enable background execution’ checkbox and you'll be free to continue other work within Fusion.

  • Note: you must not edit the targets setup(s) as it will have an impact on the result of CAM Assist's toolpath strategy computation.

• Other features

  • Stock removal prediction.

  • Tool Use tab now supports T-slot cutters.

  • Connect all connected walls into a single toolpath op where possible.

Improvements

• 3+2 Machining mode (see the General tab)

  • Roughing Order - CAM Assist now respects the order (if you wish) of the faces you select when completing 3+2 roughing strategies.

  • Ability to select hole axis as a direction of tool orientation.

  • Rename ‘By Setup’ to ‘User Defined’ to improve user experience.

• Other improvements

  • Tooltip improvement for ‘Avoidance Geometry’.

  • Update to documentation link.

  • UI changes to remove ‘360’ from the product.

  • ‘Geometry selection’ is now next to ‘Machine Full Part’ checkbox.

  • Hide hole patching bodies by default to improve user experience.

  • The checkbox state of the 'Detail roughing' and 'Hole patching' is persistent.

  • Email in sign-up form is populated automatically based on Stripe / Autodesk authentication.

Fixes

• Issues causing frequent Error 100 have been resolved.

• If spot drilling fails, CAM Assist will continue to create hole making operations.

• Spot drilling enabled no longer causes the toolpath strategy to miss some chamfer operations.

• MacOS installer automatic update resolved.

• Bulk roughing clears the center of a spigot.

v1.12

Release date: 5 February 2024

Features

• Chamfer tip offset

  • CAM Assist will now offset the tip of the chamfer tool, when machining modelled chamfers, without gouging the part.

  • This method avoids engaging the tip of the chamfer tool, where the cutting speed is zero.

  • In addition, it allows for slower spindle speeds or higher feed rates to be used in chamfering, which should prolong chamfer tool life.

  • This update does not affect deburring.

• Avoidance geometry (see the General tab)

  • Avoidance Geometry blocks out portions of the stock that you don't want to be machined in the setup. These blocked-out portions (referred to as ‘Avoidance Geometry’) are different from Fixture bodies. While Fixture bodies MUST be avoided, the Avoidance Geometry is considered part of the stock and MAY be gouged in specific cases. For example, drilling a through hole may pierce the avoidance geometry but not the Fixture.

  • Fixture bodies also require clearance from any tool, whereas all roughing tools may touch the surface of the avoidance geometry.

  • Avoidance Geometry has a very specific application for 3+2 setups, where controlling the tool placement around work-holding is required.

• Shaft clearance for floor finishing

  • When the shoulder length of a tool is within 1mm of the pocket depth, CAM Assist would produce a floor finishing toolpath that fails to generate in Fusion, due to the default value of 1mm for shaft clearance.

  • For floor finishing toolpaths, this clearance value has been reduced by CAM Assist to allow machining pockets with a depth less than 1mm from the full usable length (LU) of the tool (also called shoulder length in the Fusion tool library).

• Independent selection of 3+2 roughing and finishing directions (see the General tab)

  • The previous version of CAM Assist introduced the ability to choose different machining orientations for roughing and finishing. However there were limitations that led to problems if you chose completely different directions as opposed to one being a subset of the other. These limitations have been removed and roughing results are improved when the roughing orientations are completely different from finishing.

• Reduction in gouges for 2D Contour operations

  • Since lead-ins and lead-outs for 2D Contour toolpaths are not checked for collisions in Fusion, they would often cause large gouges to the model. CAM Assist will now simulate the entries and reduce the arc size below the Fusion default values in order to fit collision free entries into tighter spaces.

• Support of Fusion Machine Library (see the General and Tool use tabs)

  • CAM Assist will now read Local machines (defined in Fusion’s Machine Library) in the ‘Choose machine’ field. This means it is easier to provide your specific machine details to CAM Assist. The Generic machine list has also been streamlined for simplified access.

• Spot Drilling toolpath type (see the Advanced tab)

  • Users can now include Spot Drilling operations to spot/center holes that will be later drilled by CAM Assist. For these operations, CAM Assist will use a Spot Drill tool from the selected library to pierce holes before drilling them, namely by plunging to a fixed depth of 0.020”/ 0.5 mm.

• Frictionless software updates

  • When a new version of CAM Assist is available, users can now upgrade the add-in in an easy way by clicking an ‘Update’ button, which will initiate the installation process.

Improvements

• 3+2 performance

  • By reducing the number of machining directions considered for ball nose tools, the time taken to run CAM Assist on complex 3+2 parts has been significantly reduced.

• Tool selection for fillets and profiles

  • CAM Assist is now more likely to choose the same tool and toolpath for finishing continuous fillets, reducing excessive linking movements and improving surface finish.

  • This is especially evident in 3+2 machining when some surfaces of the fillet could be treated as a wall from alternate cutting directions.

  • CAM Assist is more likely to choose a single tool for wall finishing profiles, especially in cases where the previous strategy was split by a sharp corner.