Top 5 Enhancements You Can Expect With CAMWorks 2021 Plus

CAMWorks 2021 Plus introduces many new advanced features to help you maximize efficiency and improve your manufacturing processes. Let’s take a closer look at the top five enhancements below:

5. Assigning Toolpath and End Point Colors 

New for CAMWorks 2021 Plus is the ability to set the default colors for toolpaths and their endpoints. In previous versions, all toolpaths displayed the same color, but now, in display settings, specific colors can be assigned to sections. To take it a step further, you can also change the color of the endpoint nodes to allow the transitional points to stand out.  

At a glance, this enhancement allows users to differentiate between rapid and leading toolpaths from their cutting counterparts without stepping through the individual movements.      

4. The CAMWorks Task Pane 

The SOLIDWORKS Task Pane is recognizable by most users, and CAMWorks 2021 Plus adds an additional tab called the CAMWorks Task Plane. Within this convenient location, you can access a wealth of CAMWorks information: 

• The Home button will display practical information including special offers and blog posts. 
• The Learn tab will link to in-app and online resources to help you maximize your CAMWorks capabilities.
• The Alerts tab is an easy approach to downloading the latest CAMWorks installation files, sorted in chronological order.  

All of this is available to you without leaving the SOLIDWORKS interface. 

3. Non-planar Probing Cycles 

CAMWorks 2020 provides the powerful capability of using Renishaw probing cycles for various purposes, including verifying the completion of critical operations and resetting work coordinate systems to exact locations. The 2021 release builds on those capabilities and adds more parameters to help you find exactly what you are looking for. However, those probed surfaces needed to be flat. 

CAMWorks 2021 Plus eliminates that constraint and allows probing on single non-planar surfaces. This benefits Mill bundle users – as you can reset your Z height on previously machined faces, a need often found in mold operations. 

2. Multiple Technology Databases 

I often refer to the TechDB as the brains behind CAMWorks. It controls nearly everything the program does, including feeds and speeds, machining strategies, and tool cribs. 

With the release of CAMWorks 2021 Plus, users have multiple Technology Databases in any supported format, allowing users to toggle between which one is active. Making a backup copy of Tech DBs has also been streamlined with a Copy TechDB button. 

This enhancement is a personal favorite of mine; anyone who has taken training with me knows how adamant I am about making copies of your TechDB as a failsafe. Troubleshooting also becomes significantly easier by utilizing alternate TechDBs without risking changes made to your original files. 

1. Prime Turning 

Hands-down, the number one enhancement for CAMWorks 2021 Plus is Sandvik Coromant’s Prime Turning operations. This is a radical departure from conventional turning operations and the most significant improvement in lathe operations. 

Prime Turning combines the design of special cutting inserts with toolpaths that run in opposite directions, resulting in significant increases in feed rate and tool life.  Using more of the insert rather than just the tip gives you more control over the chip removal rate.  It also disperses heat over a much larger area. 

That’s 4340 Steel being cut at 79 thou deep and 24 thou per revolution, almost three times the material removal rate of a typical turning toolpath.  

The A type finishing inserts can run at extreme speeds while still maintaining an exceptional surface finish. Their unique shape allows you to completely cut a 90-degree shoulder and undercut areas for fewer tool changes.   

CAMWorks 2021 Plus comes with Tool Crib libraries already built for roughing and finishing inserts and holders, so you’re prepared as soon as the Prime Turning module is activated. For most shops, the return-on-investment timeframe for this system is short due to increased throughput and inserts that last five times as long. 

Bonus Feature

The CAMWorks 2021 Plus release. In the past CAMWorks, always had an annual release aligning with SOLIDWORKS’ release schedule. Starting this year, SOLIDWORKS has committed to a two-release schedule. In addition to the traditional yearly release, a plus version will be available midway through the cycle to provide users with enhancements. Service Packs will also be offered, focusing primarily on small fixes.  

Ensure you are staying up to speed with these new enhancements. Take advantage of this opportunity and maximize your efficiency with the new CAMWorks Task Manager here.

Want More?

Interested in learning more about CAMWorks Plus 2021? Click here to watch our video.

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