We are currently working on a port for AUTO-CODE to 2007 and hope to have it completed in May of 2006.
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Please see the documentation (PDF) for installing in AutoCAD 2006 for details.
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AUTO-CODE Version 3.3 information is available at this link - AUTO-CODE Version 3.3
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That depends on what version of AutoCAD you have.
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No.
AUTO-CODE requires the full feature AutoCAD to operate. Because AUTO-CODE is written in ObjectARX and takes advantage of the Visual LISP environment in a highly integrated fashion, AUTO-CODE requires the completepower of AutoCAD.
AUTO-CODE Mechanical is a UAR supplier of AutoCAD and can quote youa complete solution price (USA only) that involves updating your AutoCAD LT if you are interested. Please contact us (select the Contact optionsat left).
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Not directly, but...
AUTO-CODE runs inside AutoCAD. You can use Inventor to generateAutoCAD drawings (the standard process for documenting a design) and then use those same AutoCAD drawings with AUTO-CODE. If you have Inventor, you should also have AutoCAD and can therefore use AUTO-CODE.
Inventor has a very strong sheet metal package that can produce an AutoCAD drawing representing the part to be fabricated. Folds and bends are accounted for in the final AutoCAD drawing. This is the data that AUTO-CODE uses to generate a program for a flame/plasma cutter or a punch press (or combination tool).
Inventor supports two kinds of programmatic interfaces. Unfortunately, neither are suitable to the AUTO-CODE approach of a fully integrated solution except in highly specialized areas such as drill work. If you are using Inventor to create 3D surfaced objects you can export those models to AutoCAD for cutting with AUTO-CODE or to another CAM environment.
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CAD/CAM is an acronym which stands for Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing. This term means different things to different people involved in manufacturing and mechanical engineering. The most common definition involves the creation of CNC/NC codes from an electronic drawing. CNC/NC codes are elementary programs which drive machine tools such as mills,lathes, flame cutters, and so forth. Other, less common definitions involve taking information from the drawing such as part numbers and stock selections for the creation of shop orders and other documents associated with the manufacturing process.
If you have never seen CNC/NC codes before, they are much like the programming languages used to drive plotters. The basic program elements include movement of the cutting device [or pen in the case of a plotter] as well as settings for the various machine control elements [speed of cut, rotation speed, operator wait, and so forth]. The main difference between a plotter system and CNC/NC output from a drawing is the fact that plotters draw everything in the drawing while there may only be a small portion of the drawing which pertains to the CNC/NC output. There may also be aspects of the drawing which must be extrapolated into more geometry. When cutting a pocket or cavity, only the outside may be shown and plotted. For cutting, there will be several cutting moves made inside the cavity area that are not drawn in the original design.
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What is DNC?
Direct Numeric Control
This term is used in two ways. The most common application of the acronym is in reference to a computer directly controlling the machine tool by supplying the required signals along a data communications system of some sort. A DNC system can mean something as simple as a communications program that sends NC/CNC programs to the machine tool control memory. It could also be something as advanced as direct wiring to the machine tool components to drive the table and tools.
Many commercial DNC systems are quite sophisticated and have the ability to talk to multiple machine tools at a time. These systems send M and G code programs to the machine tools memory on demand and often include management tools such as queuing and time estimations.
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NC-AUTO-CODE was the first product developed by our company to address NC/CNC programming requirements inside AutoCAD. The initial package was created using a building block approach allowing for a variety of interfaces and styles. These variable styles became increasingly difficult to support and provide smooth updates to future editions of AutoCAD and NC-AUTO-CODE. In addition, the original NC-AUTO-CODE was written without regard to shared applications in AutoCAD and it was sometimes difficult to integrate other design tools into the system. NC-AUTO-CODE can be programmed to support mills, lathes, EDMs, punches, lasers, grinders, and all sorts of machine tools without purchasing any other modules.
AUTO-CODE was first introduced in 1993 as an open, yet more focused version of NC-AUTO-CODE. It complies with Autodesk's integration specifications for shared variable names and applications allowing it to smoothly run with other applications inside AutoCAD. AUTO-CODE also addressed another customer concerns of focus by offering a lower cost solution to those who only wanted a single interface and didn't need all the features of NC-AUTO-CODE.
If you are currently using NC-AUTO-CODE, please try out the evaluation version of AUTO-CODE. Then call us at 614-792-3900 to discuss your exact requirements. We will want to see a copy of the current NC-AUTO-CODE interface and some sample output code to best guide you in updating.
In our minds, AUTO-CODE represents a better interface for most applications, but not for all. If you are not sure what the differences are in terms of what you need to accomplish, give us a ring or send the developer some email on the subject. We have done no further development on NC-AUTO-CODE except for some custom interfaces running under AutoCAD Release 14. All current product and custom interfaces are now developed for the AUTO-CODE interface.
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Can an NC-AUTO-CODE Interface be Adapted to AUTO-CODE?
Yes. However; most of the interface is not really usable since AUTO-CODE uses a very different strategy for presenting the machine tool programming problem to the operator. The CFG file is directly transferable between the two however patterns and Visual LISP modules will need to be restructured.
AUTO-CODE uses a different strategy that is based on patterns. Although patterns were originally developed in NC-AUTO-CODE to be layer based, AUTO-CODE uses patterns from an event based point of view. Events such as the start of the program, the end of the program, the start of a cutting sequence, or the end of the cutting sequence are handled using patterns.
In many cases we borrow from NC-AUTO-CODE to supply the needed modules for your custom interface when building one for you.
We will need a current copy of the interface files that you are using along with a sample program output. If there are any changes being made to the code manually, they should be noted so that the edits are no longer required when running the interface.
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AUTO-CODE Mechanical's CAD/CAMSolutions
No matter what your machine tool programming needs might be, AUTO-CODE Mechanical offers a solution that is right for you! Our suite of CAM software products operate inside the best selling AutoCAD design and drafting software for seamless integration of drawing information and NC/CNC programs. AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL has been providing NC/CNC interfaces for AutoCAD users since 1985 which makes us one of the most qualified systems integrators you can work with to build a productive CAD/CAM system.
AutoCAD is the standard for industrial strength computer aided drafting and design on a personal computer. AutoCAD is a complete drafting system for the personal computer for both 2D and 3D drawing construction. For design engineers there are a host of utilities and applications which provide CAD performance that rivals systems costing many times the amount of AutoCAD and the add on software. The reason we selected to work with AutoCAD was the fact that it contains a very open architecture allowing for advanced customization in a variety of applications. When used as a standard for a manufacturing facility, the AutoCAD drawing files [DWG] become a powerful vehicle for communicating manufacturing and process information between different departments. For example, a 3D model created in R&D can be passed to drafting for annotation and paper prints and at the same time passed to manufacturing for the creation of a model and used itself to generate a comprehensive bill of material list. In all these instances, AutoCAD is the platform for manipulation and data extraction of the drawing.
AutoCAD runs on most modern computer platforms supporting Windows.
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Integrated means it runs inside AutoCAD
The NC/CNC programming solutions available from AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL all run inside the AutoCAD drafting system for maximum integration. That means our software works directly with the drawing [DWG] files and does not rely on translation via ever changing drawing exchange file formats such as IGES and DXF. The software all use the standard methods available in the AutoCAD system so that you have only one CAD/CAM user interface to learn. Once you learn AutoCAD, you are ready to begin writing NC/CNC programs using the AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL software. All we have done is add more command options to AutoCAD for NC/CNC programming.
The biggest advantage of working inside AutoCAD is there is no loss in drawing translation. DWG files created in a different part of the facility can be used as is by the CAM software. There is no need to create exchange files such as DXF and IGES which can lose information in the translation process. Instead, using AutoCAD as a platform, the same file is manipulated for NC/CNC programming purposes. Of course, AutoCAD supports DXF and IGES import options too. That way if the drawings happen to be coming from some other CAD platform you can still work with them.
The greatest advantage of a seamlessly integrated AutoCAD solution is that the systems all follow the same open architecture guidelines as AutoCAD. The programming language Visual LISP can be used to automate the NC/CNC programming processes to what ever level is desired. The menu system, dialog box interfaces, and even the command sequences can be modified using the standard tools available for customization in the AutoCAD environment. Using these tools it is possible to construct expert systems which automatically read your standard drawings and create NC/CNC programs from the information found in the drawings.
Of course, being inside the AutoCAD system means that all of the drawing edit and creation tools provided with this powerful CAD system are still available when defining the machine tool programs. If geometry is not correct or not 100% accurate in the original drawing it can be corrected as needed by the CAD/CAM operator. Related to this advantage is the fact that revisions to parts can be handled in much the same way. NC/CNC programs created inside AutoCAD drawings can be saved for later changes that may be needed. To adjust the cutter geometry of an NC/CNC program inside AutoCAD, the standard edit commands can be used or the enhanced editor commands of the CAM software utilized. The CAD and CAM information stored together can be consequently changed using the same methods.
The NC/CNC program generators create programs which are stored in ASCII format in the computer disk system. Network drives can be used as well as local disk drives. Once the ASCII text file has been created, it can be edited using any text editor or word processor if needed. Most of the output from the AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL NC/CNC generators can be customized to meet even the most exacting or specialized needs. The standard program generators are capable of producing virtually any variation of EIA-274 M & G code style output and customization latches exist for further translation to other formats such as ESSI or machine specific conversational code.
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Using Integrated AutoCAD/CAM Software
The CAM software systems from AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL each operate differently inside AutoCAD depending on the type of machine tool programming being performed. There are some basic rules associated with CAD/CAM drawing which are common to all of the interfaces though such as the fact that the drawing must be created at a constant scale. That is to say that there cannot be enlarged or shortened segments in the drawing which do not match the rest of the geometry. Detail enlargements along with the normal drawing of the part are acceptable, but exaggerated geometry in the base part being used for programming purposes will be equally exaggerated in the output NC/CNC program.
Our simpler to operate solutions for AutoCAD based NC/CNC programming make use POLYLINE objects in the drawing to define tool paths. POLYLINE objects are connected LINE and ARC objects which can be made up of either two or three dimensional points. These POLYLINE objects define the basic tooling path or contour to use for applications such as flame/laser/plasma/routing cutters. Cutter compensation can be applied against these objects to form both inside and outside continuous tooling paths.
Tools are provided in the CAM software for the conversion of other AutoCAD geometry such as CIRCLE and ELLIPSE objects to POLYLINE objects for NC/CNC programming purposes. AutoCAD's edit commands can be employed to create POLYLINE objects from LINE and ARC objects quickly. All this means that the operator of the CAD/CAM system can control any and all aspects of the tooling path sequence using standard AutoCAD drawing and editing procedures.
When advanced 3D work is required, we have a solution that works with the advanced 3D geometry systems of AutoCAD. The basic AutoCAD package is capable of fairly advanced 3D drawing work and there are enhancements available which greatly enhance these abilities by providing surfaces, solids, and advanced edit tools to the user. AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL offers solutions to programmers who want to make use of these advanced features as well. Surfaces and solids are broken down into 3D POLYLINE objects which are in turn used as tooling path guides. Offsets for variable cutters can be applied as needed from these objects as well.
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Does the AUTO-CODE software connect AutoCAD with my machine tool(s)?
Technically, no. This software is used to create the M and G code type programs that run at the machine tools. The M and G
programs are created as ASCII text files on your hard disk system. How the M & G codes get from the computer to the
machine tool depends on the type of machine tool controller one is using. There are different technologies available to
accomplish the communications and they are described in the following paragraphs.
Some machine tools can read and write MS-DOS format diskettes in which case the programs are simply copied from the hard disk to a floppy, which is carried by hand to the controller and copied into the memory of the machine tool.
Another method of getting the M & G code program to the machine tool is to build a direct link between the computer and the machine controller. The typical technology employed in this regard is RS-232 or RS-422 communications. In both cases, a simple cable is constructed which connects the serial port of the computer to a serial port on the machine tool. Various software products can then be used to communicate and send the files to the controller. The first place to start when investigating connection options is to contact the machine tool vendor and see what they recommend for cabling and communications software. In many cases, shareware and other lower cost communications software is all that is needed.
Older machine tools may not support direct communications from devices such as computers and disk drives. Instead they may require the use of paper tape readers. Although paper tape punches are available for personal computers, a better solution would be to investigate a BTR [Behind the Tape Reader]. A BTR is an enhancement to your controller which allows for serial communications. BTRs are available for most popular machine tools and can be purchased from most machine tool vendors. In many cases, the BTR will come with associated software and hardware for the computer to complete the link.
Of course, there is always MDI [Manual Data Input] where a printed copy of the program is typed into the controller however this error prone approach is not recommended except in extreme cases or when initially checking the code formats generated by the CAD/CAM system.
If you have questions about how to do off line programming for your machine tool it is strongly recommended that the machine tool vendor be contacted. They should know about various approaches available. If not, then a local consultant who specializes in communications will be required to get this portion of your system operational. AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL can provide basic consulting services over the telephone and through email however the most effective solution is for someone to go on site and make the communications link happen!
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Does AUTO-CODE have a DNC solution?
No.
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Overview of how to program 2 Axis Cutting with a Flame, Laser, Wire, or Plasma Cutter inside AutoCAD using our base product
named AUTO-CODE.
3. AUTO-CODE will ask for the location of the machine tool zero pointon the drawing as well as what machine tool is to be used.
4. After setting the machine up for cutting the material in question as well as cutting style, the POLYLINE objects are then selected and converted to program code.
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Nesting Parts in AutoCAD and AUTO-CODE
Part nesting in the CAD/CAM system is accomplished using the myriad of commands available inside AutoCAD for part copy, rotation, mirroring and other operations involved in nesting parts into material blanks. Using the CAD system to accomplish this task permits the operator to control the exact amount of material used and to control other aspects such as clamp positions, dead spots, bad areas, and more. Since AUTO-CODE works with polyline objects the nesting of geometry in AutoCAD is easy as each part can be picked as a single object and placed.
Other nesting software that works inside AutoCAD is 100% compatible with AUTO-CODE. In the worst case you will have to convert the nested output into polylines using the PEDIT command before coding may begin.
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The AUTO-CODE software can be used for programming lathes or turning centers. The turning module supports both NC and CNC machines through an open architecture design. Roughing, threading, and groove cutting are all supported for both left and right hand operations.
The boundaries representing the part are drawn in AutoCAD as POLYLINE objects. Given the boundary objects, AUTO-CODE calculates the required roughing passes for NC machines or supplies a complete boundary definition for a CNC cycle. The finish pass is made by simply selecting the POLYLINE object boundary. Threading and groove cuts are made by selecting points and supplying information through dialog boxes about the depth of passes and other pertinent information. Typical programming jobs for the lathe can be accomplished in a just a few minutes given an existing AutoCAD drawing.
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Sometimes called 2.5 axis milling, Mill/Drill operations involve machine tools which are capable of drilling holes using canned cycles and are also used to contour edges. The AUTO-CODE software is the tool to use in this application for basic programming requirements. The drill holes may be represented as CIRCLE or block INSERT objects in the AutoCAD drawing. AUTO-CODE will locate these objects automatically based on your criteria [radius or block name] and then proceed to program the required NC/CNC output to drill the holes.
The contours are described as AutoCAD POLYLINE objects which are collections of lines and arcs connected in the drawing. POLYLINE objects can be eitheropen or closed and represent the inside or outside boundary of the cutting path. When programming a mill to cut along the contour the offset can be set to either left or right as needed.
Basic pocket operations are supported in AUTO-CODE for shapes such as rectangles and circles. The pocket macros provided generate the required G codes to cut out the areas.
In the AUTO-CODE software all depths are input either by the operator in a dialog box or are taken from the objects themselves in a 3D drawing. The choice of which to use is controlled by the operator through a toggle in one of the dialog boxes.
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The entire AUTO-CODE interface is dialog box driven and does not interfere with existing menus or any other customizations to the AutoCAD system. Dialog boxes can be customized for unique machine tool requirements and the code generator modified for a large variety of output options.
To start AUTO-CODE, simply select NC Generator from the AUTO-CODE pull down menu.
AUTO-CODE is one of the fastest translators for AutoCAD geometry to machine tool paths available on the market. Although a lot of the package was written in Visual LISP to maximum user interface flexibility, the geometry translation takes place in a compiled module which is attached to AutoCAD. This compiled module is optimized for speed and takes the utmost advantage of your computer processor to accomplish the task.
AUTO-CODE was developed using international standards for AutoCAD integration which virtually guarantees that it will not interfere with other commercial software developed following the same guidelines. Complete documentation about customization of AUTO-CODE is provided and variable levels of customization are available direct from AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL for more demanding applications.
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3 Axis Simultaneous Cutting along surfaces
The cutting of tool paths along complex surface paths requires the use of more than just AutoCAD. In these cases the AutoCAD Mechanical Desktop should be used to create the 3D model of the object to be cut. The objects created are 3D surfaces and solids which can be transformed into 3D POLYLINE objects through the use of the flow line generation capabilities found in the Mechanical Desktop software. The resulting 3D POLYLINE objects can then be used as input to AUTO-CODE to generate tooling paths.
To develop a 3 axis continuous cutter path program in AUTO-CODE involves first defining the 3D model in the AutoCAD system. The model should be drawn such that the X,Y,Z zero point and the part orientation of the drawing matches the way the part will be mounted for machining. Mechanical Desktop is the best way to create AutoCAD 3D models. Using flow lines and section cuts, the 3D and 2D polylines for AUTO-CODE can be created.
Another solution is to consider the use of the APT programming language or an advanced 3D milling software solution designed to work directly with the surfaces themselves. These alternatives cost a lot more than AUTO-CODE and do not always properly support 2D operations.
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The AUTO-CODE software package comes with a complete four axis wire programming interface. Objects can be drawn in 3D or 2D representing the wire guides for the upper and lower positions. Utility programs are provided in AUTO-CODE for creating blended paths between two POLYLINE objects. Tooling paths are constructed interactively with wire slant angles reported during the coding process for verification.
Commands for the manipulation of polyline objects inside AUTOCAD are provided as part of the basic AUTO-CODE package. There are utilities for sharp corner cuts as well as offsets along a taper.
Four axis output is supported for XYUV style as absolute or incremental. UV points can be output as defined from a single origin or from a relative to the previous UV point or the XY point. Additional support is provided for machines using angle definitions for control of the alternate guide as well as special cutter compensation requirements [such as AGIE].
AUTO-CODE supports taper cutting in conjunction with wire EDMs. In taper cutting, the angle is supplied along with a G code (such as G51) and the wire is tipped in relationship with the cutting direction.
Call us at (614)-792-3900 about your four axis wire programming requirement.
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The most common use of advanced machine tools, those that allow for programming of more than three motion axis simultaneously, is for repositioning of the part to save a set up step. AUTO-CODE can be customized to meet this need and work with your drawing standards to make this an easy to program system. Our integration expertise with AutoCAD and AUTO-CODE provides the flexibility to create an interface for virtually any machine tool application. Often times, out of the box programming systems that purport to supply full multiple axis machines do not come through in real world environments. We wrote AUTO-CODE and kept the very open architecture to provide users who need these capabilities with the tools needed to get the job done. Your drawings can be either 3D models or 2D projections, AUTO-CODE can be adjusted to work with them as supplied.
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The NC-AUTO-CODE CAM software system for AutoCAD was developed originally in 1986 for GE by Kramer Consulting, Inc. As new interfaces and features became available, NC-AUTO-CODE took advantage of them. NC-AUTO-CODE used menu enhancements to AutoCAD, replacing or enhancing existing menu systems to include all the tools needed for NC/CNC programming. All machine tool interfaces that were provided in NC-AUTO-CODE allowing users of one class of machine tool to borrow from concepts and methods for other machine tools. The AutoLISP source was provided so that experienced AutoCAD users could further customize the system to specific needs. Documented ADS utilities were then used in the Visual LISP programs to greatly speed up the process of generating NC/CNC codes from CAD geometry. The earliest versions ofNC-AUTO-CODE ran under MS-DOS and contained a full screen text editor as well as an RS-232 communications utility for conversing with paper tape punches and machine tools. As better operating system tools became available these extra programs of NC-AUTO-CODE were phased out as development efforts focused on the rapidly evolving tools available for AutoCAD customization.
In the early 1990's a new interface was created from the base ADS modulesof NC-AUTO-CODE. The translator and control point system were borrowed and then enhanced using the newest tools of AutoCAD programming called ObjectARX and Visual LISP. The newest version of the translation system is called AUTO-CODE and is available for AutoCAD 2000 on up.
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Programming work cells and creating programs automatically from a drawing is the stuff of expert systems and at AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL we have the right stuff to make them reality. The typical environment for an expert system exists in a production manufacturing facility where similar parts are produced but with variable dimensions and requirements. An expert system which recognizes drawing features and builds the associated machine tool paths can save many hours of time in programming as well as assure the quality of the production. Installations that have expert systems up and running have come to rely on them heavily and in the best cases report that programming time dropped from several hours to several seconds for the majority of the work performed.
Its important to note that expert CAD/CAM systems are not for all environments and that some applications are not well suited to such processes. Our integration expertise can be used to determine if your application can benefit from an expert system and what the expected cost would be to build one. We look for 80-20 rules in the development of expert system. That is to say, a good investment in an expert system results when at least 80 percent ofthe current programming load can be handled by the system. This leaves the remaining 20 percent for the current programming staff to tackle using other tools such as our interactive NC/CNC programming software. The experience has been that our users have begun making more advanced parts than before as well as keeping up with the production schedules required. What makes this interesting is that companies who have gone this route have been able to make even better use of the machine tools by allowing the programmers and operators to experiment a little instead of just trying to keep up with daily programming requirements.
US Patent #5,991,528 names Bill Kramer, one of the founders of the AUTO-CODE company, as a partner in the development of an Expert Manufacturing System along with several past and present Rockwell employees. AUTO-CODE provided advanced AutoCAD customization in the creation of that patented system and has the skills and abilities to build one for your company as well.
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Customization of AUTO-CODE is provided with each package at multiple levels. An editor for the translation module control file [CFG] is provided which runs inside AutoCAD. This editor controls features such as the number of digits in the output code, decimal point locations, arc formats, and a lot more.
AUTO-CODE can be further customized by programming patterns [repeatedsequences of events or code streams] and then accessing the patterns through a dynamic menu system built into the dialog box. This menu system can also be used to link to Visual LISP macros of any description. The dialog boxesand all prompts issued to the user can be modified for any language or preferred interface.
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Integration with Mechanical Desktop
The Autodesk Mechanical Desktop will work in harmony with AUTO-CODE. The Mechanical Desktop system is a collection of enhanced commands and data structures for 3D, parametric model work in AutoCAD.
Use the Mechanical Desktop to create the model as normal. When ready for CNC/NC programming, use the commands for section cuts and for generating lofting lines. The objects generated by these commands inside Mechanical Desktop are polylines which can be used to direct the tooling path inside AUTO-CODE. AUTO-CODE is provided with a utility called SLICER that creates polyline objects by slicing up a surface to assist in this operation.
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How much does AUTO-CODE cost?
AUTO-CODE costs $2500 for the first module [all prices in U.S. dollars],and $1250 for each additional module or seat of software at the same site. For example, if you wanted to program a mill and a lathe, that would require that the mill and turn modules be purchased for a total of $3750 ($2500 plus $1250). Note that if you had two mills and a lathe that the cost would be the same for the modules. You do not need to purchase additional modules for similar machine tools.
Custom machine tool post processors cost $500 if developed by AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL. If you want to customize AUTO-CODE by yourself, please refer to the CUSTOM.HLP file supplied with the software for more information. For AUTO-CODE MECHANICAL to do the customization, a sample program must be supplied along with descriptive information about the G and M codes used by that machine tool.
If you are wondering why other software packages cost so much more or so much less, you need to ask the other developers
how they arrived at their cost. In the case of AUTO-CODE, the primary development work was paid for by the initial users
of the software and the cost is largely determined by the amount and quality of technical support we provide. The real
issue is the quality. When you have a problem with AutoCAD or AUTO-CODE, our technical support is the best available
and we can normally get operational problems resolved quickly.
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When you buy AUTO-CODE, telephone and email support are included in the base price for one year. During that year you can take advantage of our expert technical support. If you need revisions to your post processor, are moving the software to another computer or updating your existing computer, have multiple users using the same system, then support is absolutely required! Because CAD/CAM is an evolving process for most organizations the support can be extended to future years at a nominalcost ($695 for the first module, $495 additional modules). The ongoing support covers you for upgrades to AutoCAD (just download the update from the web and request a new authorization code) and provides the technical assist you may need to get things back on track quickly.
At AUTO-CODE Mechanical we stand behind our products and are proud of the longevity of the software in the face of an ever changing industry. We wrote the software and we know how to support it best!
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AUTO-CODE Mechanical is Kramer Consulting, Inc., a small company in central Ohio that develops software for AutoCAD users. Since 1986, we have provided custom solutions for a variety of companies. Most of our customers are manufacturers.
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Based on product sales history since NC-AUTO-CODE was first released in 1986, there are over 4000 companies using AUTO-CODE. Many companies have multiple copies running at multiple workstations and because of the nature of the evaluation system it is difficult to estimate how many additional users there may be at present.
Most users of AUTO-CODE are involved in mill, flame/plasma, and laser work with a sizable percentage also using the turn and punch features. A large number of AUTO-CODE users are involved with Wire EDM cutting because of the early history of the product at GE-SMD. In addition to the metal fabrication industry, AUTO-CODE is very well known in the wood working business.
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