Is there another department on campus that has an actual machine shop that could help you do some demo days? So, building some from kits and flashing custom firmwares could be fun. They are after all CNC machines and nearly all of them run off of G-Code.
I think the big question now is, what IS your budget for a CNC?Īnother thing to think about is 3D printers and maybe building some. Rather than a dewalt router attached to the gantry which has just a few speed settings that you would have to set manually that is more meant for woodworkers on a budget.
Or one that is tailored to doing plastic and has full spindle speed control. If I had to look for a certain type of router, maybe look into one that is tailored to making custom PCBs as it's somewhat relevant. I mean, getting a CNC router isn't a bad thing, but it no where near demonstrates what CNC Metalworking Machines can actually do.
NX?! man I am jealous! I've heard the power of the software is just awesome. Stick to the big names if you can as it will look better on resumes and in job interviews and give practical experience with commercial grade CNCs. I mention SolidworksCAM because Solidworks is just a widely used cad system and experience with that is always good and the CAM system is capable although it isn't intuitive by any means.Įither way, I would stay away from hobbyist style routers like the one you linked to.
The most robust of the three would be Mastercam. The easiest to learn into I would say is Fusion. They each have in software simulation of material removal(as most CAM software does). Solidworks CAM, Autodesk Fusion, and Mastercam all have educational licenses. If they are in an actual class room, finding a physical Demo controller would be nice, but I doubt you'd be able to get more than one or two.įor CNC programming and toolpath creation, it depends on what the school allows. If they are remote, I would say Fanuc's CNC Guide software would be the way to go. It kind of depends if your students will be in a classroom and can get actual hands on with a control or if they are still remote. Haas and Okuma I believe also have physical Demo Controllers. So, maybe looking into that might be cheaper than getting a physical Demo Controller. They also have their CNC Guide software which is just a digital version of their control and it works just like a real control. It went into ladder logic diagnosis, control i/o, and the components of a CNC system and how they talk with the CNC controller.
I've taken their Usage and Maintenance course and it blew me away how much I learned and I've been in the industry 15ish years and have had a fair amount of time with Fanuc and other CNC controls. I doubt it would be cheap, but I feel Fanuc is kind of the gold standard here. Their controllers are very common in manufacturing and tons of manufacturers utilize them in their machines. They have industry leading CNC technology that extends into robotics control. Piracy of any kind is not permitted and may cause a permanent ban Other subreddits you may be interested in:įor an actual Mechatronics Bachelors Degree, I would say Fanuc would be the way to go. Meme posts that are not funny may result in a permanent ban and possible curse to post author. Memes are not permitted, unless they are CNC related AND funny. Please use the stickied sales and services megathread. Sales and or services posts are not permitted. Final decision is made by the community by way of reporting. Other considerations that may cause the removal of the post including lack of engagement with the community or the author has a history of self promotion. Posts that do not meet this criteria will be removed without question. Posts of self promotion MUST include original content directly from the post author and have been created with reasonable effort. Name calling or belittling will not be tolerated and may result in a permanent ban. Please be respectful of others when posting.
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