CAM benchmark Pro/E vs Catia

[mzmudzin]

I would like to know if anybody out there has experience in using Pro/E CAD with Catia CAM.

We have a 13 year old investment in the Pro/E CAD, but only now we are looking into the 3D CAM options. Our manufacturing team (which has no 3D modeling experience) is leaning towards the Catia Manufacturing, but our Engineering team would like an integrated CAD/CAM solution.

Our setup uses Pro/E 2001 with Intralink 3.1. The proposed Catia CAM solution would connect to Intralink using the tollkit access, check-out the models, run Pro/E in the background and export to STEP.

What are the advantages/disadvantages to using Pro/E or Catia CAM? Are there any export/import problems to lookout for?

 

[looslib]

The advantage of using the integrated solution is revisions. If the model changes, then the manufacturing operations should change also. You will need to go back and regenerate the toolpath output, but the driving geometry and feeds and speeds should be the same. A lot of the manufacturing associativity depends on the ebgineering side and how they make changes and to what extent the change affects the model.

Using STEP, there is some associativity but it is a lot harder to get and control, since every revision the CAM side is seeing a 'new' part. It can be done, but the time for the translations and the reassociation of toolpaths to geometry may cost you more than programming in CATIA vs. Pro/E saves.

NO, I haven't used either CAM package, we use UG and we are doing the STEP from Pro/E. We are looking a a third party CAM package that can read both Ug and Pro/E files. This way teh NC programmer is only dealing with one system when the parts are designed on two.



"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli
CAD/CAM System Analyst
Ingersoll-Rand