Backplotting!
Among other things a Backplotter should allow you to see 4 orthographic views at once.
A Backplotter should display live elements (arcs, lines, circles, points) that can easily be graphically edited (add a marker to change the feedrate, change the spindle speed, etc.) as well as allowing you to change the Backplotted arcs, circles, points and lines in anyway you wish… trim them, extend them, move them, delete them.). Naturally Mastercam’s Backplotter can’t do any of this. What Mastercam’s Backplotter does allow you to do is save your Backplot as geometry so why not go the extra step and allow full toolpath editing while in Mastercam’s Backplot?
The CAM company in best position to exploit this is arguably HSMWorks who is CIMCO edit and who for many years has made the leading stand alone Backplotter. Up until a few weeks ago HSMWorks has done nothing with the huge technological advantage they have in this area over other CAM companies.
A few weeks ago HSMWorks posted a video that shows they have *finally* gotten started with integrating their CIMCO Backplotter in ways that give it an advantage over Mastercam. It’s about time and it’s barely a start on what can really be done with integrating a Backplotter and a CAM system. HSMWorks loves to talk about integration. I’d like to see less talk and much more action in this area from HSMWorks.
