Getting Started with ONGAA CAM – Basic Overview

IN SOLIDWORKS

Getting started with ONGAA CAM is straight forward and easy to learn. In this page you will have all the information to get started programming in no time.  Details about individual processes like Pockets and Routing and how to take advantage of the time saving features can be found in the process specific tutorial pages.

STARTING ONGAA CAM

ONGAA CAM is an ‘AddIn’ to SOLIDWORKS and becomes available when a PART or ASSEMBLY is open.

With a PART open, both the ‘Command Manager’ bar

and the toolbar become available.

Most icons represent the familiar WoodWOP processes and greyed-out icons are not active (unavailable).

GETTING STARTED

To open the programming interface, click the ‘Workpiece’ icon.  This will open the Process List allowing access to add more processes as well as viewing or changing the details of existing processes.  If no previous process definitions (MPR) exist you will be asked to either load from a template (yes) or create a new blank MPR (no).  New MPRs have the Material process added automatically.

The detailed information about a process can be accesses by selecting a process (highlighted in the list) and clicking on the details tab.
Some data fields are ‘White’ while others are ‘Yellow’.

• White fields are user input fields.
• Yellow fields come from the model automatically.

In this example, the material Length, Width and Thickness is determined by the actual part model.  The information in the details section (Scrap material dimension) is entered by the programmer as required.

If it is unclear what information a field should hold, simply hover over the field to show a brief explanation of the field.

MATERIAL STARTING POSITION

Since PARTS can be created in any orientation (flat, upright or on end), the first step in programming is to ‘lay the material flat’ as it is to be to be loaded on the machine.  Pressing CTRL 1 in SOLIDWORKS will visually rotate the part to its ‘as modelled in SOLIDWORKS’ orientation. (looking down on the part from above).

If the as modelled orientation is not suitable for machining, expand the Starting Position box and drag the sliders to reorient the part.  Each notch of the slider represents a 90 degree increment around the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis.

Each time you release the slider, the part will animate the rotation required in order (first X then Y and finally Z).

Once the position of the material (and any other options) have been finalized click the Green Check to save the information and return to the process list.

Because we often ‘visually’ rotate the part in SOLIDWORKS to examine details of the model it is important to have an easy way to see the part in ‘machining orientation’.  To do this, simply click material process in the process window and the part will be visually oriented back to ‘machining orientation’ and in full part view.

ADDING PROCESSES

Processes are added as follows:

1 ) Ensure the process list is open (click Workpiece if required)

2) select a process to indicate where you would like to add a machining process. (the process will be inserted after the selected one)

3) Click the desired process icon on the tool bar.

Selection Vertical Routing for example will add the process and immediately open the details for the V.Route.

Unlike WoodWOP where all geometry is entered as numbers, in ONGAA CAM geometry is selected by clicking on vertexes (corners or point), edges and faces.

In this example, we see a starting point for a route and two edges as they will appear in the process details and as they appear on the model.

Once the geometry is selected, each process details windows provides access to ALL the options available in WoodWOP. This includes Tool selection, Tool compensation, feed, speed and clearances etc.

Click the Green Check to save the process and return to the process list.

SEEING RESULTS

In order to confirm that the program is correct simply click the TEST+ Icon in the toolbar. This will generate a temporary MPR and open it in WoodWOP to allow you confirm you are creating good programs.

CREATING THE FINAL MPR PROGRAM

Once you are ready to send the MPR for machining, click the Generate Customer MPR icon. This action will create an MPR file named after your part and place the MPR file in the same directory as your SOLIDWORKS part.

There is also a ‘second copy’ option which will make a second copy of the MPR file to any location of your choice, such as a network folder accessible by the CNC console. This function is optional and is configured in Setting.