ONGAA CAM is a program specifically designed for woodworking that allows you to create ‘MPR’ / ‘WoodWOP machining procedures’ (for Homag/Weeke CNC machines),  ‘BPP or CIX’ / Biesseworks/bSolid programming files, ‘HOP’ files for ‘Holzher’, ‘TCN’ files for TPA Albatros or G-Code for other machines, from within SOLIDWORKS.  While working in SOLIDWORKS, you design and apply toolpaths without conversions or DXF files.  The files created by ONGAA CAM are 100% compliant Weeke/Homag / Biesse / Hops / TPA files and require no additional manual edits (but can edited at the machine if needed).  MPR / BPP / CIX / HOP / TCN files generated by ONGAA CAM are processed by the respective software you already have so there is no additional software costs.  This means you keep all the safety features built into approach modes and the operator can adjust the files at the console.  G-Code is generated by the internal … Read the rest

New User Features

Since ONGAA CAM was first introduced the design team have been working hard to incorporate new features requested by our users.  Here we try to highlight what’s new in ONGAA CAM’s recent releases.

ONGAA CAM for TPA Albatros

For those with TPA Albatros equipped CNCs, the wait is over.  Program your Format4, Biesse Brema Vector or Busellato  machines directly from Solidworks. Same intuitive interface, same simplicity and same speed as the rest of the ONGAA CAM family.  No more switching from bSolid to TpaCAD and looking for features and functions that you just can’t remembers…

The Wizard (see below) is also available for TPA making programming effortless, … no really, ONGAA CAM does all the work. Most parts programmed in 30 seconds or under.  Oriented, Drilled, Pocketed, outside trimmed.

Use the Contact US form to get more information.

Process recognition – ‘The Wizard’

Process recognition is … Read the rest

From those of us that are accustomed to working in ‘Machine Space’, the Z-Axis is always UP.   So why on earth does SolidWorks insist that Y is up?

Rather that ask and then answer the question, I’d would rather show you how to change it.  What we will do in the steps below is reset the default views and rename the default planes for both parts and assemblies and save the changes into the Part and Assembly templates.

Open Solidworks and create a new PART

The default view is most likely trimetric view and look like this.

We will be using the Triad to change and verify the views we want in several steps.

First, change to the Front View.  Use Ctrl-1 or the Heads-up menu or Spacebar
The Triad should look like this.

Now use the Spacebar to get access … Read the rest

INCHES for Operators

Although the ‘underlying’ Units of measure of both SOLIDWORKS and WoodWOP are metric, this does not help operators accustomed to units in Inches.

Since one of the 4 ‘Guiding Mandates’ of ONGAA CAM is ‘ allow the operator to perform all operations as before’, we felt we should do something about this.

As of version 1.3.34, ONGAA CAM generates WoodWOP programs in Inches.  This is independent of the Units of Measure of the model or programming units.  Simply turn the option ON and ONGAA CAM creates the MPR with the WoodWOP Inch indicator ON and values in inches.  All ‘geometric measures’ are converted to Inches as the MPR is generated.  This includes all X,Y,Z locations, distances, radii and depths.

It should be noted that, at this time, programming in ONGAA CAM is still in metric (expected and displayed).  This ensures that all programs (old and new) will … Read the rest

ONGAA Cam was created by ONG Solutions Inc. (Software Development) while working closely with WindowCraft (Custom Window and Door Manufacturer). It combined the best of 35 + years of innovative software development and 45 + years of manufacturing high quality wood products to simplify programming for your wood CNCs.

Our focus has been to help you get the most out of your CNC machines by simplifying the ‘design to machining process’.

The product manages to stay on target with real world requirements coming directly from the manufacturing “office” and the “shop floor.”

I need to be able to ‘design’ a window system once but make it in 1000 different sizes without having to start from scratch each time.

Configure it only once (in one place) .

These mandates are what drives the development of features today as it has done since the beginning.

The same philosophy extends into the integration … Read the rest

Automating manufacturing comes with a long list of questions.  The question that follows ‘Which CNC machine to buy?’is usually followed by ‘How do get from my drawing to the CNC making parts ?’.

Each CNC vendor has a basic solution for that.  Type in all the numbers by hand …. or at least try to type them in (correctly).

If the ‘program’will never change and will make several million units,then this simple process is cost effective enough.  But what about the smaller manufacturer?  2-10 Units a year (of that size and shape).  Manually typing in each number for every size is just not practical.

If you use a 3D modeling program like SOLIDWORKS then adjusting the size of a ‘Model’is relatively simple.  If there was only a way to attach the processing information to the Solidworks Model.  That way the processing stretches as my model does.  Even better …why not … Read the rest