AI CAM

AI that programs in your CAM. Your programmer has the final say.

AI CAM runs inside the CAM system you already use. It reads the 3D model and the customer’s drawing, then writes setups, tools and operations into your CAM file as native operations. Your programmer reviews, simulates and posts as usual.

Watch the film

SH-410.camSetupStock2D3DDrillSimulatePostYour CAM system

Operations

Setup 1 · Vice, top

Face0:34
Adaptive rough1:24
Rest rough0:48
Finish pockets0:46
Outside contour1:12
Spot drill0:18
Drill Ø6.80:32
Tap M80:28
Chamfer0:55

Setup 2 · Soft jaws

Written by AI CAM

Adaptive rough · T4 Ø12

Stepover 1.210,000 rpm3,000 mm/min

AI CAMReady for review

Model and drawing readSH-410.step, SH-410 Rev B.pdf
2 setups plannedVice, then soft jaws
11 operations writtenYour tools and templates

2 to check before posting

Side port Ø8 out of reach in setups 1 and 2

Ø28 H7 needs a boring head

From your tool library

T1 Ø50 faceT4 Ø12T5 Ø10T6 Ø6T8 chamferT9 spotT11 Ø6.8T12 M8

Cycle time

8:47

Send to quote

Works inside

The CAM system you already own.

Nothing new to learn and nothing to migrate. Toolpaths are still calculated, simulated and posted by your CAM system, with the post-processors and machine definitions you have already proven.

NX CAM
SOLIDWORKS CAM
Creo NC

Product film

See AI CAM program a part.

It checks which of your machines can make the part, writes the setups and operations into your CAM system, and leaves the final say to your programmer.

SH-410SetupStock2D3DDrillSimulatePostYour CAM system

OPERATIONS

No operations yet

Setup 1 · Vice, top

FaceT10:34

Adaptive roughT41:24

Rest roughT60:48

Finish pocketsT50:46

Outside contourT51:12

Spot drillT90:18

Drill Ø6.8T110:32

Tap M8T120:28

ChamferT80:55

Setup 2 · 3+2, side

Side port Ø8T130:36

Face bottomT10:24

No part open

T4 · Ø12 end mill10,000 rpm3,000 mm/min

AI CAM

PART

Drop the model and drawing

STEP · IGES · Parasolid · native CAD · PDF

SH-410.step3D model

SH-410 Rev B.pdfDrawing

MACHINE

VMC 13-axisSide port out of reach

VMC 23-axisNeeds a third setup

VMC 43+22 setups

TOOLS

T1T4T5T6T8T9T11T12T13

Settings chosen

0 / 96

Cycle time

0:00

Ready for review

Post

Pocket 52 × 52 × 12model

4 × M8 × 1.25 ↧ 14drawing

Ø28 H7 boredrawing

Side port Ø8model

Adaptive roughSetup 1

ToolT4 · Ø12 3-flute carbide

Stepover1.2 mm · 10%

Stepdown12 mm12 mm10 mm

Spindle10,000 rpm

Feed3,000 mm/min

Posted with your post-processor · SH410.nc

SH-410 Rev B.pdfDrawing

SH-410.step3D model

Machine

VMC 4 on 3+2. The only machine that reaches the side port in two setups.

Setups

In the vice from the top first, then tilted 3+2 for the side port.

Tools

9 tools from your library, from a Ø50 face mill to an M8 tap.

Strategies

Face, adaptive rough, rest rough, finish, drill, tap and chamfer.

Feeds and speeds

Ø12 end mill at 10,000 rpm and 3,000 mm/min, within the machine’s limits.

Toolpaths and cycle time

11 operations in two setups. 8 min 47 s per part.

Drag in the part.

It reads the model and the drawing.

Then it makes the programmer’s decisions.

All six drafted before you’d pick a tool.

You check it, adjust it and post.

Inside the CAM you already use.

NX CAM

SOLIDWORKS CAM

Creo NC

Your post-processors, tool libraries and machine definitions stay as they are.

AI that programs in your CAM.

Cambridge Advanced Systems

What changes

Your CAM system still does the maths. AI CAM does the planning.

Toolpath engines are mature. The hours go into the decisions around them: how to hold the part, which features to cut with which tool, in what order and how fast. That is the work AI CAM drafts.

Stays with your CAM system

Toolpath calculation and simulation
Post-processors and machine definitions
Tool library, holders and templates
Collision checking and verification
The program your machine runs

Drafted by AI CAM

Orientation, setups and stock
Workholding, from vice to soft jaws
Features from the model, callouts from the drawing
Tools, strategies, feeds and speeds
Machinability findings and a cycle time

How it works

From model to a program you can post.

AI CAM does the planning inside your CAM system. Your programmer keeps the decisions that need judgement.

01
Open the part
Open the customer’s model in your CAM system and start AI CAM from its panel. Add the PDF drawing if you have it.
02
It reads model and drawing
Features, stock and orientation from the model. Tolerances, threads, finishes and notes from the drawing.
03
Operations appear in your tree
Setups and operations are written into your CAM file with your tools, templates and parameters.
04
Review, simulate, post
Your programmer checks each operation, changes what they would do differently and posts with your own post-processor.

Product

Built into the way your shop already programs.

Native operations

Operations you can open, change and post.

AI CAM writes the operations your programmer would create by hand, in your CAM system’s own tree. Tool, stepover, stepdown, speeds, feeds and stock to leave are all visible and editable. Nothing is hidden in a separate file, and nothing reaches a machine until your programmer posts it.

Setup 1 · Vice, top9 operations

FaceT1 · Ø50 face mill0:34
Adaptive roughT4 · Ø12 end mill1:24
Tool
T4 · Ø12 3-flute carbide
Stepover
1.2 mm · 10%
Stepdown
10 mm12 mm
Spindle
10,000 rpm
Feed
3,000 mm/min
Stock to leave
0.3 mm
Rest roughT6 · Ø6 end mill0:48
Finish pocketsT5 · Ø10 end mill0:46

Native operations in your CAM treeEdited by your programmer

Model and drawing

It reads the drawing, not only the model.

Tolerances, fits, threads, surface finishes and notes usually live on the PDF, not in the model. AI CAM reads them and turns each into the right operation: an H7 bore gets a boring pass, an M8 thread gets spot, drill and tap, an Ra 0.8 floor gets its own finishing pass. If your library cannot make a feature, it says so.

SH-410 Rev B.pdf4 callouts → 9 operations

Ø28 H7Bore, 17 deep
Rough, semi-finish Ø27.8, bore to sizeBoring headNot in your library
4 × M8 × 1.25 ↧ 14Threaded holes
Spot drill, drill Ø6.8, tap M8T9 · T11 · T12
Ra 0.8Pocket floor
Separate floor finish, 0.2 mm leftT5 · Ø10 end mill
0.5 × 45°Break all edges
Chamfer top and bottom edgesT8 · Ø6 chamfer mill

Your shop’s way

Programs the way your shop programs.

Preferred tools for each material, the stepovers your machines hold, when a job moves to soft jaws: AI CAM learns them from your templates, your past programs and every correction your programmers make. Programs stay consistent from one programmer to the next, and experienced programmers’ habits stay in the shop.

Shop rules

Applied to SH-410

Tools
Rough aluminium with the Ø12 3-flute carbide end mill.
Adaptive rough, setup 1
Workholding
Second operations over 20 parts go in soft jaws on vice 2.
Setup 2
Limits
Keep roughing stick-out within 4 × the tool diameter.
T4 at 36 mm, 3 × D

Suggested from two edits by your programmer

Chamfer edges with the Ø6 chamfer mill, not the spot drill.

Add ruleDismiss

Before you commit

Know what the part needs before anyone programs it.

Machinability

SH-410.step

1234

Suggested stock · 124 × 84 × 28 mm

1
Side port Ø8 is out of reach
No tool reaches it from setup 1 or 2. Add a setup, or run it 3+2.
2
Pocket corners are R2.5
Your smallest end mill is Ø6. Add a Ø4, or ask for R3.
3
Rib is 1.5 mm thick
12 mm deep between pocket and bore. Finish in two depths.
4
Ø28 H7 bore
Needs a boring head. There is none in your library.

Problems found while there is time to ask

Features no tool can reach, corners tighter than your smallest cutter, thin walls and tolerances your library cannot hold are flagged as soon as the part is open, while you can still ask the customer or quote the extra work.

Cycle time per part

8 min 47 s

Facing1:08

Roughing2:12

Finishing1:58

Drilling and tapping1:18

Chamfering1:21

Tool changes0:50

Setup 1 · 6:57Setup 2 · 1:00Tool changes · 0:50

Into CAS Quotation

SH-410 quote · cost per part

Material

6082-T6 plate, 124 × 84 × 28 mm

$5.12

MachiningFrom AI CAM

VMC 2 · 8 min 47 s at $85 / h

$12.44

Anodising

Outsourced

$3.40

Cost per part$20.96

A cycle time the quote can use

The cycle time comes from the operations AI CAM has planned, on your machines. CAS Quotation prices machining from it, so the quote and the program agree.

Explore CAS Quotation

FAQ

Questions from programmers and shop owners.

Which CAM systems does it work with?

AI CAM works inside Autodesk Fusion, Mastercam, Siemens NX CAM, SolidCAM, hyperMILL, SOLIDWORKS CAM, Creo and GibbsCAM. If you program in another system, tell us when you apply.

Does it replace our CAM system or our programmers?

Neither. Your CAM system still calculates, simulates and posts every toolpath. AI CAM does the planning and setup work that comes before, and your programmer reviews and approves every operation.

Can we change what it creates?

Yes. The operations are native to your CAM system, so your programmer edits them like any other operation. Corrections that repeat become rules AI CAM follows on the next part.

Which tools, machines and post-processors does it use?

Yours. It picks from your tool library and holders, keeps within each machine’s spindle speed, power and travels, and leaves posting to the post-processors you already use.

How are feeds and speeds set?

From the tool, the material and the engagement, limited by the machine’s spindle speed and power and by the stick-out in the setup. Values your shop has proven take priority, and every value is visible on the operation.

What machining does it cover?

Milling on 3-axis and 3+2 machines, including drilling, tapping and chamfering. Tell us about your turning and 5-axis work when you apply.

What happens to our customers’ models and drawings?

They stay in your workspace and are used only for your programs. They are never shared with other shops.

How does it connect to quoting?

The cycle time from the planned operations flows into CAS Quotation, which prices machining on your machine rates. Estimators quote milled parts from planned operations instead of guesses.