SolidWorks CAM 2025 Black Book

SolidWorks CAM 2025 Black Book

By

Gaurav Verma

Matt Weber

(CADCAMCAE Works)

Published by CADCAMCAE WORKS, USA. Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in the database or retrieval system without the prior permission of CADCAMCAE WORKS. To get the permissions, contact at [email protected]

NOTICE TO THE READER

Publisher does not warrant or guarantee any of the products described in the text or perform any independent analysis in connection with any of the product information contained in the text. Publisher does not assume, and expressly disclaims, any obligation to obtain and include information other than that provided to it by the manufacturer.

The reader is expressly warned to consider and adopt all safety precautions that might be indicated by the activities herein and to avoid all potential hazards. By following the instructions contained herein, the reader willingly assumes all risks in connection with such instructions.

The Publisher makes no representation or warranties of any kind, including but not limited to, the warranties of fitness for a particular purpose or merchantability, nor are any such representations implied with respect to the material set forth herein, and the publisher takes no responsibility with respect to such material. The publisher shall not be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting, in whole or part, from the reader’s use of, or reliance upon, this material.

DEDICATION

To teachers, who make it possible to disseminate knowledge

to enlighten the young and curious minds

of our future generations

To students, who are the future of the world

THANKS

To my friends and colleagues

To my family for their love and support

Training and Consultant Services

At CADCAMCAE Works, we provides effective and affordable one to one and group online training on various software packages in Computer Aided Design(CAD), Computer Aided Manufacturing(CAM), Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Computer programming languages(C/C++, Java, .NET, Android, Javascript, HTML and so on). The training is delivered through remote access to your system and voice chat via Internet at any time, any place, and at any pace to individuals, groups, students of colleges/universities, and CAD/CAM/CAE training centers. The main features of this program are:

Training as per your need

Highly experienced Engineers and Technician conduct the classes on the software applications used in the industries. The methodology adopted to teach the software is totally practical based, so that the learner can adapt to the design and development industries in almost no time. The efforts are to make the training process cost effective and time saving while you have the comfort of your time and place, thereby relieving you from the hassles of traveling to training centers or rearranging your time table.

Software Packages on which we provide basic and advanced training are:

CAD/CAM/CAE: CATIA, Creo Parametric, Creo Direct, SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, Solid Edge, UG NX, AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, EdgeCAM, MasterCAM, SolidCAM, DelCAM, BOBCAM, UG NX Manufacturing, UG Mold Wizard, UG Progressive Die, UG Die Design, SolidWorks Mold, Creo Manufacturing, Creo Expert Machinist, NX Nastran, Hypermesh, SolidWorks Simulation, Autodesk Simulation Mechanical, Creo Simulate, Gambit, ANSYS and many others.

Computer Programming Languages: C++, VB.NET, HTML, Android, Javascript and so on.

Game Designing: Unity.

Civil Engineering: AutoCAD MEP, Revit Structure, Revit Architecture, AutoCAD Map 3D and so on.

We also provide consultant services for Design and development on the above mentioned software packages

For more information you can mail us at:

[email protected]

Table of Contents

Training and Consultant Services iv

Preface xi

About Authors xiii

Chapter 1 : Introduction

Introduction to manufacturing 1-2

Roughing Process 1-2

Finishing Process 1-3

Types of Machines 1-3

Turning Machines 1-3

Milling Machines 1-4

Drilling Machines 1-4

Shaper 1-4

Planer 1-4

Electric Discharge Machine 1-4

Electro Chemical Machine 1-5

Laser Beam Machine 1-5

NC Machines 1-5

Applications of Computer Aided Manufacturing 1-6

Applications of SolidWorks CAM 1-7

Activating SolidWorks CAM Add-in 1-7

Basic approach for CAM 1-8

Defining Machine 1-9

Setting Tool Crib 1-10

Adding Tools 1-10

Editing Tool 1-13

Removing Tool from the Crib 1-13

Updating tool in Database 1-13

Saving Tool Crib 1-13

Creating and Saving New Tool in Library 1-14

Setting Postprocessor Parameters 1-15

Posting Options 1-15

Setup Options 1-16

Setting Coordinate System 1-17

Defining or Editing Stock 1-19

Setting Milling Operation Parameters 1-21

Extracting Machinable Features 1-21

Generating Operation Plan 1-22

Generating Tool Paths 1-23

Simulating Tool Paths 1-24

Visualizing Toolpaths 1-25

Saving Toolpaths 1-25

Post Processing Toolpaths 1-25

Manually Creating Mill Operations 1-27

Self Assessment 1-31

Chapter 2 : Setting Up Workpiece and Machine

Introduction 2-2

Opening/Importing Part 2-2

CNC Machine Structure 2-4

Tool Spindle 2-4

Tool Changer or Turret 2-5

Translational and Rotational Limits 2-5

Tail Stock 2-5

Defining Machine 2-6

Machine tab 2-7

Tool Crib tab 2-7

Post Processor Tab 2-15

Posting Tab 2-17

Setup Tab 2-17

Rotary Axis Tab 2-20

Tilt Axis Tab 2-21

Tools Used in CNC Milling and Lathe Machines 2-22

Milling Tools 2-22

Lathe Tools or Turning Tools 2-30

Defining Stock for Part 2-35

Bounding Box 2-36

Pre-defined Bounding Box 2-36

Extruded Sketch 2-36

Cylindrical Stock 2-37

STL File 2-37

Part File 2-38

Self Assessment 2-40

Chapter 3 : Milling Setup and Features

Introduction 3-2

Milling Setup 3-2

Extracting Machinable Features Automatically 3-4

SolidWorks CAM Options 3-4

Mill Features Tab 3-5

General Tab 3-7

Display Tab 3-8

Simulation Tab 3-9

Update Tab 3-11

File Locations Tab 3-12

Editing Recognized Face Features 3-13

Defining End Condition 3-15

Island Entities 3-18

Creating Mill Features Manually 3-18

Creating Part Perimeter Feature 3-19

Creating 2.5 Axis Feature 3-20

Creating Face Feature 3-22

Creating Pocket Feature 3-25

Creating Slot Feature 3-27

Creating Corner Slot Features 3-29

Creating Boss Features 3-29

Creating Hole Feature 3-30

Creating Open Pocket Feature 3-30

Creating Open Profile Feature 3-31

Creating Engrave Feature 3-33

Creating Curve Feature 3-34

Creating Multi Surface Feature 3-35

Default Feature Strategies 3-38

Generating Automatic Operation Plan 3-40

Self Assessment 3-42

Chapter 4 : Milling Operations

Introduction 4-2

Modifying area Clearance Operation Plan 4-2

Tool Parameters 4-3

Feed and Speed Parameters 4-3

Pattern Parameters 4-7

Area Clearance Tab 4-8

NC Tab 4-10

Links Tab 4-11

Entry/Retract Tab 4-12

Geometry Tab 4-14

Advanced Tab 4-16

Statistics Tab 4-17

Creating 2.5 Axis Mill Operations Manually 4-18

Creating Face Mill Operation 4-19

Creating Rough Mill Operation 4-24

Creating Contour Mill Operation 4-27

Creating Thread Mill Operation 4-31

Creating Hole Machining Operations 4-32

Creating Central Drill Operations 4-33

Creating Gun Drilling Operation 4-35

Creating Countersink Holes 4-35

Creating Bore Operations 4-36

Creating Reaming Operation 4-37

Creating Tap Operation 4-38

3 Axis Mill Operations 4-38

Creating Z Level Operation 4-39

Creating Flat Area Operation 4-40

Defining New Avoid Area 4-41

Defining New Containment Area 4-43

Probing 4-43

Feed and Speed for Probing 4-49

Self Assessment 4-50

Chapter 5 : Toolpath Generation and Processing

Introduction 5-2

Generating Toolpath 5-2

Simulating Toolpaths 5-3

Navigation Rollout Options 5-3

Display Options Rollout 5-4

Options Rollout 5-5

Specifying Simulation Options 5-7

Step Thru Toolpath Simulation 5-8

Saving Controller File 5-10

Post Processing 5-11

Sorting Operations 5-13

Self assessment 5-14

Chapter 6 : Tolerance Based Machining and Miscellaneous Tools

Introduction 6-2

Tolerance Based Machining 6-2

Defining Tolerance Based Machining Settings 6-3

Running Tolerance Based Machining 6-7

Technology Database 6-8

Creating User Defined Tool/Holder 6-8

Creating Library Objects 6-10

Inserting Library Objects 6-12

Publishing eDrawing 6-13

SolidWorks CAM Help 6-14

Self Assessment 6-15

Chapter 7 : Turning Operations

Introduction 7-2

Defining Turning Machine 7-2

Setup Options 7-2

Chuck/Fixture Options 7-5

Defining Stock for Part 7-7

Turn Feature Options 7-8

Extracting Machinable Features 7-9

Creating Turn Features Manually 7-9

Creating OD Turn Feature 7-10

Creating ID Feature 7-12

Creating Rectangular Groove 7-13

Creating Half Obround Groove 7-15

Creating Generic Groove Feature 7-16

Creating Face Feature 7-16

Creating CutOff Feature 7-17

Generating Operation Plan Automatically 7-18

Creating Turn Operations Manually 7-19

Creating Face Rough Operation 7-20

Creating Face Finish Operation 7-33

Creating Turn Rough Operation 7-35

Creating Turn Finish Operation 7-37

Creating Thread Operation 7-38

Creating Cut Off Operation 7-41

Creating Turn Groove Operation 7-43

Creating Rough Groove Operation 7-43

Creating Groove Finish Operation 7-45

Creating Turn Bore Operations 7-45

Creating Bore Rough Operation 7-46

Creating Bore Finish Operation 7-47

Creating Drill Operation 7-48

Self Assessment 7-50

Chapter 8 : Practical and Practice

Introduction 8-2

Practical 1 8-2

Practical 2 8-17

Practical 3 8-20

Practice 1 8-27

Practice 2 8-27

Practice 3 8-28

Preface

SOLIDWORKS® CAM - powered by CAMWorks - uses rules-based technology that enables you to integrate design and manufacturing in one application, connecting design and manufacturing teams through a common software tool and 3D model. SOLIDWORKS CAM is an add-on to all versions of SOLIDWORKS CAD that lets you prepare your designs for manufacturability earlier in the development cycle. Manufacturing tasks that had to wait until a design was complete can now be performed concurrently with the design process. SOLIDWORKS CAM is available free with educational package of this software for learning.

The SolidWorks CAM 2025 Black Book is the 6th edition of our series on SolidWorks CAM. The book is written to help professionals as well as learners get familiar with functionality of the software. The book follows a step by step methodology. In this book, we have tried to give real-world examples with real challenges in manufacturing design. We have tried to reduce the gap between university use and industrial use of SolidWorks CAM. The book covers almost all the information required by a learner to master SolidWorks CAM. Some of the salient features of this book are :

In-Depth explanation of concepts

Every new topic of this book starts with the explanation of the basic concepts. In this way, the user becomes capable of relating the things with real world.

Topics Covered

Every chapter starts with a list of topics being covered in that chapter. In this way, the user can easy find the topic of his/her interest easily.

Instruction through illustration

The instructions to perform any action are provided by maximum number of illustrations so that the user can perform the actions discussed in the book easily and effectively. There are about 400 small and large illustrations that make the learning process effective.

Tutorial point of view

At the end of concept’s explanation, the tutorial make the understanding of users firm and long lasting. Most of the tools in this book are discussed in the form of tutorials.

Project

Projects and exercises are provided to students for practicing.

For Faculty

If you are a faculty member, then you can ask for video tutorials on any of the topic, exercise, tutorial, or concept. As faculty, you can register on our website to get electronic desk copies of our latest books, self-assessment, and solution of practical. Faculty resources are available in the Faculty Member page of our website (www.cadcamcaeworks.com) once you login. Note that faculty registration approval is manual and it may take two days for approval before you can access the faculty website.

Formatting Conventions Used in the Text

All the key terms like name of button, tool, drop-down etc. are kept bold.

Free Resources

Link to the resources used in this book are provided to the users via email. To get the resources, mail us at [email protected] with your contact information. With your contact record with us, you will be provided latest updates and informations regarding various technologies. The format to write us mail for resources is as follows:

Subject of E-mail as Application for resources of ________book.

Also, given your information like

Name:

Course pursuing/Profession:

E-mail ID:

Note: We respect your privacy and value it. If you do not want to give your personal informations then you can ask for resources without giving your information.

About Authors

The author of this book, Gaurav Verma, has authored and assisted in more than 18 titles in CAD/CAM/CAE which are already available in market. He has authored AutoCAD Electrical Black Books which are available in both English and Russian language. He has also written Creo Manufacturing 11.0 Black Book which covers Expert Machinist module of Creo Parametric and Mastercam 2024 Black Book which covers modeling as well as machining sections of software. He has provided consultant services to many industries in US, Greece, Canada, and UK. He has assisted in preparing many Government aided skill development programs. He has been speaker for Autodesk University. He has assisted in preparing AutoCAD Electrical course for Autodesk Design Academy. He has worked on Sheetmetal, Forging, Machining, and Casting areas of Design and Development department.

The author of this book, Matt Weber, has authored many books on CAD/CAM/CAE available already in market. SolidWorks Simulation Black Books and SolidWorks Flow Simulation Black Books are one of the most selling books in SolidWorks Simulation field. The author has hands on experience on many popular CAD/CAM/CAE packages. If you have any query/doubt in any CAD/CAM/CAE package, then you can contact the author by writing at [email protected]

For Any query or suggestion

If you have any query or suggestion, please let us know by mailing us on [email protected]. Your valuable constructive suggestions will be incorporated in our books.

Chapter 1

Introduction

The major topics covered in this chapter are:

•Introduction to manufacturing.

•Types of Machines.

•Applications of CAM.

•Activating SolidWorks CAM Add-in.

•General Approach in CAM.

•Defining Machine.

•Setting Coordinate System.

•Defining or Editing Stock.

•Walkthrough of SolidWorks CAM.

Introduction to manufacturing

Manufacturing is the process of creating a useful product by using a machine, a process, or both. For manufacturing a product, there are some steps to be followed:

•Generating Layout of final product.

•Selection of Raw material/Work piece; selection of raw material depends on the application of the product.

•Forging, Casting, or any other pre-machining method for creating outlines for final shape.

•Roughing Processes.

•Finishing Processes.

•Quality Control.

As the Generating Layout of final product is above all the steps, it is the most important step. One should be very clear about the final product because all the other steps are totally dependent on the first step. The layout of final product can be a drawing or a model created by using any modeling software like SolidWorks. (Refer to our another title SolidWorks 2025 Black Book for concepts of modeling)

The next step is Selection of Raw material/Workpiece. This step is solely dependent on the first step. Our final product defines what should be the raw material and the workpiece. Here workpiece is the piece of raw material to be used for the next step or process.

The next step is Forging, Casting or any other process for creating outline of the final shape. The outline created for the final shape is also called Blank in industries. In this step, various machines like Press, Cutter, or Moulding machines are used for creating the blank. In some cases of Casting, there is no requirement of machining processes. For example, in case of Investment casting most of the time there is no requirement of machining process. Machining processes can be divided further into two processes:

•Roughing Processes

•Finishing Processes

These processes are the main discussion area of this book. An introduction to these processes is given next.

Roughing Process

Roughing is the starting of machining process. Generally in roughing process, large amount of stock material is removed as compared to finishing process. In a roughing process, the quantity of material removed from the workpiece is more important than the quality of the machining. Generally, there are no close tolerances for roughing processes. So, these processes are relatively cheaper than the finishing processes. In manufacturing industries, there are three principle machining processes called Turning, Milling, and Drilling.

In case of roughing process, there can be turning, milling, drilling, combination of any two, or all the processes. Apart from these principle machining processes, there are various other processes like shaping, planing, broaching, reaming, and so on. But these processes are used in special cases.

Finishing Process

Finishing process can include all the machining processes discussed in case of roughing processes but in close tolerances. Also, the quality of machining at required accuracy level is very important for finishing. There are a few more machining processes like Electric Discharge Machining (EDM), Laser Beam Machining, Electrochemical Machining, and so on. These processes are called unconventional machining processes because of their cutting method. In unconventional machining processes, the tool life is much higher than the conventional machining. Different Machines used for machining processes are discussed next.

Types of Machines

There are various types of machines for different type of machining process. For example- for turning process, there are machines like conventional lathe and CNC Turner. Similarly for milling process, there are machines called Milling machine, VMC, or HMC. Some of the machines are discussed next with details of their functioning.

Turning Machines

Turning machine is a category of machines used for turning process. In this machine, the workpiece is held in a chuck (collet in case of small workpieces). This chuck revolves at a defined rotational speed. Note that the workpiece can revolve in either CW(Clockwise) or CCW(Counter-Clockwise) direction but cannot translate in any direction. The cutting tool used for removing material can translate in X and Y directions. The most basic type of turning machine is a lathe. But now a days, lathes are being replaced by CNC Turning machines, which are faster and more accurate then the traditional lathes. The CNC Turning machines are controlled by numeric codes. These codes are interpreted by machine controller attached in the machine and then the controller commands various sections of the machine to do a specific job. The basic operations that can be done on turning machines are:

•Taper turning

•Spherical generation

•Facing

•Grooving

•Parting (in few cases)

•Drilling

•Boring

•Reaming

•Threading

Milling Machines

Milling machine is a category of machines used for removing material by using a perpendicular tool relative to the workpiece. In this type of machine, workpiece is held on a bed with the help of fixtures. The tool rotates at a defined speed. This tool can move in X, Y, and Z directions. In some machines, the bed can also translate and rotate like in Turret milling machines, 5-axis machines, and so on. Milling machines are of two types; horizontal milling machine and vertical milling machine. In Horizontal milling machine, the tool is aligned with the horizontal axis (X-axis). In Vertical milling machine, the tool is aligned with the vertical axis (Z-axis). The Vertical milling machine is generally used for complex cutting processed like contouring, engraving, embossing and so on. The Horizontal milling machines are used for cutting slots, grooves, gear teeth, and so on. In some Horizontal milling machines, table can moved up-down by motor mechanism or power system. By using the synchronization of table movement with the rotation of rotary fixture, we can also create spiral features. The tools used in both type of milling machines have cutting edge on the sides as well as at the tip.

Drilling Machines

Drilling machine is a category of machines used for creating holes