Robotics Programming Plugin for CAD/CAM

Software providers RoboDK and BobCAD-CAM have announced their partnership by releasing a new plugin that is said to make robot machining more accessible to machinists.

The RoboDK plugin for BobCAD-CAM is now available for all users with both software packages. According to the companies, this plugin combines the robust machining-focused features of BobCAD-CAM with RoboDK's powerful robot programming features. Users can now seamlessly generate robot machining paths right from within the BobCAD-CAM interface. BobCAD-CAM is available as a stand-alone product or as an add-on to the popular CAD programs Rhino 3D and SolidWorks.

To use the new plugin, users simply install it to their BobCAD-CAM installation. They can then access the main functionality via the new panel that's added to the BobCAD-CAM user interface. They can send machining paths to the robot at the touch of a button and tweak the robot program within RoboDK if needed.

With this plugin, machinists can now easily program robots for a wide variety of machining applications, all from within their familiar BobCAD-CAM interface. The companies say that various applications can benefit from large-workspace robot machining, including milling of positives for mold making, large-scale sculptures, trimming of molds and complex hole drilling.