Fusion 360

[parshal]

I had a buddy put together a 3D printer for me and recently downloaded 360. As I expected, I don't want to learn a whole new tool. I'm sure it's not as complicated as others but the time I spend learning the tool for the printer could be spent on the lathe, mill, reloading, shooting, etc., etc.

 

[B2]

That is $347/year. So you have to be a somewhat serious user. Its is not the cost when you are active. It is when you divert to other activities. I hate it when I have all of these work products that I may also need in the future and then I change my activities and have to continue to pay the fee to use my own stuff occasionally! Or they change the rules, raise the prices etc. and suddenly you are trapped. I paid $5000+ for a materials data base when it was running on Win 2000. But it would no longer run when Win XP came out and certainly not on Win 7 or later. While I used it a lot at the beginning I have a hard time saying I got 5K worth out of it. It is free at the library, but is in a set of books that are too large to check out and carry home. Besides they are not available to be checked out.

It would be nice to have Eagle for circuit board layout, which I also see is included in the 347. I have not tried the free version of Eagle just do to its limitations. https://www.autodesk.com/products/eagle/free-download.

 

[bretthl]

I use a Big Chief pad and number 2 pencil.

 

[finsruskw]

So, just what is it that you get when/if you buy a Langmuir plasma table?

 

[GeneT45]

I tried their 30 day free trial. After using Creo for years at a previous job, I was underwhelmed. But, I've been kicking around getting it for a year and learning to like Fusion 360. I haven't found anything as affordable and others seem to have success with it.

Creo Elements Direct (CoCreate, OneSpace Designer), or whatever it is that they call OneSpace these days? Fusion 360 is an excellent hybrid (parametric and direct modeling). I don't use it, but for better or worse, that paradigm seems to be winning the CAD marketplace.

GsT

 

[ptrotter]

So, just what is it that you get when/if you buy a Langmuir plasma table?

You get the CNC controlled table and the control box for the stepper motors. This includes their Fire Control software to drive the steppers. You will need to add a plasma torch of your choice. You need a laptop to run the Fire Control software and you will also need some CAD and CAM software to design whatever you want to cut. The CAM software needs to output G-Code which you load into the Langmuir Fire Control software. Langmuir recommends Fusion 360 or Sheetcam for the CAD/CAM as these have post processors to generate G-Code specifically for FIre Control.

 

[Jason812]

Creo Elements Direct (CoCreate, OneSpace Designer), or whatever it is that they call OneSpace these days? Fusion 360 is an excellent hybrid (parametric and direct modeling). I don't use it, but for better or worse, that paradigm seems to be winning the CAD marketplace.

GsT

It might be Creo Design Elements which includes Creo parametric. I ended up buying a license and am due to renew next month so you would think I would know what it's called. I've had a few jobs that justified/paid for it but not as many as I would like. It is a familiar program though that I don't have to relearn. I'm using it strictly for design work not 3d printing or CNC programming.

 

[finsruskw]

Thanks for the replies Guys!
So, I guess the table comes with the Fusion 360 software according to their site when you buy one of their pkg's.
Is that going to be all I need to draw parts and get them to cut?
Have watched several videos on the "tube" but they jerk around so much, camera and all plus the mouse moving all over the screen it's darn hard to keep up with them, by the time I read what they are saying (ears are not the best) they are already on to something else
The local library is getting some books on on Fusion 360.
Hoping one will be "Fusion 360 for Dummies"

 

[3strucking]

The time it takes to learn any CAD program is what has kept me illiterate in the subject. I start trying to learn it and after about one hour, get a pencil and paper and go to the shop. I am going to have to force myself to learn it since I would like to have the program do all the math for me. And I really want a printer.

 

[ptrotter]

Thanks for the replies Guys!
So, I guess the table comes with the Fusion 360 software according to their site when you buy one of their pkg's.
Is that going to be all I need to draw parts and get them to cut?
Have watched several videos on the "tube" but they jerk around so much, camera and all plus the mouse moving all over the screen it's darn hard to keep up with them, by the time I read what they are saying (ears are not the best) they are already on to something else
The local library is getting some books on on Fusion 360.
Hoping one will be "Fusion 360 for Dummies"

It looks like they are including the free version of Fusion 360. It does have some limitations vs. the full version. There are some good tutorials on YouTube.