CAMWORKS PC Processing

Avoiding Processing Bottlenecks with CAMWorks

Depending on the scope and complexity of your project, you may run into costly PC processing delays. Ultimately, CAM calculations require a significant amount of RAM. To remediate computing limits, DEVELOP LLC began exploring cloud computing. Although the team initially believed this approach would cut down calculations that take hours into minutes, they quickly discovered that timeouts, latency, and server issues made the delays even worse. In turn, they deployed the following solutions around CAMWorks to avoid bottlenecks.

•       High-Performance PC - The first step to handling complex processing demands is having the right hardware. DEVELOP adopted a high-performance PC with 64GB of RAM, 8 to 12 central processing units, and a high refresh rate. Ultimately, these specs determine what can be accomplished in a single day. Within the manufacturing industry, where clients have little tolerance for delays, production is everything. In turn, investing in a high-caliber PC is beyond justified. At the same time, a powerful PC alone is not enough to get the most out of CAMWorks. For maximum efficiency, the following items on this list must also be enacted.
•       Noon Reboots - When computers run for days on end, their RAM is slowly degraded. On heavy programming days, this process is accelerated, leading to slower performance and processing delays. While teams may find booting and rebooting their programs cumbersome, the minutes spent completing this task each day can save hours down the road. That’s because as more programs are opened, more RAM is consumed (even if the programs are unrelated to part processing). By restarting your PC at noon each day, you can free up your RAM, cut down your processing time, and even remove the temptation to use unrelated applications such as email. After all, the PC running CAMWorks should be given the most amount of processing power possible to work efficiently.
•       Overnight Operations - In the modern machining industry, CNCs frequently run overnight while PCs are either left idle or powered down. Instead, why not revisit batch production to facilitate an overnight process? These processes require completely programmed parts before generating cycles. Additionally, programming this way requires a detail-driven approach and confidence in your TechDB. Ultimately, scheduling overnight operations for your PC is an excellent way to keep your shop working even when you aren’t.
•       Concurrent Applications - By using separate central processing units, SOLIDWORKS can be run in two instances on the same device. To alleviate potential concerns, this is allowed in your licensing. Essentially, a high-performance PC with multiple cores can accommodate multiple SOLIDWORKS programs at once. While CAMWorks leverages multiple cores, the calculations can run simultaneously so long as they are not dependent on one another.

Contrary to popular belief, the most powerful and expensive PC solutions are not always the best. Instead, understanding how CAMWorks functions within your hardware is a more effective way to optimize performance. As a recap, rebooting your PC, running operations overnight, and concurrently operating SOLIDWORKS can help boost slow processes and make the most out of your investment.