Where can I go to learn Solidworks and Mastercam? Is fusion 360 any good?

Pistonring12 · Jan 11, 2023

As of now I currently work as an apprentice machinist doing dummy work (swapping out parts, deburring, little bit of manual machining.e.t.c) at a shop. However, in order to become more flexible, I want to learn how to program. The questions I have are:
1. Where can I go online to learn the fusion360 or solidworks and mastercam, are classes offered anywhere or perhaps tutors maybe?
2. Which program is a better option to learn longterm fusion360 or solidworks? For fun I have been messing around on the fusion360 demo version but have seen a couple people saying that solid works is the more professional alternative.
3. My shop is also moving forward with two new mazaks and selling off the haas's which I'm more familiar with. Other than the minimal training provided by my shop where can I go to learn the machines, perhaps directly to mazak in kentucky?
4. Finally, where can I go online to learn g code and m code more in depth? Is g code and m code the same from one brand to another? (haas to mazak)

Please keep in mind before replying that I have very minimal experience in machining and am trying to learn the ropes!

goooose · Jan 11, 2023

You should learn the software that your shop is using. No point in learning software X if your shop uses software Y...unless you don't plan on staying.

That said, the best software to learn to give yourself the most employment options is Mastercam for CAM and Solidworks for CAD.

apoet · Jan 11, 2023

1. Youtube (search fusion tutorials or follow channels like NYCCNC), Titans of CNC academy, etc. There are tons of free online resources available to anyone with the drive.
2. If you are a beginner you should start with something free like Fusion. The skills are transferable to any other software. If you can get a trial version of Mastercam or Solidworks those would be good to learn as well. All these software packages basically do the same thing with different user interfaces.
3. This will depend on what you want to learn specifically. Mazak offers training but unless my employer was paying I wouldn't worry about machine specific training. You will learn the details of the machine by using it and if you run into issues you can usually get support from the people who sold the machine.
4. Same as the answer to your first question. There are plenty of good books, but if you are just starting out I'd save money and watch all the YouTube videos first. Check out the Haas Tip of the Day series. They have a specific video that covers basic G/M codes along with plenty of other topics that you might find useful.

BrandonCarriveau · Jan 11, 2023

The channels linked below do classes in most of the major CAD programs. I used it to learn CREO.

https://www.youtube.com/@vertanux1

https://www.youtube.com/@cadcamstuff

Mcfish · Jan 11, 2023

When I was starting off programming, I took every class that the local community college offered after work. Mastercam and Solidworks

But the best thing I ever did was befriend the best programmer in the company and he helped me immensely. It wasn't easy, he had no desire to teach me what he had worked hard to learn. But I would take him out for beers and burgers and did anything I could to repay him.

Dan B · Jan 12, 2023

goooose said:
That said, the best software to learn to give yourself the most employment options is Mastercam for CAM and Solidworks for CAD.

I think that depends on your area. Around here Mastercam has very little presence. PowerMill is the most popular CAM software in this area. I would agree with SolidWorks. It's everywhere.

BT Fabrication · Jan 12, 2023

jumping in from general labor to programming is a bit of a jump. id find a local college if you were interested and spend the $ to have a good understanding of it all. self teaching cnc is a daunting task, and there are always shortcuts that you can learn years faster from someone else, then if you try to learn what you have no information on or tips and tricks of the trade.
local college here has a massive machining department to learn at, but it all comes at a pretty substancial cost.
as for cad/cam, find what your company is going to use. like mastercam or solidworks and try to learn that.
plus programming, try to learn the basics of machining before getting in too deep.

1032screw · Jan 12, 2023

I would echo what others have said about learning the software your shop uses however Solidworks is a pretty solid one to go with due to its prevalence in industry and ease of use. If you do go with Solidworks the first training to do is work through the built in tutorials which will show you the basics of the software in an easy to follow manner.

What you pursue further for training is highly dependent on you the learner. Are you good at self learning and have an idea of the direction you are headed or do you need a some direction and assistance picking up new topics. For self starters youtube and the internet in general has a wealth of knowledge. If you would do better with some more formal guidance I would look into adult education, online courses, or community colleges.

tomjelly · Jan 12, 2023

For Solidworks start here:

SD&amp;M · Jan 12, 2023

Great to see that you're wanting to roll up your sleeves and go for it! More knowledge is always a good thing....

Lots of good SWX stuff here (probably much more than you need to get started!): https://www.spannerpd.com/solidworks-webcast-topical-index

Lots of good learning material here: https://www.cncci.com/cnc-training-products-and-software
I got going with one of their spiral-bound training guides years ago, and I still have it floating around here somewhere. Yes (even if you're going to be using CAD/CAM), you will want to have a working knowledge of what G codes are doing.

metal-ica · Jan 12, 2023

Dan B said:
Around here Mastercam has very little presence. PowerMill is the most popular CAM software in this area.

That's interesting. In-House Solutions is in Ontario and the host of emastercam.com

Freedommachine · Jan 12, 2023

tomjelly said:
For Solidworks start here:

That is where I started as well. Mr Callahan has a good set of video tutorials for beginner users.

I still fight my way though mcam and solidworks. It's slow and frustrating, I hate it. Watching 20 min videos with a heavy Indian accent voiceover just to discover that what he's doing has nothing to do with what you're trying to do.

Splines, boolean, solids toolpaths, solids to wire frame, wire frame to surface... :wall:

John_B · Jan 12, 2023

BT Fabrication said:
jumping in from general labor to programming is a bit of a jump.... self teaching cnc is a daunting task....
try to learn that....plus programming, try to learn the basics of machining before getting in too deep.

I'll echo what BT Fab is telling you. Get some foundation laid and learn the groundwork of machining, learn to understand the kinematics and forces you and the machine/tool are dealing with.
I hire routinely and will pass on a programmer with a bunch of book and YouTube knowledge but not enough practical experience. I look for 3 years running jobs and setting up for every year of programming, at the least.
Not to say don't try to learn CAM, just don't put that in front of learning to be a machinist.

Dan B · Friday at 8:10 AM

metal-ica said:
That's interesting. In-House Solutions is in Ontario and the host of emastercam.com

It's probably pretty big in the Toronto area, I would think. But where I'm at is the hub of mold making. PowerMill seems to be the most popular, but I do know of one of the biggest mold shops in town that uses Tebis. I only know of one shop that used Mastercam, but I heard they switched to something else. The local college taught Mastercam, and maybe they still do. Many years ago we had a meeting with the heads of the technical wing asking why they didn't teach CAM that was used in our city. Their response was that they got Mastercam for free so that's why they teach it.

kenton · Friday at 10:25 AM

If you currently have access to Solidworks try the tutorials included with the software.

At one point when I was between jobs I was able to download a 30 day trial version of Solidworks and went through all the tutorials as a refresher. I don't see that exact option on their website now but you might contact them and inquire about a trial version.

Another possible option if you have a .edu email address is practicing on the educational version of Onshape, https://www.onshape.com/signup, it is a browser based cad software. I like it because it is fairly similar to Solidworks and I can use it on my Chromebook as long as I have a decent internet connection.

Conrad Hoffman · Friday at 11:52 AM

Solidworks seems to have most of the serious market. IMO, it's impossible to learn and retain the knowledge unless you use it regularly. It's stupidly expensive for personal use, but you can get the inexpensive Maker license for very little. You won't be able to swap files with the professional version, but it has all the features to practice on.

https://www.solidworks.com/solution/3dexperience-solidworks-makers

OVodov · Friday at 2:40 PM

Dan B said:
I think that depends on your area. Around here Mastercam has very little presence. PowerMill is the most popular CAM software in this area. I would agree with SolidWorks. It's everywhere.

Totally disagree. Maybe in south side of Ontario - Oakville, Kitchener still using PowerMil.
GTA - is totally MC.
I even got message from Aerospace company from Oakville in Linkedin, they were looking for Powemill programmer they themselves considering switching to MC, they just can't find anyone.

OVodov · Friday at 2:42 PM

Dan B said:
It's probably pretty big in the Toronto area, I would think. But where I'm at is the hub of mold making. PowerMill seems to be the most popular, but I do know of one of the biggest mold shops in town that uses Tebis. I only know of one shop that used Mastercam, but I heard they switched to something else. The local college taught Mastercam, and maybe they still do. Many years ago we had a meeting with the heads of the technical wing asking why they didn't teach CAM that was used in our city. Their response was that they got Mastercam for free so that's why they teach it.

That's the reason of popularity MC, all colleges in North America got it for free.

goooose · Friday at 10:36 PM

OVodov said:
That's the reason of popularity MC, all colleges in North America got it for free.

Thats not true.

OVodov · Saturday at 7:02 AM

goooose said:
Thats not true.

It’s off topic here.
I will start another topic, let’s discuss it there.

Where can I go to learn Solidworks and Mastercam? Is fusion 360 any good?

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