In precision manufacturing, programming complex CNC parts can often take hours—or even days—to complete. But that’s rapidly changing thanks to CAM Assist, an AI-powered CNC programming tool developed by CloudNC.
Recently, Titans of CNC, one of the world’s largest CNC education channels, published a hands-on video demonstrating how CAM Assist was able to generate a complete program for a complex part in just around 2 hours—a task that used to take up to 2 days.
🌟 What Is CAM Assist?
CAM Assist uses artificial intelligence to automate key steps of CNC programming:
✅ Automatically detects part geometry
✅ Selects suitable machining strategies (facing, roughing, finishing, drilling…)
✅ Picks tools and calculates cutting parameters
✅ Generates toolpaths ready for simulation and post-processing
💡 How to Get the Best Out of CAM Assist
In the video, engineer Jessie Smith emphasizes three essential steps for getting high-quality output from CAM Assist:
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Proper File Setup
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Assign the part model, stock, and fixture correctly
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Define solid-based collision avoidance zones (surfaces won’t work)
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Robust Tool Library
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The richer your tool library, the better the AI’s suggestions
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Cutting parameters must be defined under Cut Parameters, not just tool specs
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Clean CAD Models
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Use “Simplify”, “Optimize”, and “Repair” tools to fix split faces or CAD errors
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Rebuild fillets or hole features if CAM Assist misinterprets them
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📊 Real Results and Key Benefits
| ⚙️ Feature | 💡 CAM Assist Impact |
|---|---|
| Programming time | Reduced from 2 days → 2 hours |
| Toolpath generation | Logical, optimized automatically |
| Automation | Covers 70–80% of programming |
| Engineer role | Fine-tune the remaining 20–30% |
