SolidCAM Hole Wizard Automation is one of the most powerful time-saving tools available for CNC programmers. During our recent Night Class Webinar Series, our Application Engineers demonstrated how the automated workflow eliminates repetitive drilling and tapping tasks by reading precise data from the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard and building complete machining processes automatically.
From SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard to SolidCAM Automation
The foundation of this workflow is simple but important: the holes in your part must be created with the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard. When that’s the case, SolidCAM can extract all of the hole data—type, diameter, depth, thread, countersink, counterbore—and turn it into a fully defined machining sequence.
With the Hole Wizard functionality active in SolidCAM, the user simply drags the Hole Wizard icon onto the model and drops it onto a selected face. Instantly, SolidCAM recognizes all the holes created with the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard and generates a complete process tree—including spot drilling, drilling, tapping, counterboring, chamfering, and more. Geometry is automatically selected, levels and depths are defined, and tools are applied based on the preset template.
By relying on SolidCAM Hole Wizard Automation, programmers can ensure consistency, accuracy, and efficiency across all hole machining operations.
What would normally take a long sequence of manual operations becomes a one-and-done operation that is still fully editable.
SolidCAM Hole Wizard Automation: Editing and Customizing the Hole Wizard Database
One of the main goals of the session was to show that this isn’t a rigid “black box.” The Hole Wizard process in SolidCAM is powered by a machining database that you can modify to match your shop’s standards.
For example, the default settings may call for a ¼-inch spot drill for certain hole sizes. If your preferred setup uses a ½-inch spot drill instead, you can open the base operation, change the tool to the larger spot drill, and save that back to the process. The next time you use Hole Wizard automation for those holes, SolidCAM will automatically select the larger tool.
The same idea applies to many other parameters. You can tweak feeds and speeds, add a little extra depth to the spot drill to create a chamfer, adjust dwell values, turn on coolant by default, or change how specific diameters are handled. These changes are not just one-off edits on a single part—they become reusable logic for future parts, which is where the real time savings begin to compound.
The presenters emphasize that SolidCAM essentially gives you a base template, and your job is to expand and refine it based on your tooling, materials, and shop preferences. Over time, you can build multiple custom Hole Wizard processes for different situations—cut taps, roll form taps, specific materials, and so on.
These customization options make SolidCAM Hole Wizard Automation adaptable to any shop’s tooling standards and machining preferences.
Working with Counterbores and Complex Hole Types
The webinar then moves into an example using counterbores. Here, SolidCAM builds a slightly different operation structure: a spot drill, a drill, a circular interpolation for the counterbore, and then a final pass with the spot drill to add a chamfer.
This workflow is especially useful when you are working in harder materials and want better control of each step. In softer materials, you might condense or modify the sequence, but the key idea is that the Hole Wizard process can handle more than just simple drilled and tapped holes. It supports tapped holes, counterbored holes, countersunk holes, and simple drilled holes—all the standard hole types available through the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard.
Because of its flexibility across different hole types, SolidCAM Hole Wizard Automation plays a central role in standardizing CNC hole machining workflows.
Smarter Selection with the Feature Tree
A very practical tip shared during the webinar focuses on how to efficiently select holes when a part contains many different sizes. Instead of clicking individual holes on the model and trying to visually determine which are ¼-20, which are 3/8, and so on, you can expand the feature tree in SOLIDWORKS and select the exact Hole Wizard features you want. This approach ensures accuracy and speeds up the workflow on complex parts.
This makes it easier to isolate specific hole groups, especially on larger parts with many different configurations of holes. The Hole Wizard process will then apply only to the selected feature or pattern, and you avoid accidentally including or missing geometries.
Using Master Tool Libraries
Another topic touched on in the webinar is how the Hole Wizard interacts with tool libraries. When properly configured, the process will pull tools from a defined master tool library rather than creating new tools every time. That means you can standardize tool numbers, holders, and geometries based on your real-world setups.
In the demo environment, the library path needed a bit of adjusting, but the concept is straightforward: once your tool libraries are set up, the Hole Wizard process will reference them automatically. Future content, they note, will go deeper into building and importing those libraries.
Automated Edge Deburring: Chamfering with One Operation
Later in the webinar, the focus shifts to another automation feature that many shops love: automated edge deburring. Instead of manually creating individual deburring toolpaths or using a profile operation for each edge, SolidCAM can recognize all the edges to be deburred in one shot.
The webinar also demonstrates how to create a new Edge Deburring operation by simply selecting the solid model as the input. SolidCAM automatically detects all faces and edges eligible for deburring. From there, the user can refine the selection, removing any edges that shouldn’t be machined, choose a tool—such as a spot drill or chamfer mill—and set the appropriate chamfer depth. Running a simulation instantly shows how much material will be removed and confirms that the operation meets the desired results.
One of their customers uses this approach on every single part and swears by the time savings. Not only does it reduce deburring labor, but it also cuts down on risk from manual deburring with hand tools and burrs.
Multi-Axis and MAC Positions
The presenters also address questions about holes on rotated faces or multi-axis parts. The key concept here is MAC positions and coordinate systems. If you’re working on a 5-axis or indexed part, you can create additional MAC positions directly inside the Hole Wizard process and associate them with different faces of the model.
Once those are set up, the Hole Wizard automation can be applied to those orientations as well, allowing you to generate drilling, tapping, and counterboring operations on multiple sides without having to reinvent the wheel each time.
Configurations and Synchronization with the Design Model
One of the viewer questions brought up an important scenario: what happens when you have multiple configurations of the same part in SOLIDWORKS?
The answer lies in a setting called “Synchronize with design model.” When this is enabled, the Hole Wizard process stays associated with the active configuration of the part. If you switch to another configuration where the hole sizes or patterns are different, SolidCAM can adjust the Hole Wizard-generated operations accordingly. You may still need to confirm geometry and levels, but you don’t have to completely reprogram everything from scratch.
This is especially useful when you have families of parts or size variations that share the same manufacturing strategy.
Imported Models and Feature Recognition
A recurring limitation the presenters stress is that Hole Wizard automation only works when the holes truly are Hole Wizard features. If the part comes in as an imported STEP, IGES, or “dumb” solid, or the holes were created as simple cut extrudes, SolidCAM cannot extract Hole Wizard data because none exists.
However, there is a workaround: SOLIDWORKS has its own feature recognition tools that can analyze an imported model and convert certain geometric features into native Hole Wizard features. Once that conversion is done, SolidCAM can treat those holes just like any other Hole Wizard-based features.
Simulation: SolidCAM Simulator vs SolidVerify
As the operations are simulated, the webinar highlights why the SolidCAM Simulator is often preferred over SolidVerify. The SolidCAM Simulator runs directly on the updated stock from the part itself, rather than generating a separate verification model. This approach typically makes simulation faster, more efficient, and easier on system resources.
Another practical advantage is that you can run the simulation with target-to-stock comparison turned on while the toolpath is cutting, something you can’t do in SolidVerify without the simulation pausing. For large or complex parts with many holes and chamfers, this can make verification a lot more efficient.
Built-In Chatbot and Learning Resources
Toward the end of the session, the team showcases the integrated SolidCAM chatbot. This tool can walk users through tasks like changing Hole Wizard settings step by step, link directly to relevant webinars, or surface PDF documentation covering the exact topic you’re working with.
For quick questions—especially “how do I…”-type tasks—the chatbot helps reduce friction and get users moving again without waiting on support. That said, they emphasize that the support line is always available and they’re happy to talk through more complex scenarios.
For additional information and official documentation, visit the SolidCAM website: us.solidcam.com
Why Hole Wizard Automation Matters
The bigger message behind the entire webinar is that automation is a massive time and money saver—especially in parts loaded with drilled and tapped holes. When SolidCAM Hole Wizard automation is set up properly, you can:
- Program large patterns of holes in minutes instead of hours.
- Standardize processes across different programmers and shifts.
- Easily reuse your best practices through templates and databases.
- Adapt quickly to new configurations and similar parts.
- Reduce manual deburring and finishing through automated chamfering.
For shops that handle thousands of holes, the difference is huge: less repetitive work, faster machine setup, and fewer chances for human error.
Ready to see the entire workflow in action?
If you want to watch every step—from drag-and-drop hole recognition to custom database editing, automated deburring, and multi-axis strategies—be sure to check out the full webinar replay.
You’ll see Jacob and Kevin demonstrate the exact techniques discussed in this blog, answer live user questions, and share practical tips you can use immediately in your SolidCAM programming.
Don’t miss it—your next hole-heavy part might take minutes instead of hours.
