If you’re still spending hours on roughing passes and feature setups for prismatic parts, there’s a faster way. CAM Assist by CloudNC is an AI CAM software that generates up to 80% of your toolpaths and cutting strategies. CAM Assist allows your programmers to focus their time on the work that actually requires their judgment, such as tight tolerances, complex fixturing, and surface finish optimization.
CAM Assist is fully integrated into SolidCAM, enabling AI-powered, automated computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programming directly inside SolidCAM and SOLIDWORKS. No third-party exports. No parallel workflow. Your operations tree, your tool library, your G-code output.
What CAM Assist delivers inside SolidCAM:
- Automates up to 80% of 3-axis and 3+2 axis prismatic part programming
- Runs entirely within the standard SolidCAM interface, without a separate application to manage
- Takes just one hour to learn, with same-day setup
- Physics-based feeds and speeds are calculated automatically for each operation
Ready to see how CAM Assist handles your parts?
Automate 80% of Your Toolpaths
CAM Assist targets the repetitive, decision-light work that consumes most of a programmer’s day.
The operations that CAM Assist generates natively inside SolidCAM include Face Milling, iMachining, Pocket, Drilling, Chamfering, Edge Deburring, and HSS – the bulk of the job. The remaining 20%, which includes complex 5-axis simultaneous surfacing, specialized turning, and non-standard fixturing, still requires a programmer’s direct input.
Before generating a single path, CAM Assist identifies and shows you missing stock, unsupported features, and geometry issues. Catching those problems at the analysis stage, rather than mid-simulation, is where a significant amount of wasted time gets recovered.
The Cutting Parameters module in the CAM Assist AI solution uses physics-based AI to set precise feeds and speeds, providing the right balance between cycle time, surface finish, and tool life. This isn’t a lookup table; the AI applies machining physics to your specific geometry, material, and tool selection.
Does AI CNC Machining Software Replace the Programmer?
No, and here’s why:
You stay in control with edit operations, reorder strategies, and the ability to determine your shop’s preferences, with CAM Assist working the way your team does. Every strategy the AI generates populates directly into your standard SolidCAM operations tree as a native, fully editable operation. Nothing is locked. Nothing bypasses your review.
Think of it like a power feed on a manual mill. The machine handles the physical grunt work, but you control the setup, the final dimensions, and when to override. The programmer’s value shifts from clicking through roughing parameters to making the calls that actually differentiate a good job from a great one.
Controls retained by the programmer at all times:
- Full edit access to every AI-generated toolpath
- Ability to lock shop-specific preferences for repeatable operations
- Final approval on tool selection, step-overs, and entry strategies
- Complete authority to reorder, delete, or replace any generated operation
Still have questions about how CAM Assist fits your workflow?
CAM Assist Demo Videos
CAM Assist Demo Videos
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How CAM Assist Works Inside SolidCAM
CAM Assist is pre-installed in SolidCAM 2025 Service Pack 4 and is compatible with all future versions of SolidCAM. Getting it running follows a four-step process that stays entirely within your existing environment:
- Configure: Point CAM Assist to your existing tool library, standard materials, and workholding setups inside SolidCAM. Note: tools in your library must be fully assembled with tool holders, as CAM Assist only works with assembled tools.
- Analyze: Open a part model and run the machinability analysis to flag geometry issues before any paths are generated.
- Generate: Select your preferred machining directions, flag areas to avoid, and let the AI produce a set of strategies for your review.
- Post: Review the populated operations tree, make adjustments natively, and post your G-code.
One important infrastructure note: CAM Assist requires a stable internet connection, as it is necessary for processing, generating strategies, and integrating them with your CAM software. Strategy generation is handled in the cloud, not locally. All customer data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and CloudNC is SOC2 Type 2 and Cyber Essentials Plus certified.
How CAM Assist Works Inside SolidCAM
|
System Component |
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended Specification |
|---|---|---|
|
Operating System |
Windows 10 64-bit |
Windows 11 64-bit |
|
Software Version |
SolidCAM 2025 SP4 HF2 |
SolidCAM 2025 SP4 HF2 or newer |
|
Processor (CPU) |
Intel/AMD 64-bit, 2.4 GHz |
Intel i7/i9, 3.2 GHz or higher |
|
Memory (RAM) |
16 GB |
32–64 GB |
|
Internet |
Required (stable connection) |
Required (stable connection) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AI CAM software?
AI CAM software uses machine learning and physics-based algorithms to automatically generate valid toolpath strategies. For standard prismatic milled components, CAM Assist eliminates the manual data entry and decision-making required for routine roughing and finishing operations — the work that takes hours but doesn’t require a senior programmer’s expertise.
How does CAM Assist work?
The CAM Assist plugin analyzes part geometry, references the assembled tool library, and builds native SolidCAM operations directly into the SolidCAM feature tree. CAM Assist is an AI that understands the physics and rules of CNC machining, works at full effectiveness out of the box, and receives new capabilities added monthly.
What parts can CAM Assist program?
CAM Assist accelerates CAM programming for 3-axis and 3+2 axis parts, covering the majority of standard prismatic milled components. Complex 5-axis simultaneous surfacing or specialized turning operations still require traditional programming.
Does AI replace the CNC programmer?
AI does not replace the CNC programmer. The AI CAM software simply removes the repetitive setup work. Programmers spend less time clicking through identical roughing parameters and more time on tight tolerances, surface finishes, and the fixturing decisions that can’t be automated. The job gets better, not smaller.
If you are tired of spending hours on routine setups, it’s time to let AI CAM software eliminate the repetitive work. By using CAM Assist within your existing SolidCAM environment, you take an immediate, natural next step toward higher shop-floor productivity without changing your core workflow. Let the software handle the heavy lifting of roughing and setup, so your team can focus on what truly matters. See CAM Assist in Action.