3 Reasons Why Shops Hesitate to Update Mastercam
We cover 3 common reasons we hear from shops for not updating Mastercam and offer our suggestions on how to move past the resistance to update.
By Callie Morgan
November 1st, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT
“It’s time to update!” You may have seen this subject line pop into your email inbox from your Mastercam reseller whenever a new version of Mastercam arrives. But, you just updated last year and your business is still in the black. Why go through all the trouble to get all your programmers trained on the new version?
By Callie Morgan
November 1st, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT
“It’s time to update!” You may have seen this subject line pop into your email inbox from your Mastercam reseller whenever a new version of Mastercam arrives. But, you just updated last year and your business is still in the black. Why go through all the trouble to get all your programmers trained on the new version?
Regardless of the benefits of running the latest version of Mastercam, many shops hesitate to make the leap and would rather stay on previous versions. According to site data, the top 3 most watched lessons on Streamingteacher.com since June 2021 are from Mastercam releases up to 5 versions back.
Because of reservations towards updating their software, some shop owners will spend thousands to stay on the Mastercam Maintenance Program just to get support for older versions of Mastercam from their reseller, even though being on maintenance includes access to the newest version.
At face value, hesitating to update your Mastercam software can be a shrewd short-term business decision. It keeps your programmers in familiar production territory, and offers enough peace of mind to allow focus on other production issues. However, continuing to neglect newer manufacturing processes can have an adverse affect on long-term efficiency, competitiveness in the marketplace, and your company’s ability to attract skilled workers.
Here are 3 common reasons we hear from shops for not updating Mastercam and our suggestions on how to move past the hesitancy to update.
1. “Why change? My software is working fine and I’m still making money!”
It is difficult to argue for change when you are successful, especially when the past 5 versions of Mastercam have been excellent. However, using the latest version of Mastercam can make you even more money! Newer versions boast a variety of enhancements that reduce machine cycle times, reduce the risk of machine damage with simulation, and, not to mention, the time savings for your programmers.
It is difficult to argue for change when you are successful, especially when the past 5 versions of Mastercam have been excellent. However, using the latest version of Mastercam can make you even more money! Newer versions boast a variety of enhancements that reduce machine cycle times, reduce the risk of machine damage with simulation, and, not to mention, the time savings for your programmers.
Some examples of these efficient features are the Dynamic OptiRough toolpath option available in Mastercam 2022 Mill and Router and Proximity Alerts in simulation. Dynamic OptiRough can replace 10-15 different legacy-style toolpaths with one. Which, in turn, drastically reduces cycle time because roughing takes up such a significant part of machining. Proximity alerts will alert the user if a collision will occur all within the Mastercam interface before the part is machined. These are only two of the many, many enhancements added in 2022 that can protect your machines.
2. “Well, this one thing I need doesn’t work in the new version!”
Streamingteacher co-founder and owner of Mastercam reseller MCAM Northwest, Tim Rowley finds that it’s often one thing about the newer version that causes shops to hesitate on updating.
Streamingteacher co-founder and owner of Mastercam reseller MCAM Northwest, Tim Rowley finds that it’s often one thing about the newer version that causes shops to hesitate on updating.
“It may be something as simple as an installation attempt that failed, or a problem migrating a post processor,” says Rowley. “And in many cases, the update to the new version stops there without reaching out to MCAM’s support team to help get past those hurdles.”
The simple solution is to talk to your reseller. Reaching out to your Mastercam reseller is the best way to resolve any issues with installation and migration. Your reseller is also there to help you leverage Mastercam’s features the most optimally for your business. When you make the decision to not update Mastercam, you should consider what new features you could be missing out on and how those enhancements can affect your bottom line.
3. “I don’t know what’s in the new version and I don’t have time to find out!”
Rather than reading through a 188+ page PDF on Mastercam’s website to learn the new features, you can watch videos in our “What’s New” section! Every time a new version of Mastercam is released, we release our What’s New Presentations series and What’s New lesson groups to cover the major changes in the newest version, to make the decision to update much more approachable. If you are updating from a few versions ago, you can easily compare the new features across the most recent three versions in the Streamingteacher course libraries.
Rather than reading through a 188+ page PDF on Mastercam’s website to learn the new features, you can watch videos in our “What’s New” section! Every time a new version of Mastercam is released, we release our What’s New Presentations series and What’s New lesson groups to cover the major changes in the newest version, to make the decision to update much more approachable. If you are updating from a few versions ago, you can easily compare the new features across the most recent three versions in the Streamingteacher course libraries.
Our What’s New lesson groups are broken down by product and feature to make it easier to find the features you need to know. You can watch the recordings of the Mastercam 2022 What’s New Presentations anytime with a Streamingteacher Pro account here.