MetaLab - CAD/CAM/Estimating Systems - PractiCAM

Your PractiCAM takes advantage of every advance in computer technology. The following list of system requirements is not complete (new hardware becomes available every day), but it is a good starting point for configuring or checking your PractiCAM system.

If you have any questions or doubts about your existing system or your prospective purchase, please do not hesitate to give us a call — we will be glad to assist you in your selection, and in case of a new computer, your phone call may save a lot of time and effort for you and for us.

Pentium IV processor (2.8 GHz or faster), or Pentium D (1.8 MHz or faster); the faster is your processor, the faster will be your nest.

1 Gigabyte of RAM minimum (2 GB and more is recommended);

100 Megabytes available hard disk storage space for system installation. Your database (your jobs, drawings, takeoffs, and your shop libraries) will require additional space, determined by the variety and the extent of your work.

If you intend to print anything, you will need printer ports. Depending on printers you decide to use, you will need parallel (LPT) and/or USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports. Depending on your requirements for printing, you may need anywhere from one to three ports (to match the number of your printers).

To cut metal (or to export your data to a coil line), you will need at least one free serial (COM) port for communicating with your equipment. If you want to have several machines (cutters and/or coil lines) working and downloading simultaneously, you will need one COM port for each of these machines.

Microsoft Windows XP Professional (strongly recommended), Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows.NET operating systems.

Note: Neither Windows XP Media Edition nor Windows XP Home Edition are suitable for running an industrial system.

The optional (but highly desirable) equipment includes:

A color printer (we recommend a dual-tray color laser printer, for example, Samsung CLP-510, but you can use any printer supported by Windows — PractiCAM supports all Windows printers).

A color printer will give you an ability to produce color-coded labels and reports, simplifying and impoving your work documentation, and a dual-tray capability will make it possible to print your labels and reports on the same printer without constantly changing your paper stock.

A Zebra label printer. PractiCAM currently supports Zebra 400 and Zebra Ht-146 models. If you decide to buy one of the higher priced Zebra models, we will make a driver for you, free of charge.

These printers, specifically designed for high-speed label printing, will give you an ability to quickly print your custom labels, with 3D images and barcodes. Please visit www.zebra.com to learn more about these printers.

A modem or a network adapter, and a high speed Internet connection.

This is a highly recommended option — PractiCAM takes full advantage of Internet and networking, and gives you an ability to freely exchange and coordinate your data across the network, get instant software updates, effectively communicate with our customer support, and use our free on-line training facilities.

A better monitor (17” or larger) will improve your working environment for drafting and design tasks.

Please remember that PractiCAM includes a complete 2D drafting CAD system for custom part creation, and uses WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) data representation for everything you make. A better monitor will make drawing and data input easier on your eyes.