Guide
Alphacam Guide
Written for people who use Alphacam in furniture production every day: what the program is, how add-ins and macros work, where to start with VBA, how door drawing gets automated. The articles draw on what we learned building GMacros and on the Alphacam API documentation; they are not sales copy.
Articles
- 01 · 8 min read
What is Alphacam? A CAD/CAM guide for furniture and wood CNC
What the program is, where the Router module fits in furniture production, how Auto Style and nesting work, file types, and where add-ins come in.
Read the article → - 02 · 9 min read
Cabinet door drawing in Alphacam: membrane, panel, American, framed, glazed and louvred doors
The door types produced in Turkey (membrane, balloon, panel, American, framed, glazed, louvred, groove, slatted) and how each is drawn and machined in Alphacam.
Read the article → - 03 · 7 min read
How to choose a cabinet-door macro program for Alphacam: METRON, FSD Door, LMS Door and GMacros compared
A comparison of the Alphacam door/cabinet-door macro programs on the market based on publicly available information, plus the criteria to decide by: price, licence, version compatibility, trial, support.
Read the article → - 04 · 7 min read
How Alphacam-based parametric door and cabinet door macros work
What "parametric macro" means, which parameters door and cabinet-door macros take, the series-production flow and the link to Auto Style.
Read the article → - 05 · 8 min read
Membrane door drawing in Alphacam: pattern, cutters, depth and holes
The CNC side of the membrane door: pattern geometry, cutter and depth limits, holes, operation order and series drawing from a dimension list.
Read the article → - 06 · 7 min read
American door and American panel door drawing in Alphacam
American cabinet door versus American panel interior door, panel layout rules, profile cutter and layer scheme; hinge/lock recesses on the door leaf.
Read the article → - 07 · 7 min read
Panel (raised-panel) door drawing in Alphacam: one-piece routed and frame-and-panel
The two ways to make a panel door, stile/panel sizing rules, inner offset logic, panel groove and solid frames; series drawing from a dimension list.
Read the article → - 08 · 6 min read
Handleless doors in Alphacam: push-to-open hole, finger groove and J-profile
The three handleless solutions (push-to-open, finger groove, J-profile), the CNC geometry of each, position rules and automation with a macro.
Read the article → - 09 · 7 min read
The System 32 drilling standard in Alphacam: shelf, hinge and runner holes
The rules of System 32 (32 mm pitch, 37 mm row, Ø5), layout on the side panel, hinge and runner compatibility; hole arrays and the macro in Alphacam.
Read the article → - 10 · 8 min read
Alphacam Auto Style setup: automatic machining by layer name
Layer standard, style definition, operation order and priority, preparing DXF/macro drawings for Auto Style; set up once, machine every drawing with one command.
Read the article → - 11 · 6 min read
DXF/DWG import and layer mapping in Alphacam: a clean path from design to production
The 7 most common DXF problems (units, open contours, duplicates, splines, blocks, layer names, text) and the fix for each; layer mapping for an Auto Style-ready drawing.
Read the article → - 12 · 8 min read
Alphacam nesting guide: sheet layout, waste, grain direction and labels
Nesting inputs and settings (sheet, gap, grain, rotation), small parts and vacuum, labels and remnants; rules that actually reduce waste in a shop.
Read the article → - 13 · 7 min read
What is an Alphacam post-processor? Producing NC code for your machine
The post's job, machine/controller dialects, finding and testing the right post, typical errors (units, zero point, tool change) and the relation to add-ins.
Read the article → - 14 · 6 min read
What is an Alphacam add-in, how is it installed and how does it work?
Add-in (.arb) versus macro, the Startup folder, the ribbon tab, the single-file installer and how the license relates to the add-in.
Read the article → - 15 · 9 min read
Writing VBA macros in Alphacam: where to start
Getting into the VBA editor, the basic object model, a first parametric macro, working with Auto Style, compiling, and pitfalls.
Read the article → - 16 · 6 min read
Alphacam add-in problems: tab missing, macro failing, license errors
A checklist, in order, for add-ins not loading, missing tabs, macro errors, decimal/unit issues and license errors.
Read the article → - 17 · 6 min read
Alphacam versions and add-in compatibility: what changed since 2019 R1?
Version naming, which changes affect add-ins (bitness, VBA, folders, Windows) and which do not (UI, nesting features); why GMacros supports 2019 R1+.
Read the article → - 18 · 6 min read
Alphacam vs AutoCAD: CAD versus CAD/CAM, and when to use which
AutoCAD draws; Alphacam draws and prepares work for the machine. The difference, a comparison table, using both through DXF/DWG, and the transfer mistakes furniture shops make most.
Read the article → - 19 · 6 min read
Alphacam tips: 16 practical habits for a furniture shop
16 tips that save time and sheets at every step from drawing to NC file: geometry, layers, tools, simulation, post, nesting, templates, backups and automation.
Read the article → - 20 · 6 min read
How to use CAD/CAM software: a step-by-step workflow from drawing to machine
Drawing, geometry cleanup, sheet and tool setup, operations, simulation, post and first-part check — with the Alphacam Router equivalent of each step and a learning order for beginners.
Read the article → - 21 · 7 min read
Types of CAM software: by process, axes, integration and industry
Sorts CAM programs by process, number of axes, relationship to CAD and industry, then covers the four criteria a furniture shop should weigh when choosing one.
Read the article → - 22 · 8 min read
CNC programming languages: G-code, M-codes and controller dialects
Where G-code comes from and its core commands, controller and woodworking-machine dialects, manual programming versus CAM, the post-processor's role and parametric programming.
Read the article → - 23 · 6 min read
CNC turning and milling operations: differences, axes and the wood router
The basic difference between turning and milling, the typical operations of each, what axis count means, where the CNC router sits in the milling family, tooling for wood and feed rate calculation.
Read the article → - 24 · 6 min read
Industrial design software: CAD, 3D modelling, rendering and CAM compared
Categories of design software with well-known examples, a comparison table, file formats, where CAM sits in the chain from design to machine, and a sensible combination for a furniture shop.
Read the article → - 25 · 6 min read
Manufacturing technologies in furniture production: CNC, CAD/CAM and automation
The machines and software of a furniture shop in one picture: subtractive vs additive manufacturing, CNC and the panel line, CAD/CAM and nesting, labels and barcodes, production planning and an investment order by shop size.
Read the article → - 26 · 7 min read
Alphacam licence types explained: modules, licence carriers and terms
What an Alphacam licence actually contains, how it is delivered, perpetual versus term licences, how maintenance relates to upgrades, and what to do when the computer changes.
Read the article → - 27 · 7 min read
Buying or renting an Alphacam licence: a step-by-step guide
What to ask before buying Alphacam, what determines the price, perpetual purchase versus renting, the risks of second-hand licences, and what to do after the purchase.
Read the article → - 28 · 7 min read
Alphacam crack: why a cracked licence is a bad deal, the risks and the legal options
Takes the reasons people look for a cracked Alphacam seriously, explains the legal, security, production and customer risks, and shows legal ways to bring the cost down.
Read the article → - 29 · 7 min read
Alphacam and furniture CNC glossary
Program terms (Auto Style, nesting, post, layer, .arb) and shop terms (membrane, panel, stile, groove, System 32, edgeband…) in one list.
Read the article →
Related products
Tools that do the work described here with one click inside Alphacam: the GMacros Alphacam Package. Purchasing and licensing are explained on How it works.
Written by the GMacros team. Alphacam is a registered trademark of Hexagon AB; this guide is independent.
GMacros add-ins and macros run inside Alphacam Router. An Alphacam software license is not included in the product price; you buy Alphacam separately from Hexagon or an authorised reseller. Supported versions: 2019 R1 and later.