CAM by Tormach owners, for Tormach owners
Toolpaths that know your machine.
SwarfCam is CAM software for small shops running Tormach mills. It works the way you already program parts, picks feeds and speeds your spindle and tool holder can actually handle, and posts G-code ready for PathPilot.
Beta invites go out first to Tormach owners. No spam, one email when it's ready.
See it run
From part to PathPilot G‑code in 90 seconds.
A sample mount plate, start to finish: the program, the op settings and Coach, simulation and the post.
Video not loading? Watch it on YouTube. More tutorials: Open a part and set it up · Post settings: your G-code, your way.
Why SwarfCam
Made for the Tormach in your shop.
SwarfCam starts from the machine you own: its spindle, its tool holding and PathPilot.
Priced for small shops
SwarfCam is being priced for hobbyists and one-person shops, so good parts don't take a big budget.
A workflow you already know
Setups, tool libraries, operations, simulate, post. If you've programmed parts in Fusion, you'll find your way around SwarfCam without starting over.
Rates your spindle can hold
Recommended feeds and speeds are tuned for 1.5–2 hp Tormach spindles and for TTS and R8 holding, so you aren't running at the limit or pulling tools out of the collet.
From the shop
We run a Tormach too. And we love it.
SwarfCam started at our own Tormach. We've programmed plenty of parts on it and sent more than a few of them through PathPilot Hub on the way to the machine.
So SwarfCam is built around what a Tormach is: its travels, its spindle, the way a TTS holder behaves when you push it. Every feature gets cut on a real Tormach before it ships.
From one Tormach owner to another.
Machine profiles
Every Tormach mill, already set up.
Pick your machine and SwarfCam knows its travels, spindle speed range and horsepower. Toolpaths, warnings and recommended rates all follow from that.
Rates come from real-world tool libraries shared by Tormach owners across different machine sizes.
2D milling
The operations you use every day.
Most Tormach work is 2D, so SwarfCam has the full 2D toolset, including thread milling, slot saws and text engraving.
Facing
Clean up stock tops in one pass or several.
Adaptive clearing
Constant tool load for deep cuts without burying the endmill.
Offset clearing for closed pockets with a finishing pass.
Contour
Profile outsides and insides with lead-ins, tabs and multiple depths.
Drill & peck
Spot, drill, peck, chip-break and ream cycles from hole features.
Bore & circular
Helical boring and circular pockets for holes bigger than your drills.
Chamfer & deburr
Break edges with a chamfer mill along the part's outline.
Slot, trace & engrave
Follow a line at depth for slots, text and engraving.
3D, probing and more
Beyond 2D.
When the part needs more than flat pockets and profiles, SwarfCam has you covered.
3D roughing
3D pocket roughing and 3D constant-load roughing.
3D finishing
Parallel, contour, steep and shallow, scallop, ramp, horizontal, pencil, spiral and radial.
Text and 4th axis
Engrave text, project text onto a 3D surface, or wrap it around a 4th axis part. Indexed 4th axis setups cut several sides of a part in one program, turning A between them.
Probing and holes
Probe a stock corner, top, bore or boss, and let hole recognition find drilling features for you.
Workholding
Vises, soft jaws, fixture plates and pallets in the setup, with soft jaws generated from the part, or import your own fixture model.
Simple part design
Sketch or start from a block, add bosses, pockets, holes and side cuts, or bring in a DXF outline.
Materials
Rates for what you actually cut.
Pick a material and your tool holding, and SwarfCam sets starting feeds and speeds for every tool. They're cut back 20% for a Tormach frame, with depth limited so a full slot stays under 75% of spindle power. TTS and R8 get gentler rates so tools stay in the collet.
Aluminum
6061 · 7075 · Cast aluminum / MIC-6
Steel
12L14 · 1018 · 1045 · 4140 pre-hard · A2 / O1 annealed · Gray cast iron
Stainless
303 · 304 · 316 · 17-4 PH
Copper alloys
360 brass · 932 bearing bronze · 110 copper
Titanium
Ti-6Al-4V
Plastics
Delrin · UHMW / HDPE / nylon · Acrylic / polycarbonate · PEEK / Ultem · G10 / FR4
File formats
Bring your models and your tools.
Open parts from almost any CAD program, pull in the tool library you already have, and send finished programs straight to PathPilot.
Opens
- STEP
- .step · .stp · 3D solid models
- IGES
- .iges · .igs · 3D models
- BREP
- .brep · .brp · 3D models
- Meshes
- .stl · .obj · .3mf · .ply · .off
- glTF
- .glb · .gltf · 3D scenes
- DXF
- .dxf · 2D drawings and outlines
Using SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion or another CAD program? Export a STEP file and open that.
Tools and programs
- Fusion 360
- tool library .json · import
- PathPilot
- tool table .csv · import and export
- G-code
- .nc · .ngc · .tap · .gcode · read posted programs back in as operations
Saves
- G-code
- .nc · posted for PathPilot
- PathPilot Hub
- save and open in Hub
- Project
- .swarfcam.json · model, setups, ops and tools
- Setup sheet
- printable tools, origin and stock
- STL
- .stl · export a part or soft jaws, also for 3D printing
From model to machine
Five steps to chips.
Open your part
Bring in your model and set the stock size and work offset.
Pick your machine
Choose your Tormach and tool library. Limits and rates load with it.
Add operations
Face, clear, contour and drill, in the order you'd cut them.
Simulate
Watch the cut, check for gouges, and see run time before you commit.
Post to PathPilot
Save PathPilot-ready G-code or send it to PathPilot Hub and open it at the machine.
Roadmap
Where SwarfCam is headed.
Milling today, lathe next, and eventually full CAD and CAM in one package.
2D and 3D milling
- Full 2D operation set
- 3D roughing and finishing
- Indexed 4th axis
- Probing and hole recognition
- Simple part design
- Tormach profiles and machine-aware rates
- PathPilot post and Hub
Lathe and 4th axis
- Tormach lathe support
- More 4th axis machining beyond indexing and text wrapping
Full CAD
- Full 3D CAD in the same program
FAQ
Questions machinists ask.
Is SwarfCam made by Tormach?
No. SwarfCam is an independent product built by a Tormach owner for other Tormach owners. It's designed around Tormach machines and PathPilot, but it isn't made, sold or endorsed by Tormach.
When can I use it?
SwarfCam is in development now and already covers 2D and 3D milling. Join early access and you'll get an email when beta invites go out.
How much will it cost?
Pricing will be announced at launch. The goal is simple: a price that makes sense for hobbyists and small shops.
What does it run on? Does it go on the PathPilot computer?
No, nothing goes on the PathPilot controller. SwarfCam runs in a web browser (Chrome, Edge or Firefox) on your regular shop or office computer: Windows, Mac or Linux, with nothing to install. You program the part, post the G-code, then save it to a USB stick or send it to PathPilot Hub and open it at the machine.
Will it work with my machine?
SwarfCam is built for Tormach mills, with profiles for the PCNC 440, 770 and 1100 families and the 1500MX. Lathe support is planned.
Where do the feeds and speeds come from?
From real tool libraries shared by Tormach owners on different machines, tuned to stay inside what a 1.5–2 hp spindle and TTS or R8 tool holding can handle. SwarfCam also explains its numbers, so you learn why a rate works instead of just copying it.
Early access
Be first to cut with SwarfCam.
Beta testers get early builds and a direct line to shape what gets built next.
Tell us about your machine and we'll match you to the right beta build.