Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Free Software

Smoke wrote:

> Upon opening the file in Rhino, the part was about 25 times larger
> than the original! I asked the dealer about this and they couldn't
> figure that out. fortunately, there is a "scale" button in Rhino
> that lets you shrink or expand a part to the size you want....and it
> works really fast!

Hmmm, was it 25.4 times larger? Sounds like the file was using mm as
the units, and
the program that read it was expecting units to be in inches. Very
common problem!

> I also noticed the generated tool path "STINKS". While watching the
> machine do it's thing, I noticed the tool path would repeat the same
> path several times in some cases and would cut AIR
> unnecessarily....even after setting the cutter area to the minimum for
> the part being machined.

This is why I've written my own programs to cut common paths
efficiently.
I end up using cad cam systems only for complex and irregular shapes,
because
anything I can afford has such poor algorithms for path planning. I
have
Bobcad/CAM. If you have a tricky pocket to mill out, you can take the
time to direct Bobcad to make the toolpath the way you want - usually.

Jon