Re: First part!

Interesting Randy,

I'll look for your pix!

You need Vector CAD/CAM (demo?). OR, you could download a BobCad demo.
It will let you generate short files. Actually, if you got the TMG
demo, one of the files will convert .DXF to Gcode! You DO have a CAD
clone, don't you?

Alan KM6VV


zephyrus@... wrote:

>
> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., Alan Marconett KM6VV <KM6VV@a...> wrote:
> > Congrats Randy!
>
> Thanks, Alan. I've got a big grin for sure.
>
> > What's the G3 for? I saw your pix, yup, that's a heptagon. DARK
> > plastic. Where's the macro? In VisaVersaCAD? What did you do for
> tool
> > offset?
>
> I misspoke a little. My macro (it is in VersaCAD's CPL language and
> my copy is ver. 5.4, circa 1988...) will handle G1, G2 and G3 (it
> determines if the upcoming arc is CW or CCW). There weren't any arcs
> in the heptagon G code at all. But I've tested it with paths with
> arcs.
>
> I did the tool offset myself. I ran a parallel line to the heptagon
> at one tool radius, then one to that at .005 offset, and then a
> series at .050 offset until I knew I was off the stock material.
> Then I erased one side of each, and trimmed them together to make a
> kind of spiral. Then I used my macro, and then hand-edited the
> resulting G code to add the feedrate and initial and final tool
> positioning.
>
> After I ran that one, I got fancy and lopped off all the toolpaths at
> the point where the tool cleared the stock size by .010. I drew in
> new line segments joining the hanging ends of the remaining
> toolpaths, rejoined them to one continuous path and applied my macro.
> I edited the G code to make the hand-drawn moves G0's. That saved a
> lot of time versus the original file, since I wasn't "cutting air".
>
> Yesterday at lunchtime a machinist at work ran one of my solid models
> (a railroad car roof--just the outer contour) through Mastercam and
> split the output into two G files--a roughing pass with a .375"
> endmill and a finishing pass with a .188" ballmill. I cut the part
> in Delrin last night. By the time you read this I should have
> uploaded a couple pics into my folder in the files area. This time
> it's white material, so even with a lot of mangling of brightness,
> contrast and gamma the pics don't show the detail all that well...
>
> Best regards,
>
> Randy
>