Still a little unclear

Members:

Could you please give me a little more understanding of what all
hardware is required for the CNC systems. I have been watching posts
from Jon and Dan and a few others about the controllers and the cards
etc., but I am still unclear as to what all is involved.

Am I right in assuming that there are many various ways in getting a DXF
file or whatever format to the machine for processing. From what I
believe thus far, I can produce with my CAD a file that can be
translated into code by a CAM program and then at this point I become
unsure of the "various" means of getting that information to the
machine. I have downloaded many demo programs from the CAM side of the
house, and these have helped me to get somewhat comfortable with the g
and m codings.

I do realize that I have to have a controller that will send the info to
the motors for processing of the g-code, but it is all this interface
from the PC to the machine that has me unsure of the sequence that this
hardware must be in so that all the parts work efficiently.

I apologize for sounding somewhat repetitive on this, and maybe not
describing exactly what it is that I'm uncertain about, but this is the
area that I have all my difficulty in understanding the system, and no
doubt, it is the most important phase of the system. This is why I asked
for details about most of our members' setup's to try and get a grip on
this. It did help, and I once again thank all those that replied, but
now I must understand the relationship of all that hardware and how it
fits into the various systems.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can set me straight.

Don Hughes
Vancouver, BC Canada