Re: Digest Number 1579

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "William Scalione" <wscalione@n...>
wrote:

> Saw a rapid prototype machine on TV a while ago that really
> looked like it could be made in the home shop. They too were
> making a skull. It took the data from the scans and sliced it into
> paper thin sections (MRI?). The machine would pick up a piece
> of sticky backed paper, move it to the build area, and cut it with
> a laser. The excess was removed and a new sheet was put
> onto the one just cut and it would start again. The model was
> built up this way so I guess it would take about 2000 -3000
> sheets of paper to do a skull.

The latest StlWork2 beta has slicing and slabbing functions. The
slicing creates surface slices of an STL model that can be saved to a
DXF file for processing in Vector-cam with the 4th axis option.
(useful for carving totem poles or statues). The slabbing function
automatically creates a 3D tool path to carve a sheet of many that
can be stacked up to assemble the complete model. Each slab is of a
specified thickness and the outer contour can be machined with a ball
mill. Each slab is also saved in a seperate sequentially numbered
file.

Best Regards,

Fred Smith
IMService