Doing it CHEAP and Vector

I have been playing and working with CNC for several years. Most has
been on a ShopBot but I an now occasionally writing files for other
CNC machines. I have drawn in TurboCAD and/or GenericCADD and used
the ACE converter or the ShopBot native converter.

Now, I use Rhino and old copy of Vector almost exclusively. It is a
little slower than the completely 'canned' tool-path programs but by
defining paths in Rhino and exporting them to Vector, I have control
of where the tool goes and what order. In wood, it seems critical
to make some cuts in a certain pattern or order.

In addition to being able to cut in 'order' in Vector, offsets can be
specified, pocket cutting automated and a lot of the mental math it
takes to draw tool-paths in a CAD program are eliminated. One can
also change 'offsets' when necessary to compensate for tooling wear
or material properties. These tasks can be all but impossible in
the 'fully-automated' tool-path programs.

Like many projects, it is both a learning process and a value for
money question. Using Tim's boat analogy, one can build a flat-sided
plywood rowboat and finish it with house paint or a 22' Mahogany
runabout with flared sides and finish it 'Bright'. I can get all the
software to generate cutting files for the plywood rowboat free.
The software to properly design and cut all the parts for the other
boat, and the skills necessary to do the work, is more expensive and
will probably need to be purchased.


Ron