Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hello, I just walked in and I'm lost

Hi Ivan,

This can be a very useful list but it is wise to ask a specific question and then the answers come thick and fast. The first thing you have to decide is which end you are going to go at CNC. By this I mean pick a subject to start from, I myself have started at the machine with motors then drivers. On to CAM and then to CAD.

If you are going the cheap route, to learn what you can before investing large amounts of cash, use the shareware/freeware. You will find most of what you need to know in the FAQ section and the 40,000 or so previous posts to this list.

My suggestions are as follows:

1) Go with steppers rather than servos for a first project. Stepper drivers are much cheaper and you may have huge problems developing servo drivers unless you are really good at sparky things.

2) Start with a small machine that is useful to you and not the biggest thing you can think of. Cheapness of motors/drivers.

3) Look at TurboCNC and EMC, these are both free to use, before shelling out beer tokens for a commercial package which you may never need anyway.

4) As far as CAD is concerned you seem to have that sorted, everyone has their favourite program and pinions as to which CAM or CAD to use.

Regards

Terry

BTW. Bill is a real nice guy so it must have just been an off day.


Tim,

Thanks for the reply. I got one from Bill also, and I was sort of thrown off by the tone of his message. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Like I said in my original message, I'm wanting to build a
machine from scratch, mostly from scrounged and fabricated parts, just to prove to myself I can (and to impress grandkids). The electrical side of the project is probably my weakest point - I'll need
to build some kind of control box for servomotors, which in turn could be controlled by a PC. I'm not into writing my own software, so I'd probably buy a CAM package - I already burned my wallet with
CAD software some time back.

If someone has questions on CAD usage I can probably help. I'd pass across my AutoCAD course material to anyone who's interested - I've given it to other teachers in the past, and I'll give it to
others as well. Distribution on the internet doesn't seem to be an expense. I'm still developing class material for AutoCAD 2002. For those who may be interested, IntelliCAD puts out a free package for
non-commercial use that is command and file compatible with AutoCAD. My son uses it on some projects he's playing with and says the transition isn't bad. If you want to work with something a bit more
elaborate you can get an educational copy of ProEngineer off the PTC site for something like $15 shipping and handling. The files aren't compatible with the commercial version but it looks like
something to learn on and for personal use. Unfortunately the educational copy from the PTC site doesn't include much of any documentation. I'm trying real hard to keep everything legit, so when I find
something that looks good, I pass the word. I noticed some mention of Rhino, so I presume you folks are already familiar with that package.

Ivan


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