Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] CAM software

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 01:27:27 +0100, you wrote:

>Hello everyone,
>
>I'm new to this board, and home CNC in general. I am attempting to build a small mill capable of producing PCBs and such. I have some reasonable ideas for the mechanics and electronics but the software end remains a mystery to me. i have heard good things about EMC, a peice of software for driving CAM equipment under linux but though i have been meaning to, i haven't made the leap to installing linux yet. i need some software to get started with and thought it might be wise to ask you guys. i'm looking for something that is free, will run under windows 98 or dos and can be downloaded from somewhere. backlash compensation would be nice too. what do you use?
>

For going between G codes (move here, move there stuff) and the actual
hardware drivers, TurboCNC is good, and is shareware. Further than
that, you might want to check out EagleSoft's PC board package
(www.cadsoft.de) The freeware version is quite capable.

>look forward to hearing from you,
>
>jeff.
>
>ps: has anyone any experience of using cheap, ordinary studding for lead screws?

consensus seems to be to avoid that. I'd suggest 1/2 inch ACME
threaded rod, along with the nuts.

Nuts are no more than 2 dollars each on sale, and the rod is roughly a
dollar a foot in 3 foot lengths. If you can use US deliveries, then
www.mcmaster-carr.com is certainly one place to go. If you cannot
avail yourself of that, then check the major supply houses.

If you must use studding, then you might want to check out the oil
(dark) finish rather than the zinc plated stuff.

One problem I have always had with threaded rod is that it isn't
ready to sell unless someone has tried to make a pretzel out of it,
then straighten it....

The main advantage of ACME threads is that they might be a bit more
accurate, but will certainly have less friction, which will allow you
to have steppers of lower ratings for a given machine.

I have something mostly up and running, the preliminary details are at
www.netcom.com/~madyn and go to electronics, and the xyzr table.

It's more developed than that now, but those were the preliminaries.

Harvey

>i was thinking of M6 with a pitch of 1mm but i suspect it isn't amazingly accurate. the only other lead screws i can find are ludicrously priced, and the nuts are even worse! also, where might i purchase some very small milling bits suitable for PCB work?

Dental burrs, often thrown out by the local dentist.

You might also want to consider carbide bits, which might be available
surplus. They are fragile when used to mill, though.

The higher the spindle speed the better on those. You will probably
realize no more than 300 to 400 inches of milling before the bit is
dead, though.

H,

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