Re: Scanning to G code

I have played with several methods to convert bit mapped images to G code. I
tried several of the scan to cad programs and none of them worked to the
degree that I would like to see.
I tested the first version of deskart from www.deskam.com you can d/l a demo
copy from them. I wanted to make very tiny images about .5"x.5" The first
version I tried tookbitmapped digital pictures then load them into deskart
then shrink the size down to .5X.5 . I have a small sherline mill that I
have converted to CNC. I tried machining machinable wax with the image. The
results were poor. There were several problems. Some were mine some were
with the software. Here is what I found. Deskart did not have an anti gouge
control and was somewhat limited. On my part the .014 cutter was too big for
that size image. I wanted 300 dpi so what i really needed was a .003
diameter cutter.
Second the sherline max speed is about 3000 RPM which is too slow. I need
about 50,000 RPM.
Subsequently, Deskart has been revisedand version 2 is now out. It has
antigouge control and sveral new features. I hope to test this in the next
week.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Elson <jmelson@...>
To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@onelist.com <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@onelist.com>
Date: Saturday, May 08, 1999 10:42 PM
Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] 3D modelling

>From: Jon Elson <jmelson@...>
>
>
>
>drfoot@... wrote:
>
>> From: drfoot@...
>>
>> stumbled onto this list very much by accident (lucky me) - looking for

any info/links to help me - want to take a 3D object, digitize it
(?laser/video) into the computer, modify it, then mill this modified
object - budget is VERY low, so shareware & surplus sound good

>
>Yup, I got this idea, too, right after I got my CNC mill running, and had

done a few 2-D objects.

>I remembered about 10-15 years ago, a big craze (and small business)

putting people's pictures

>on T shirts. I thought, "Yeah, I'll take digital pictures of my kids from

several positions, use a

>program to convert the pictures to a 3-D point cloud, and then write a

toolpath generator.

>I could franchise this and make a bundle! Yeah!" Well, I talked to some

people about it,

>and downloaded some of the 2-D to 3-D mapping programs, and then asked

specific questions

>of these outfits. The response was unanimous. Yes, they all wanted to do

this, and yes, they'd

>all tried it, and no, their software really didn't perform well. One

company said they actually

>got it to work (the face is shown in wire frame on their web page) but that

it took an experienced

>CAD/CAM operator well over 8 hours to massage that face into reasonable

shape. The hair

>is hopeless! But, for that, you could fudge it with canned versions of the

backs of people's

>heads, and no one would ever know.
>
>Since then, the Minolta (I think that's the right company) laser scanning

camera has come out,

>but it is around US $10000. Slightly out of my budget.
>
>Anyway, if the object can be scanned by a coordinate measuring machine, or

is simple enough

>for the 2-D to 3-D mapping programs to work, then it is possible. You

don't tell me more

>about what you want to do, so that's as good as I can do.
>
>Jon
>
>
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