Cam Programs

[John Stevenson]

Prompted by IBEW with his problems with Blobcad.

How may of you run CNC machines and CAM programs at home ?
Can be lathe or mill, doesn't matter and what are they.

John S.

[ibewgypsie]

John:

You might laugh, but I normally use graph paper to layout my cuts and holes my machine works with. I am a artist and sketch what I want to end up with, offsets and all.

I still need a toolpath 3d program. I finally got them to put me on the "do not call list" at Bobcad. It got ridiculous. I got to talking dirty to the people that called. I don't like doing it, get no thrill but.. "what are you wearing today" gets them off the phone pretty quick.

I am still shopping, sorry I lost the Free Linux 3d program that looked so great.. I had to reformat that hard drive cause of a virus.

David

[lotsa luck]

Solidworks, BobCAD, and AutoCAD here. The combination works for me...

[John Stevenson]

David,
Why 3D?
Just asking as 90% of general everyday parts are 2 1/2D or multiples of parts added together.
3D is an immense learing curve, the simplier they try to make the software the more choices it makes for you that you don't want.
The more you try to tie it down the steeper the curve.

.

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John S.
Nottingham, England

[Rustybolt]

David.


Who's laughing?
I still have two drafting boards in my basement where I do layouts on paper and sketch ideas before I commit them to metal.

[ibewgypsie]

I still have autocad 14 for most the actual design work. Most the jobs I do are multiple holes, some slotting. I rarely design 3d objests.. I did lust after solidworks. Can't afford it for homeshop, but lust the same.

Not overworked the mill in quite a while.

I am still working on the gantry machine for the sand mold carving. I got most everything just have to follow the drawings in my head.

This illness (hypothyroidism) I have aqquired has slowed my progress thou. Doctors are like the vet, and the chiropractor, they keep you on a line reeling in your wallet one appointment after another. Hmm the wallet still feels full. The vet and my pup is the same, come back next week.. (all the while whistling and thinking of a new BMW)

David

[ibewgypsie]

CAM programs... MACH2 Rules my roost. All my home made programs have not been touched since.

I only lust after the joystick controls in VB I did.. I have not tried it in XP Pro yet. I am working on a digitizer and home made scanner thou.

David

Addenum:

For the MANUAL machine users out there, there is nothing like cutting with a 2hp machine with a joystick. You point, it cuts, simple, no wheels, no taking your eyes off the part. With the current prices of the boss bridgeports I can't see why anyone would want a manual machine + dro + and 3 power feeds when cnc is much cheaper. Somedays I say I am going to convert the lathe to joystick too.

Just because it can don't mean you have to.

[This message has been edited by ibewgypsie (edited 08-05-2004).]

[Evan]

David,

Sherline has a program called Freemill that does 3-D tool path generation. It was written by MecSoft but is no longer to be found on their website. You can download it from Sherline here:

http://www.sherline.com/CNClinks.htm

[John Stevenson]

David,
If you are using Mach2 and a lot of your work is simple stuff lke holes, slots etc download the latest version of Mach 2 and have a look at some of the new wizards that have been put n there.
Things like bolt hole circles, pockets, slot and simple engraving are possibel by jusr filing in the boxes and the wizard wrires the code and takes you back to the run screen.
For anyone not using Mach2 there is no reason you can't do the same and save the .nc file to be used on your machine.



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John S.
Nottingham, England

[ibewgypsie]

Evan:

You did hear me say once that the new version of linuxcnc does work?
It is the one I surf the internet with also.
I think Mach2 is a offshoot of that development. I really am happy with Mach2. Not so happy with XP/windows.

David

[ibewgypsie]

Latest version:

I am scared of replacing something that works with something that does not.. HA.. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

David

[motorworks]

John
I use Quick CAD for most (98%) and Solidworks when I want I want to "play" in 3D.
As for cam, I am using, and teaching myself Mastercam.May shift to Dolphin at a later date
e
ps I downloaded the bobcat sample!
What a nigthmare.They called 2-3 times a day.Told them to f... off so many times it was not funny.Never did use the demo.

[ibewgypsie]

As much as anything, I want to learn to design in 3d..

The motion program (truespace?), the one you can insert joints into and make figures looks as good as anything I have saw. AND is actually reasonable.

What interested me in bobcad is the 3d primitives you can use to build objects, boolean operations of graft, not, and or..

I was working on a casting putting the 3d letters on it, it is hiatus. My computer keeps blue-screening on the text. The reason I bought it right out.

Actually it is no better than the free software I had in linux. The bobcad toolpath generator has crashed a few mills. I have not used it enough to determine whether it is program fault or operator error thou.

David

[ibewgypsie]

John:

IS the polar hole layout on the new version or the test version?

David

[John Stevenson]

Polar has been in since version 4.0
That's on the site as a lock down version but V6.00 will be locked down shortly.
6.09 was released tonight.

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John S.
Nottingham, England