Machsupport Forum
G-Code, CAD, and CAM => LazyCam (Beta) => Topic started by: chillman on August 29, 2007, 02:09:05 AM
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Hello,
I have attached a dxf file representing a "C" shaped channel. I am using LazyCAM Pro 2.5 in mill mode to generate a "C" shaped pocket from this file. I have selected a .25" diameter tool to complete the milling process. If I neglect to clean the file, LazyCAM doesn't generate a complete pocket (see no_clean.jpg). If I clean the data, the data seams to be corrupted (clean.jpg). If I optimize and then try to pocket (no_clean_optimize_pocket.jpg) the pocketing is incomplete. Is there a solution to creating the pocket?
Thanks,
Chris
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Greetings Chris,
I loaded your file into LazyCam and got the same thing you did. First, I autoclean the geometry. Then, I pocketed it. It generated an extra tool path offset and I deleted that... I played with it a while and found that if I didn't reset origin to minimum I could get a tool path on the pocket with a .25 cutter. I'll attach the LazyCAM project, I hope this helps. If you try to minimize the origin, it deletes the small arc on the bottom of the C. I do believe LazyCam does not care for the way you made your curves, they are arcs. I converted them to curves (if you double click the curves, you'll see dozens of node points, where a curve will only have three node points). I did this in AutoCAD LT and saved it as an ACAD R12 file. This is attached as "c curves.dxf" and LazyCAM likes this much better and autocleans it to one chain with no problem. Also, it minimized the origin on its own with no problems and pocketing was a breeze (even though I did have to removed an extra offset that the pocketing generated).
There is definately a problem with pocketing and offsetting, but I LazyCam is getting much better. Make sure you download the latest version of it, too. If LazyCAM chokes, first look at the drawing. LazyCAM will catch things we sometimes miss. It hates open chains, redundant entities, some types of curves such as b-splines and splines, anything that smells 3-D and some features of some CAD files. It seems to like AutoCAD release 12 format. Try converting circles or arcs to curves, and if that doesn't work, try polylines, or... if all else fails and you must have the toolpath, try retracing complex curves with short, straight lines (I know, I know... but it worked for me and it is not like I can notice it in the parts I'm cutting). Also, close the file in CAD before opening it in LazyCAM.
I have a closely related problem to your own. When I pocket - although it does not show up in LazyCAM - extra circles show up in the G Code file. An important note is that none of my original geometry remains after I've pocketed and offset everything, I remove it. First I'll pocket but to get clear islands of the letters, I'll then offset those and delete them. The circles appear on the offsets. I sort of think of these as victory laps? ??? or maybe crop circles? ??? They show up in odd places, sometimes many and sometimes few as the drawing changes, and sometimes they don't appear in the Mach3 toolpath but when I run the g-code, they show up then. I can delete them in an editor but their appearance does not please me and it takes time to find them in hundreds of lines of code. These look like circular lead-ins because they are always tangent to a toolpath line. Even though I turn all leadins off, the box for leadin in each chain stays clicked and the leadin distance is 0.00 units. Sometimes, some of these circles don't show up until I run the g-code in Mach 3. In the attached file, the cutter will circle the little pink circle twice (once on the circle, and once at an offset) but it is shown in Mach3 only once.
To our programmers, thanks for any help you can give me. I can provide more information if you need it. And by the way, GREAT JOB! on LazyCAM. I am a big fan! That is one hard working program! I do know how to use MasterCAM, Cimatron, and ArtCAM on Haas machines from school, but I can do many of the same things with LazyCAM and an old copy of AutoCAD LT on the CNC router I built in my basement. MasterCAM, Cimatron, and ArtCAM... great programs but I can't afford those. A Haas mill - a really great tool but those cost more money than my car. Using LazyCAM... the best $75 dollars I ever spent! Building a CNC router in my basement was not expensive and great fun too! :)
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The lazycam files and screen shots that I worked on your CAD file were done using LazyCAM 2.02 (July version). Since then, I downloaded LazyCAM 2.5 and it appears to be broken as far as pocketing and offsetting. I thought it would fix the "crop circles", but it can't pocket or offset the same file I used in my example of the mysterious crop circles. If you can, go back to the 7/12/2007 version of LazyCAM for now. Attached is my attempt to offset and pocket with 2.05 vs. the cleaned up offsets and pockets of the old version. We'll have to wait for update or go back to the old version for now.
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Thank you for your response(s) Ergoman,
I tried your c_curve.dxf last night and found some different troubles similar to those that you discovered in your work last night with V2.5. I ended up manually creating offsets in CAD in order to form the pocket and then used LazyCAM Pro 2.5 to generate the g-code. This seems to work, however it is quite a hassle. I understand that the LazyCAM is a beta version, but I hope that the pocketing and offsetting features are corrected soon. If the developer have any questions or need data from my experiences, please let me know.
Thanks,
Chris
attached is a screen shot of the pocketing created from ergoman's c_curve.dxf (polylines instead of arcs):
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Chris,
You are welcome, glad to help. I've been doing the same thing... even going as far as to save a screen shot of how the pocketing should be, putting that back into CAD and retracing it, then importing that back into LazyCAM. Your new version of LazyCAM gave very different and interestingly strange results than my older verson on the same CAD file. I'll bet the fixes from the past for offsett and pocketing didn't make it back into the latest version. We'll have to wait...
Thanks much,
Shane
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I see the problem ... and the Problem is not in the code that we did it is in the code that we licensed.... I will see if we can get that one fixed by the supplier.
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Brian,
I am confused?!? Can you please clarify the following:
I see the problem ... and the Problem is not in the code that we did it is in the code that we licensed.... I will see if we can get that one fixed by the supplier.
I purchased and downloaded LazyCam 2.5 via http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/artsoft/plugin.htm and http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/artsoft/downloads/downloads.htm respectively. Is there a more reliable source to retrieve the software?
Thank you,
Chris
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Try the newest Rev and tell me if it works any better for you ... we reset some of the tolerance settings and I think it will help with your trouble.
We licensed the code for the pocketing... I did make code that would do pocketing but it was one of the things where we were better off just buying it all done in hopes that we would have fewer bus to mess with!
Thanks
Brian
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Brian,
This evening I uninstalled the Lazy Cam 2.5 (although the version is listed as 2.05 in the 'About' dialog). I then downloaded a copy of LazyCam from http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/Downloads/LazyCam2.5.exe (this is the latest?) and installed the copy. The copy still states the same version name, 2.05. However, I still have the same problems discussed earlier in the thread regarding pocketing CAD similar to c.dxf.
Thank you,
Chris
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Hi, Chris
I think you'll find a later/latest version in the latest release of Mach3 ver 2.48, It's ver is LC 2.47, I think these version numbers are messed up also.
Hope this Helps, Chip
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Hello,
I have downloaded and installed the latest version (2.48) of Mach3 and installed the packaged version of LazyCam (about dialog indicates 2.47 for in this installation). I find no change in the behavior of the pocketing or offset functions when applied to c.dxf.
Thank you for the suggestion afn09556!
Thanks,
Chris
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Greetings,
I too downloaded the latest version of Mach3 and installed it, along with the version of LazyCAM that was in it (version 2.47 in version 2.48 of Mach3). Here is what I found: pocketing works well, but offsetting returns crazy results with curves all over the place inside or out - just like I posted earlier. The 2.47 version is an improvement over 2.05 version (aka 2.5 version) which can't pocket or offset properly. Well, I'm back to the good old 2.02 version that is tried and true from July. The pocketing in that version won't go up to the edge of the islands I create. That's o.k. I just offset those and delete them. The only problem I have with it is an occational crop circle. I can deal with that the old fashioned way: G-Code editing in Notepad. I just blow those circles away! Bye-bye crop circles!
Some old code is getting mixed with new code. Those are the most frustrating problems to find. I have no doubt we'll get there. Despite the minor problems, you have a excellent product. So keep up the good work, gentlemen.
Thanks much
Shane