Machsupport Forum
G-Code, CAD, and CAM => LazyCam (Beta) => Topic started by: Drools on August 07, 2009, 12:35:48 PM
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I'm getting weary trying to get Lcam to export some gcode that I do not have to manually edit.
Here is the first little bit of gcode..
Could someone please explain the following lines and where did they come from. At no time do I see what I set in the layers in the gcode.
N20, N35, N40, N50, N60 and lastly N65 at this point the bit should be set to the 4.6500 cutting depth I had set in the layers tab.
Line 35 and 60 looks like the value set in the “Plunge Clearance” but what is it and why do I need it?
N5 (File Name = harbourPointe on Friday, August 07, 2009)
N10 (Default Mill Post)
N15 G91.1
N20 G0 Z1.0000
N25 M3 S15000
N30 X9.0000 Y0.0000
N35 Z0.1000
N40 G1 Z0.0000 F5.00
N45 Y1.0000 F25.00
N50 G0 Z1.0000
N55 X9.2154 Y1.5887
N60 Z0.1000
N65 G1 Z0.0000 F5.00
N70 X9.2202 Y1.6096 F25.00
N75 X9.5369 Y1.5369
N80 X9.4629 Y1.8074
N85 X9.2792 Y1.8496
N90 X9.2840 Y1.8705
N95 X9.4568 Y1.8309
N100 X9.4544 Y1.8397
N105 X9.4784 Y1.8341
N110 X9.4808 Y1.8253
N115 X9.8431 Y1.7421
N120 X9.8383 Y1.7212
N125 X9.4870 Y1.8019
N130 X9.5605 Y1.5315
N135 X9.7903 Y1.4787
N140 X9.7855 Y1.4578
N145 X9.2154 Y1.5887
N150 G0 Z1.0000
N155 X9.3726 Y2.1641
N160 Z0.1000
N165 G1 Z0.0000 F5.00
N170 X9.3782 Y2.1792 F25.00
N175 X9.6484 Y2.1645
N180 X9.6486 Y2.1650
N185 X9.6488 Y2.1655
N190 X9.6490 Y2.1660
N195 X9.6492 Y2.1665
N200 X9.6495 Y2.1675
N205 X9.6497 Y2.1680
N210 X9.6499 Y2.1685
N215 X9.6501 Y2.1691
N220 X9.6680 Y2.1693
N225 X9.6669 Y2.1634
N230 X9.9902 Y2.1467
N235 X9.9824 Y2.1255
N240 X9.6694 Y2.1424
N245 X9.6934 Y1.9483
N250 X9.6702 Y1.9569
N255 X9.6656 Y2.0028
N260 X9.6613 Y2.0422
N265 X9.6575 Y2.0751
N270 X9.6542 Y2.1016
N275 X9.6515 Y2.1221
N280 X9.6495 Y2.1366
N285 X9.6482 Y2.1440
N290 X9.6471 Y2.1455
N295 X9.4172 Y2.1561
N300 X9.8622 Y1.7920
N305 X9.8541 Y1.7704
N310 X9.3726 Y2.1641
N315 G0 Z1.0000
BTW: if you want to crash Lcam high-light all the text in the “Plunge Clearance” and press the back-space key, it works every time. I’m no programmer but why is it that the name of the textbox is in the textbox? This crashing method works on other textboxes as well, I did not do this on purpose it was purely accidental. If this is the same version NewFangled wants 75.00$ for then I will have to say no, until it is more polished like Mach3 is. Search and replace is my best friend with Lcam :)
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Droll,
Have you read the LC manual and at least looked thru all the tutorials?
Your file consists of a line and the "HA" text.
The program provides the rapid moves from the origin to the line and on to the letters H & A.
SECTION 5.3.1 IN THE MANUAL
As far as the how the text or line will be machined is defined by ....you.
Tool and cutting depths are defined in 8.3.2 to 8.3.4 and the tutorials have numerous examples
of use.
You can simulate in the mill module, and also rotate in the display to see the rapids and cutting.
Can you post your DXF file?
RICH
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In the tab at the bottom Layers, there is a section called "Cut" none of the settings I entered in the textboxes ended up in the output gcode. I do not want the setting for "plunge clearance" in the resulting gcode but its there. Where did line N20 line come from, I do not have anything telling my z-axis to travel 1"...
I have the manual and I watched a bit of the video.
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Here is a question, does Lcam look at any of the Mach3 settings before generating its g-code? Are these 2 apps totally independant?
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Are the video tutorials available for download? My router PC is not connected to the Inet I have to load all my files from thumb drive. It would be nice to run the videos from my router.
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Post the DXF.
Post the *********.lcam file as it ws before you posted the code.
RICH
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I would suggest that you download the LCAM manual and give it a good read iT will answer a lot of your questions. You are making references to things I have never seen in Lcam and I use it every day.
The manual has some very good examples to follow.
Hope that helps, (;-) TP
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Sorry to be such a PITA, I guess one of my main problems is the teminology used in places, I'm just not familar with it and what it means sometimes.
I figured out I have my Z-axis configured wrong but that is another matter.
Here is what I'm working on, I already posted my LC xml settings.
I included screen shots of my LC screen, I circled the areas I mentioned above in red.
If you can save me some steps I will be grateful, I'm taking the LC manual to bed for night-time reading. I would like to download the tutorial movies.
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The definitions of the the Cut are in the manual on page 36.
If they are not clear to you, please feel free to ask.
the machine will rapid over to say a letter, it then moves down, and you have told it where it start to cut and how deep you want to cut, but it will only go so deep in that pass because the tool is restricted by the per pass from the tool parameter
No need to feel you are being a PITA as that is reserved for the fonts which make up TEXT. ;)
RICH
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Yes I can save you some steps.
1. Create the text and clean / optimise
2. Define the tool parameters
3. Define the cutting ( use the layer menu )
4. Post the code
But you really should read the manual, all of it.
RICH
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Rich, there must be something wrong with my installation of Lcam. I have done the steps you mentioned over and over again with the same results.
Lets just drop it, I will just keep using notepad to search and replace all occurances where Lcam places Z0.1000 in the code.
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SO you don't want to know HOW to fix your problem??
Thse are just settings that YOU put into play.
(;-) TP
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In the screen shots I posted, did I not fill in the correct text boxes?
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Drools,
I looked at your LCAM. In the Layer menu You have a rapid height of .1" , so every rapid ( the move from one chain to the next chain ) will be .1" above the Z=0 ref. You have a tool picked and that tool is restricted to .0625" cut depth. What is missing is that you have not told LC where you want the tool to start cutting and also how deep you want the tool to cut below the Z=0 ref plane. Note that the cut depth should be a negative number.
You don't want to delete all the references to the rapids. You will cut through the face of the piece.
A more logical way of machining the piece would have been to put the outline / boarder around the text on a layer so you could cut that differently than the text. Then have all of the text on a layer. But if you just want to machine it all the same then leave it as it.
You tell the LC how you want to machine the part. LC is really stupid , it only knows what you tell, but once you
tell it , it will do as you say!
Each one of the tutorials in the manual has something to say about layer tab and cutting.
RICH
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Sent you a personal message.
RICH
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Drools,
Some information:
1. Not having a license is not the problem.
If you don't have a LC license you will see in one of the buttons for the POCKET, OFFSETS, FOAM2D, TURN menu
"Pro Demo.NoCode"
I can't say if there is anything else restricted.
2. You need to click the "set layer" button for the cuts, and when you do you will see a "change" in the display.
Just clicking the "Set All Layers" is not resetting the Z movements. That is why when you post to MACH you keep
getting the previously set Z. (Need to look at it more closely with something that has multiple layers.)
3. Like you said in the other post, highlighting all the text along with a backspace when in the setup menus will
cause the program to shut down.
I will get them into the manual as "blue text" and also add a know "bug" page to the manual.
RICH
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Thank you Rich, I was playing with the "Set Layer" and "Set All Layers" buttons when we were talking and that is when I noticed that they both did different things. The "Set Layer" worked while the "Set All Layers" did not. Of course all I was trying before was the "Set All Layers" button.
The one last item is the "Plunge Clearance" this parameter is set from the Setup-->Posting Options menu. Since I can setup the Rapid Height, Cut Start and Cut Depth in the Layers tab it would be nice to have this turned off if we do not need it.
In the PDF Manual version 8/5/2009 REV:0 I could not find a reference to this setting. I have googled it and not really much of an answer to exactly what it is and why we need it. I'm sure it will be handy at some point but right now I would like to turn it off.
Thanks again for your help and it was nice talking to you.
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I have been playing with Lcam and a 3 layer dxf. It works pretty well but I have not used the "Set All Layers" button anymore.
One thing I did notice and I hope someone will try it and confirm. In the setting mentioned in the previous post Setup-->Posting Options "Plunge Clearance" (PC) try setting it to something different to what is set in the Layers-->Rapid Height (RH) textbox. Have a look at the resulting gcode for a reference to this Z PC and a reference to the RH you should see both. The PC will not have a rapid code (G0) but rather a reference to the Z height like this Nxx Z0.1234. The RH reference will have a rapid code G0 like this Nxx G0 Z0.2500 . Now go back to Lcam and make the PC the same as the RH value and export to Mach3, no more do we have a line with a reference to PC all we see are the rapids Nxx G0 <RH>. If I'm correct the code is checking both settings and if different adding both and if the same, dropping the PC value.
If someone has a chance to verify please do, thanks.
BC
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BC,
I am playing with that also ( updating the manual ;D ). Not sure in my reply #15 / info 2. remark is
totaly correct. So will fool with it and try to find the logic or bug.
I am using the shapes file that i posted as it's easy to see what is happening.
There is also a definiton on what the plunge clearance does in the manual, thanks to VMAX.
But i also want to look at the generated code. I just want to check it out in a disciplined way.
RICH
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THe plunge clearance is the value above the Top of material that you would like MACH to Rapid down to, then feedrate on down to the cut point.
When Mach pulls UP to a safe Z this controlls the rapid back down to the control point
IF you set it to zero then MACH will NOT rapid down it will feedrate down instead. VERY VERY slowly(;-)
(;-) TP
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Just something to review on Plunge Clearance.
RICH
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Looks good to me(;-)
Don't forget to update the joining of chains and primatives
(;-) TP
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Already in the works, for rev1. ;)
RICH
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Thanks for the help guys, for now the demo version is doing all I need.
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It won't for long. ;D
It's just a non-curable disease that can only be fixed by a full LC dose of medicine! :D
RICH
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I'm learning more all the time, I did a PCB today and the signs turned out ok. I have to play with the feed rate so the inside of the letters stay put!.