Just getting started in cnc , have some cad , STL , files that need to be translated to G code , I tried most of the links , the only one that seems to be close is Alibre , but I have to buy it to get the finale translation .

Don't want to spend $$$ for a program that I don't know what I want .  I don't even know what , I want/need yet.

Seems I can get some to kinda work , but they say something like 50+ hours cutting time , for a simple oval with 2 holes in it.

The more I look at , the more it seems I'm going in circles  

Anybody wana run it through your cam ? ? ?

GUESS NOT CAN'T UPLOAD AN STL

What next ?

Hi,
when you attach the file, I will see what i can do for you.
Alex

Hi,
when you attach the file, I will see what i can do for you.
Alex

Thanks , but how do I attach an stl file ?
When I try , I get an error message saying  "file not allowed"

Only way I can think of is email it to somebody for translation.

Here's a pic of what I made , I'm wanting to cnc the end cap , instead of cutting/fitting by hand

Just getting started in cnc , have some cad , STL , files that need to be translated to G code

Freemill

Seems I can get some to kinda work , but they say something like 50+ hours cutting time , for a simple oval with 2 holes in it.

The more I look at , the more it seems I'm going in circles  

For simple parts, using an stl file and 3D CAM program can be extremely inefficient. I can't see your part, but in a lot of cases a simple 2D drawing and 2.5D CAM program (even LazyCAM) would be a much better choice. What might take 100,000 lines of code to machine your .stl file might be done in 10 lines of code or less with a 2D drawing.

Thanks , I edited my previous post to include a pic ,only took a couple of hours to figure out the slots on the tube (using the wizard) , about an hour for drawing the end cap , 5-6 hours trying to convert CAD to CAM to G code.

I had the mill less than a week.

Hi,
rename the file from somethig like endcap.STL  to endcap.STL.tap 
If you have a drawing of the cap I can code it by hand. 
Alex

Ok , thanks , I'll have to do that tomorrow morning , my son took the laptop with those files/drawings home with him. No internet access where he's at.

We MAY have it figured out , still getting some errors. We'll see what happens