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Author Topic: cnc machine about to learn how to fly  (Read 2908 times)

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cnc machine about to learn how to fly
« on: September 10, 2013, 02:37:27 PM »
Hi everyone and anyone that can help me.For over a year I have been engraving small sized memorial stones with a hand held dremmel. Then got myself a cnc machine to take over the hand numbness. Thats when my headaches started. I got the machine moving and spindle turning,water pumping ok. I'm buggered when it comes to setting my work piece size,setting how deep I want to cut and how to change the font that I have been using on my signblazer programme( to cut out my stencils when using the dremmel) into the gcode that mach3 needs to work.Any and all help is needed asap
Re: cnc machine about to learn how to fly
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2013, 05:15:18 PM »
Welcome to the forum cousinit75 .
if sign blazer won't output g code, have a look at v carve pro, or aspire. These take your designs from signblazer, or you can create within each, and give you a 3d or 2.5d graphical interface, ie they will show you exactly what you are going to cut and allow you to adjust depths etc. there are less expensive and even free program's which will do similar. For this type of work something like this is essential, it's not like you are making hundreds of one thing, each is different. You can't spend hours trying to write g code for each.
Jim

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: cnc machine about to learn how to fly
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2013, 04:05:11 AM »
Hi Cousinit75,

If it's any help...

Before purchasing the Vectric VCarvePro software I was getting very successful results using the free software F-Engrave http://www.scorchworks.com/Fengrave/fengrave.html - It is quite simple to use and allows allows almost all the Windows fonts to be loaded.
Final scaling adjustments of the work size can be done within Mach3 by using the Scale DRO's although some loss of character resolution may occur if the size is enlarged too much.

Tweakie.
PEACE
Re: cnc machine about to learn how to fly
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2013, 12:27:03 PM »
Hi Tweakie. I downloaded fengrave and when I transfered the signblazer dxf file to it and selected v-carve it traced around the writing and I managed to save the g-code on a notepad as *tap file which mach3 recognised ok but when it was displayed on the screen to be cut all the lettering was not how it was in signblazer it was as if it was drew out with straight lines only and I did select on sign blazer to curve the lettering.
          James I am downloading the free trials of aspire and v carve as we speak as I guess I am not going to get anywhere unless I invest in a programme like one of these I will keep in touch as to my progress,temper and sanity willing.