I mill polystyrene to make the occasional theatre or museum prop, and sometimes even dinosaurs and the like, on a home built 4 axis machine, using MACH3, and DESKPROTO to create tool paths. Check out
http://www.formato3d.com/ One big step to achieve faster finishing came with the addition of a hot wire roughing sequence, made possible using a work around within DESKPROTO that BR549 very kindly suggested.
I´m a sculptor, (
www.franknorton.com) and my current project is to build a machine capable of milling stone, obviously super-rigid and a much more powerful spindle. Initially it will be 3 axis plus rotary, but with a view to 5 axis. I want to do bas-reliefs in marble and sandstone.
Industrial software packages like ALPHACAM STONE for tool-path generation in the stone and granite sector have a function where they use diamond coated discs, the smaller ones in the region of 12”/300mm in diameter, to rough “mill” the block of stone, the surplus material is then removed manually by hammer and chisel!...before true milling with diamond and tungsten carbide tools. This greatly reduces working time.
But I know of no software...DESKPROTO definetely cant...that allows you to configure
a disc as a tool for roughing out in this way.
Failing the use of a specific program which includes discs in the tool library, any tool-path 3D software where all the tool geometry parameters are configurable....diameter in both planes for example, or diameter in one plane and thickness in the other......would do.
Any ideas?
Many thanks in advance,
Frank Norton.