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CamBam help (General usage) / Re: Machining Logo on 3D Surface
« on: December 16, 2021, 22:57:24 pm »
The current This Old Tony might help here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY4cevyGYA4
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2
Related Softwares / Re: Rhino8 work in progress
« on: December 08, 2021, 02:37:12 am »
I use Rhino, because of Grasshopper. I would happily pay as much again if they could get the boolean union/diff tools to work reliably! And maybe some documentation!
Grasshopper 2 has been in the pipeline for what appears to be a decade. I hope it figures in Rhino 8.
Grasshopper 2 has been in the pipeline for what appears to be a decade. I hope it figures in Rhino 8.
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Members Machines / Dan Gelbart Shop Tour
« on: October 02, 2021, 01:55:49 am »
This is nothing to do with CamBam, but I think people will be interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbgdM35gZZA
His audio equipment leaves a lot to be desired....but the guy is a legend!
Gelbart's 18-part Prototyping series is internet gold.
His audio equipment leaves a lot to be desired....but the guy is a legend!
Gelbart's 18-part Prototyping series is internet gold.
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How to's and tutorials / Re: Inlay using V-Engrave
« on: October 21, 2019, 17:02:04 pm »
This Inlay Tutorial is a terrific explanation of the V-carve approach, but I especially like the fact that it starts with a clear description of the Pocket-inlay process and only then moves on to the V-carve approach. Having an actual example created using each technique really makes it clear the benefits and disadvantages of each. This is otherwise fairly mind-bending stuff!
I think we should also be thanking pstemari for the V-engrave plugin on which all this is based. Another mindbending piece of work.
Bob
I think we should also be thanking pstemari for the V-engrave plugin on which all this is based. Another mindbending piece of work.
Bob
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Members Machines / Re: Advice wanted on negative Z-axis limit switches
« on: December 26, 2018, 02:40:48 am »
Thanks again to everyone for all the various views on this question.
My old machine used LinuxCNC as the controller, working through a parallel interface. For the new machine I have bought a ridiculously cute Intel NUC computer and a SmoothStepper, and I have installed Mach4 as the controller. The system is still being assembled and I have many parts still to order, so I am nowhere near trying it out yet. There is going to be a huge learning curve with Mach4. I will certainly be setting soft limits though, which was also supported by the old LinuxCNC.
Best wishes,
Bob
My old machine used LinuxCNC as the controller, working through a parallel interface. For the new machine I have bought a ridiculously cute Intel NUC computer and a SmoothStepper, and I have installed Mach4 as the controller. The system is still being assembled and I have many parts still to order, so I am nowhere near trying it out yet. There is going to be a huge learning curve with Mach4. I will certainly be setting soft limits though, which was also supported by the old LinuxCNC.
Best wishes,
Bob
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Members Machines / Re: Advice wanted on negative Z-axis limit switches
« on: December 25, 2018, 05:42:46 am »
Thanks very much to both of you. I do intend to have a large red emergency cuttoff button, so that will have to serve!
Bob
Bob
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Members Machines / Advice wanted on negative Z-axis limit switches
« on: December 25, 2018, 01:47:38 am »
Hi All,
I am slowly building myself a new CNC router to replace my old and trusty wooden BlueChick. It is going to use 80/20 aluminum extrusions and linear rails with ball screws. I am designing it myself, because that is half the fun of the thing!
So, to the point - what is the conventional wisdom on the presence and use of a limit switch to detect over-travel of the Z-Axis in a downward direction? I intend to have limit switches for homing and to detect mis-steps in both X and Y axes, and also in the upward Z direction, but it seems to me that if the Z-axis limit switch ever actually triggered, I would already have run the cutter down into the bed of the machine!
Is it normal to omit a downward Z-axis limit switch? Is it normal to have a movable switch and to set its position manually for each drill selection? Or is it normal to have a limit switch and just not expect it to actually save the day?
My new machine is intended to be more rigid than the last one, and I want to avoid actual damage to the machine in the event of losing steps. Which is not supposed to happen, of course, especially when moving the Z-axis upwards. I know that servos and encoders would probably be better than stepper motors, but I think of them as too expensive. I'm trying to keep the whole thing below $5000.
Many thanks in advance, and Happy Christmas!
Bob
I am slowly building myself a new CNC router to replace my old and trusty wooden BlueChick. It is going to use 80/20 aluminum extrusions and linear rails with ball screws. I am designing it myself, because that is half the fun of the thing!
So, to the point - what is the conventional wisdom on the presence and use of a limit switch to detect over-travel of the Z-Axis in a downward direction? I intend to have limit switches for homing and to detect mis-steps in both X and Y axes, and also in the upward Z direction, but it seems to me that if the Z-axis limit switch ever actually triggered, I would already have run the cutter down into the bed of the machine!
Is it normal to omit a downward Z-axis limit switch? Is it normal to have a movable switch and to set its position manually for each drill selection? Or is it normal to have a limit switch and just not expect it to actually save the day?
My new machine is intended to be more rigid than the last one, and I want to avoid actual damage to the machine in the event of losing steps. Which is not supposed to happen, of course, especially when moving the Z-axis upwards. I know that servos and encoders would probably be better than stepper motors, but I think of them as too expensive. I'm trying to keep the whole thing below $5000.
Many thanks in advance, and Happy Christmas!
Bob
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CamBam help (General usage) / Re: Can not reload the just saved cambam.cb file XML doc (85,25)
« on: March 31, 2018, 23:47:15 pm »
Since .cb files are just xml, you might also try just opening it in a browser. In Chrome, xml displays quite nicely, and if it is mal-formed xml, you may have a clue as to what is wrong.
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Members Machines / Re: OT: Digitizing Table
« on: November 16, 2017, 23:19:57 pm »
If you want POOR man's approach: a blank tank with the object in it, then filled up mm at a time with milk, photographing each layer as you go. Scale each image back to a square if there is depth distortion. Then your standard vectorizing program on each layer.
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Members Machines / Re: Blessings sometimes come in disguise!
« on: October 25, 2017, 21:56:16 pm »
Standing in the pitch dark while my table saw grinds to a halt is one of the experiences I never want to repeat.
The joys of old house wiring! I have since put in separate circuits for the garage lights and power!
The joys of old house wiring! I have since put in separate circuits for the garage lights and power!
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CamBam help (General usage) / Re: Help with autocalc tabs please.
« on: September 06, 2017, 17:49:17 pm »
I have run into trouble cutting box joints, where the automatically positioned tabs ended up some way down the fingers of the joint. The tab is nicely created on the way in and then nicely machined off again on the way out! CamBam has no check that a later cut may intersect with an earlier tab. I think that doing so is probably too much to ask, since it is presumably a tricky thing to detect correctly. Manual positioning is the way to go.
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How to's and tutorials / Re: Inlay using V-Engrave
« on: January 23, 2017, 04:12:07 am »
Here is another example of an inlay, this time with a part large enough that the substrate requires an internal offset for the v-engrave, and also a roughing cut to remove the inner sections. The part outline is too broad to allow a v-engrave to be used alone. Otherwise, the process is as above.
The Tool Angle is 90, the Air Gap, Sanding thickness and Glue thickness are all 1mm and the inlay thickness is 2mm.
I have not tried cutting this and the feeds-and-speeds need to be set up.
The Tool Angle is 90, the Air Gap, Sanding thickness and Glue thickness are all 1mm and the inlay thickness is 2mm.
I have not tried cutting this and the feeds-and-speeds need to be set up.
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How to's and tutorials / Re: Inlay using V-Engrave
« on: January 22, 2017, 18:10:06 pm »
Hi Michael,
I think you need not give up on the basis of file size: remember that your geometry consists of a number of separate letters. You can handle each letter as a separate file.
In the case of the substrate, the engrave mop can simply be replicated for each letter and then the 'generate G-Code' done separately for each.
In the case of the inlay, it is a bit more tricky because the letters are close enough together to interfere with one another. You will have to move the letters apart from one another and generate the inlay for each separately. They will then have to be diced up on a table saw and glued into place separately. This could be a good plan anyway.
Alternatively, you could fall back to doing a conventional marquetry-style inlay. You will be stuck with rounded corners with the radius of your finishing cutter, but that may not be too bad. There is a plugin at the plugins site called "Inlay Toolpath" that calculates the correct shape for the inlay piece, rounding off the corners correctly. I have not used it.
Bob
I think you need not give up on the basis of file size: remember that your geometry consists of a number of separate letters. You can handle each letter as a separate file.
In the case of the substrate, the engrave mop can simply be replicated for each letter and then the 'generate G-Code' done separately for each.
In the case of the inlay, it is a bit more tricky because the letters are close enough together to interfere with one another. You will have to move the letters apart from one another and generate the inlay for each separately. They will then have to be diced up on a table saw and glued into place separately. This could be a good plan anyway.
Alternatively, you could fall back to doing a conventional marquetry-style inlay. You will be stuck with rounded corners with the radius of your finishing cutter, but that may not be too bad. There is a plugin at the plugins site called "Inlay Toolpath" that calculates the correct shape for the inlay piece, rounding off the corners correctly. I have not used it.
Bob
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How to's and tutorials / Re: Inlay using V-Engrave
« on: January 22, 2017, 03:04:44 am »
V-Engrave also seems to be working for me in 1.0 and the text example I posted above seems to be working just fine! Yay!