The Shop > Software Tools
What CAM?
Lew_Merrick_PE:
The STL format was developed for STereoLithography. There are a number of settings that will determine the fineness of the resulting output that easily become either too coarse or too large a file for the intended recipient. The resulting output is dumb (or blob) geometry. I most normally deal with this (mess) for actual stereolithography operations and I quick discussion with the owner of the STL machine usually gets my file settings reasonably close to optimum.
I most normally work with fairly high-end CAM systems, so I am unfamiliar with the ones under discussion here. Do these systems not import STEP, ACIS or Parasolid file formats? Any of them would provide actual, mathematically founded geometry for processing.
AdeV:
Lew,
CamBam is (as far as I can tell) aimed at the low volume/possibly amateur market(?), its import options appear limited.
Oddly, SolidWorks (2008) output options also appear limited, such that there is no decent crossover; SW will output STEP and parasolid files. Then again, SW costs many thousands of pounds, if purchased properly...
On the other hand, I have now managed to generate some "sensible" toolpaths, as far as I can tell at least. I fancy re-writing the post-processor to produce Heidenhain conversational rather than G-codes, because I've got a bit of a handle on Heidenhain, and it saves me the trouble of hunting through the manual to work out how to switch it to G-code mode and back again. But more to the point, if it's in Heidenhain, I can work out in my head that it's OK, which since I'm in the office a couple of miles away from the machines, is a good thing...
Or, if the post-processor looks like it's too hard to reconfigure, then I'll just try it out tonight in some wax :)
Paul,
--- Quote from: Swarfing on January 08, 2013, 10:38:01 AM ---This pic does not look like the first one you showed with the mesh? have you changed it so that the regions where filled in?
--- End quote ---
Erm, I may have accidentally posted the Extrude1 object without the rest of the cuts, etc.... Let me try again...
Swarfing:
That one looks a bit better.
Being as this is a simple 2d object i would have done this as a dxf i think and in the MOP set it use a radius tool for those inner edges of the cutouts. This would have been a lot less code for it to produce and given a quicker cut job.
AdeV:
I can take the fillets off easily enough, can't do a DXF though, unless SolidWorks will output a sketch in DXF format....
So much for the day job today, I've been playing with CAD/CAM all day :Doh:
Swarfing:
It does DWG though i believe?
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