I know this question may need to go in another
forum but here it is.

I’m just about ready to pull the trigger on a new Tormach mill and the good deal on the Sprutcam software.

My question is I would like to engrave but may Autodesk
inventor doesn’t do font for that purpose and Sprutcam
is just cam. I have looked until my eyes are bleeding!!! there are sooo many cad/cam software’s to chose from
please help!
Oh by the way I don’t have an extra 5 grand for software.
I would like to be able to engrave on cylinders using my
rotary table.

Thanks guy
Chris

I have SprutCam and I don't think it would be very good for engraving. But there are several low cost engraving packages out there that specialise in what your talking about. Vetric springs to mind.

As far engraving on a cylinder, it can be done, but the best way is to lay the design out flat and then manually substite any Y axis movements for A axis movement. That way the tool only moves in the X and Z axis and the cylinder rotates in the A axis with the rotary table. I think there was some talk of this in the Tormach Yahoo forums.

By the way, great machine for the price.

SprutCAM is very good for engraving. You can create TTF or stroke font text direct in SprutCAM and then machine it with either 2d Contouring - Pocketing - Engraving. If you select the Allow 3D toolpath (Strategy) in Engraving, it will also do carve engraving.

SprutCAM does not support engraving around a cylinder, although it should be possible to create a postprocessor to convert the Y (or X) moves to angles.

Dave

Thanks dave.

I have down loaded the free the version of expert and are playing with it, no tool path yet but that will come in time.

I have another question, I imported a part and
the X/Y/Z orientation to the part needs to be changed how do you do that?

Chris

Chris, to manipulate (move - rotate - scale - mirror - locate zero) an imported part in SprutCAM (V4), follow these steps

In 3D model mode, select the whole model by single left clicking on it in the graphic area or by single left clicking on it in the lower half of the model tree view (turns red)
Single left click on the Transform button
Select the transform type that you require from the options offered.


http://www.download.sprut.co.uk/Forum_Images/Rotate.jpg

Dave