DIY- CNC Embroidery Machine

[blackbeard52]

Wow Khalid you are really engineering this thing... I thought we were going to make it KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) machine... I have been viewing the video of the machine that inspired this venture and it looks like it is void of feeder feet (pictured in the diagram supplied by Switcher) as they are taped over... Thereby being replaced by the x/y axis. this would eliminate the need for timing the needle down position. I think the encoder is used to determine the location of the needle in the cycle.(as indicated by the metal bar sticking out of the photo1 circled in red) the fabric is held in a frame to act as a containment/ stretching structure.

In the second photo. The motor circled in green is simply a motor to actuate the pressure foot up and down. The yellow circle is a stepper motor that was salvaged out of a printer (according to the text) to turn the hand wheel thereby cycling the needle.

In the third photo, it shows the motor circled green in the second photo from the back side and you can see it merely actuates the foot. In fact, you could just use an air cylinder and a coolant macro in Mach3.

Using the scenario of the above observations I don't see why we can't do a simpleminded CNC machine using Mach3.

BTW Killer machine you have built in your post.

Bob

[blackbeard52]

Oh yeah and some free embroidery software!!! http://sophiesew.com/

Bob

[Khalid]

No worries BOB... The Machine is going very simple and its so simple that everybody can make it...

Currently as i am working only on the Quilting Machine and I already posted a POSTPROCESSOR, that will be used with any low-cost CAM software.. Now, at this time my fingers just Programming the advanced Post Processor for the above post processor..

Just think its a TWO step Process...The First step is to get the Gcode from my above Posted postprocessor..The second step is to import this file in my Software to get the New post processor for our Quilting Machine..

You Know I have success in Stitch control..I will reveal once my machine completed and will show you the Video..

Now I am programming another thing, When we have circles or Arcs then CAM software gives very fine Gcode for each movement... I am programming so that my software compare the above and below Gcode lines and if the dx or dy value is less than 2mm, then it will automatically delete the next line and again will compare the First line with third line and THIS WAY WE WILL GET FAST RELIABLE GCODE for our Machine..

Bob, thanks for posting the above software link i will soon look into it... However For embroidery work I will use POCKET TOOLPATH and manupulate it with my Software to get a beautiful embroidery work with the same machine..

WE DID IT MAN..WE DID IT...

[Switcher]

Are you sure the sophiesew software will supply a file format you can work with?

[Khalid]

Hi Switcher,
The software link posted by BOB is great... But it needs study, However currently we will use our CAM software and a little software that i have 50% completed so far...

Regards

[Switcher]

More ideas.

http://translate.google.com/translat...ogle.com&twu=1

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyr4gRsjL6w"]YouTube- DIY Bordadora computarizada Eclipse

[Khalid]

Yesterday I worked on the Quilter Postprocessor software..and today I tested the results within the NCPLOT... The results are perfect..

For using On hand CAM software, You have to modify the output of existing CAM postprocessor to get the required Gcode..I made my Postprocessor and place it into the Vcarve Pro , postp directory...
Now i am using this postprocessor to generate the Gcode for Quilter file..

Once you generated the Gcode, Now you have to make it optimized and fine tuned for the stitch length... For this i wrote a small software that not only optimize the whole Gcode but shorten it 50%...

You can see value of 'Z' added..This Z represent Number of stitches... I also included some 'M' codes with my software, so that later we can make some simple macros in Mach3 to keep the needle UP when we have rapid moves or when Z0...

Shortly I will post Youtube Video and some pictures...

[Khalid]

Anybody interested should participate.... The stuff (drawings/software) will be free to all those who actively participating in this Thread or giving any ideas/suggestion or provide any links that can help us in making this Quilting Machine....
Regards

[Khalid]

Are you sure the sophiesew software will supply a file format you can work with?

I tried some designs and the software is really great but unfortunatly the format of the output file is encoded and non-readable...

[bjcnc]

HOW ABOUT THIS SOFTWARE Wilcom DecoStudio e1.5 IT IS FOR EMBROIDERING. i HAVEN'T TRIED IT JUST BEEN FOLLOWING THIS THREAD

[bjcnc]

NEVER MIND OUT OF MY PRICE RANGE

[Khalid]

Hi bjCNC,
Welcome bjCNC...If you can provide us a shareware or free software that can generate output similar to Gcode then it will be plausible for us...However, currently we focus on any CAM software available with us for quilting purpose...

We can talk with the owner of "sophiesew software" and request him if he can make a code for our embroidery/Quilting Machine..

[mike-acg]

Khalid,

What formats can you use? I have a number of embroidery digitizing programs and maybe I can help you translate from one of them? Worth a try!

Mike

[Khalid]

Mike Can you post a design in

X,Y format

[Switcher]

Khalid,

Great job! Keep up the good work!

Did you already build a new cnc machine?

Something I've thought of trying a while back is, exporting g-code direct from Inkscape, they already have a guy that wrote a plugin (open-source) that will follow the Inkscape vector paths. I tried that plugin a long time ago, & was sure it worked (export g-code), I just did another install, now it isn't working.

[Switcher]

Also , I'm just throwing ideas out here, from things I've found.

Keep up the great project!

[Khalid]

Khalid,

Great job! Keep up the good work!

Did you already build a new cnc machine?

Something I've thought of trying a while back is, exporting g-code direct from Inkscape, they already have a guy that wrote a plugin (open-source) that will follow the Inkscape vector paths. I tried that plugin a long time ago, & was sure it worked (export g-code), I just did another install, now it isn't working.

No, Swithcer ..My new CNC Machine will be CNC Quilter ...Last night I have worked on the Needle controller thing and you can see the description in attached picture..What do you think

[Khalid]

Did worked on my Quilter Software.. Refinement made in both postprocessor and Gcode Quilter software..

You can see how short the Gcode become after gone through my program. Attached is the Postprocessor and Postprocessed Gcode from my program..Also you can see the RAPID movement in NCPLOT..Now Our Needle can move up and Go to the next location....

The Quilter converted the 79,497 lines of Code into 8087 lines of Code in just a fraction of second.

[Weldtutor]

Needle controller thing and you can see the description in attached picture..What do you think

Brilliant comes to mind Khalid! I have been quietly watching the progress. It looks as if you have got the controller solution now.
Package it in a small enclosure that mounts to machine base, epoxy the sensor plate to the wheel, then stitch away.
Fine engineering as well as an excellent description of how it will operate.

Great work with your postprocessor, shown in your last post as well.

[XYZADave]

HI All

Great Thread
Khalid, Did you post a gcode parsing/optimization program a long time ago that you are using in your quilter conversion software? Gotta get up to speed on this stuff!
Thanks Dave