Any CAM Software for Howire 2 Axis & Turntable?

[Arbiter]

Hi folks,
I am designing a CNC hotwire cutter for wing and fusealge cutting. I recently came across an interesting issue, I don't see any CAM software for a 2 Axis machine with a turn table to generate the G-code ( X,Y, and C Axes). I am planning to use Mach 3 to drive the machine, and I have Pro/E wildfire 4.0 to create the 3D geometry. Can anyone give me a suggestion on where to look? This is for a hobby, so any software over $500 is going to be very hard for me to afford. If this is un-attainable, please let me know, and I will go the way of the traditional 4-axis system we all seem to love in the hotwire world.

My initial hope was to be able to cut wing and fuselage sections a couple feet thick at a time. The fuselage and wing sections would be cut with a horizontal wire, traveling axially and vertically. The wire would make a cut going one way, then the table turns, and the wire makes another cut... repeat 180 degrees. This is essentially the idea Croma-Foam.com's machine uses to cut the cellphone model out at this link:

http://www.croma-foamcutter.com/Asse...U_TOURNANT.SWF

Any suggestions on CAM software? Thanks for the help, and please pardon my complete noobness

-Chris Z.

[Arbiter]

49 views and not one reply, not even an opinion? This forum is very opinion adverse compared to the other forums I post on for my airplane design... Usually someone is quick to shoot down the idea at least, but no thoughts at all? . Ohh well!

-Chris

[fabconv]

maybe profili or gmfc ?

[Arbiter]

fabconv,
I spoke with Stefano Duranti (Profili) and his software won't support this type of machine, but it does look good for a 4-axis wing cutter though! I am not sure about GFMC, as far as i know it does not either. Thanks for the input though! Any other thoughts out there? Thanks!

-Chris

[vtcnc]

Well it's an interesting question, even if the thread is old.

There may be software usable for this -- possibly EMC2 (linux).

On the other hand, this could be done partially by hand, and the hard part of any of this should really be a function of the CAD software, rather than the machine driver.

Basically you want a cut tangent to a radial plane from a center. You want to then advance the table some angular increment, and make another cut along the next radial plane.

Frankly, the table doesn't have to be driven by a stepper motor, as long as you have some other means of turning it to the next increment. Could even be done by hand. This isn't an application where you need continuous motion of this (radial) axis.

Considered that way you are just doing a normal 2 axis cut each time.

If you think about it, that motion, and that part of the g-code could be considered as a single 2 axis program.

When you finish that cut, you rotate, and do another 2 axis program.

You can stitch these programs together for a do-it-all program.

To get the sub-programs for each cut, you would use your CAD program to section up the object radially (from a center point in the end view). And each section would be used to generate the individual 2 axis cut drawing. Those drawings would typically be exported to a dxf to G-code translator.

There are probably some refinements you'd want -- basically oversized kerf adjustments to allow you to finish off the object smoothly by sanding after cutting.

Hope this helps, and I'd like to hear from anyone who tries it out.

[harley4ever]

I would think Dolphin cad cam could handle this. Maybe I am wrong?