Another newbie needing help with software!

[rnm85]

I am hoping to have my first CNC machine complete in a few weeks time. So I am starting to think about software.

I am pretty confused as to what software i need. I understand that I will need a program to design what ever I am wanting to cut and a program to control my machine. I have seen a lot of people with DIY machines using Mach3 software to control their machines.

I am proficient in Auto CAD and other Autodesk products such as Inventor etc. Am I able to design in say autocad and then use that file in Mach 3? Where do plotting the tool paths etc. come in to it?

I will be using the machine to cut 2D shapes out of plywood to start but may start to do more 3D stuff in the future.

If someone could give me an idea of the workflow/software they use to go from design to cutting that would be very much appreciated!

Thanks,

Rory

[judleroy]

You can do your designs in autocad and then export to other programs to create code. Mach 3 is a machine controller. I believe they have a plugin to convert dxf files to g-code that is used to cut the parts. This is no good for 3d but is fine to cut 2d shapes. You should probably go that route and worry about 3d later when your more familiar with the flow of things. Code is not created automatically you need to tell the software what to do. First you select the geometry you want to cut in the order you want to cut them. Then you setup what the part needs to be cut. Height above part to move between cut, z value of top of part, z value to cut into part, speed to cut at and speed to plunge into part at. There is a lot to learn but it's pretty straight forward. You'll have to get the program and read the documentation. There are many program choices for you to choose from for creating cut files. Look up cam programs or cad cam and you'll be presented with many options. Good luck.
Judleroy

[rnm85]

You can do your designs in autocad and then export to other programs to create code. Mach 3 is a machine controller. I believe they have a plugin to convert dxf files to g-code that is used to cut the parts. This is no good for 3d but is fine to cut 2d shapes. You should probably go that route and worry about 3d later when your more familiar with the flow of things. Code is not created automatically you need to tell the software what to do. First you select the geometry you want to cut in the order you want to cut them. Then you setup what the part needs to be cut. Height above part to move between cut, z value of top of part, z value to cut into part, speed to cut at and speed to plunge into part at. There is a lot to learn but it's pretty straight forward. You'll have to get the program and read the documentation. There are many program choices for you to choose from for creating cut files. Look up cam programs or cad cam and you'll be presented with many options. Good luck.
Judleroy

Thanks Judleroy, I think the Autocad and Mach3 option will be all I need to start with so I will look further in to that. I just Checked out V-Carve Pro and they had a great tutorial video on how it works and seems possible import Auto Cad drawings in to it so I will have a look at that too.

Thanks for you help.

Rory

[ger21]

I wrote an AutoCAD VBA macro to create Mach3 compatible g-code from within AutoCAD. It's free.
I use it for everything I cut that's not V carved or 3D.

The CNC Woodworker - AutoCAD 2 G-Code

[harley4ever]

Mach3 is a good controller solution. Most of us here use it. There are many different solutions if your looking for software to generate your gcode. My personal preference is Dolphin Partmaster. I'm also an Autocad user which I use to do my drawings.

[rnm85]

I wrote an AutoCAD VBA macro to create Mach3 compatible g-code from within AutoCAD. It's free.
I use it for everything I cut that's not V carved or 3D.

The CNC Woodworker - AutoCAD 2 G-Code

Hi Ger21,

I've just come back to this post to download your GCode generator for Autocad. One quick question, does the plug in support metric measurements for tool diameter etc?

Thanks for your help,

Rory

[ger21]

Yes, metric should work fine, but tool diameter is only used for offsetting for holes (circles) and for G41/G42.

If you run into any issues, let me know.