converting blueprints to DFX or AUTOCAD files

[toolmkr13]

Can some of you youngsters help me? I'm the crotchet old toolmaker you all have known. With 30+ years in the trade I've watched CNC from it's humble beginnings. I can write G-code and I can use AUTO-CAD. My question is for those who are software wizzards. I have collected many plans for Rc airplanes over the years. Is their a way to scan these to digital form so I can get the formers, wing ribs, ect into DFx to convert to G-code to run on a CNC router?

Thanks for the help.
Tony

[Al_The_Man]

I'm not much of a youngster, but here goes.
There may be other ways now, but in my early AutoCad days we had a digitizing tablet with an optical magnifier mouse that would do it to some extent, There is probabally 'expensive' software that will do it now.
Al.

[ger21]

There are ways to scan and convert, but they don't work that good, imo. The best results would be to insert the image into AutoCAD, scale appropriately, and trace. Terribly time consuming, but the best way to get good results.

Here's some raster to vector links, if you want to try.

http://www.rastervect.com/home.htm
http://www.softcover.com/
http://www.trixsystems.com/tractrix.html

[bobgerman]

If you don't want to invest your time and $ into buying software (and hardware if you don't already have it) and learning the software most blueprint shops do it for a fee. There are many of these around. I have had this done on sevral occassions (usually complex architecurals that I need to do just a few modifications on) and have had ok success with this. As ger21 mentioned the scanning route doesn't work as nice as you would like but it does indeed speed up the tracing task.

The blueprint shops usually have serveral degrees of completion available from just the basic scan to having someone completely edit and proof the finished drawing.

Depending on the complexity of the drawing I find it is best (fastest and more accurate) to either enter the drawing into Autocad from scratch your self or hire someone to do it for you. A good Autocad draftsman can work pretty fast.

Email me and I can give you the names of a couple guys I know that do this kind of work p/t @ home. They can work via email. (Of course I'll have to clear it with them first)