What software to use?

[sunebeermann]

Hey there, I am about to build a CNC mill for making PCB for my projects. My question is, I use a PCB design program that can export an Gerber RS-274X for milling and excellon for drilling, OR it can export it as an HPGL, the HPGL work fine for me at work, we have a Bungaard CNC mill that only works whit HPGL, i need to know what CNC software I must choose. my driver uses Step / Dir.

Thanks

Sune

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by sunebeermann Hey there, I am about to build a CNC mill for making PCB for my projects. My question is, I use a PCB design program that can export an Gerber RS-274X for milling and excellon for drilling, OR it can export it as an HPGL, the HPGL work fine for me at work, we have a Bungaard CNC mill that only works whit HPGL, i need to know what CNC software I must choose. my driver uses Step / Dir. Thanks Sune

Check out www.artofcnc.ca Mach3 software
I am 98.2% Sure it can import HPGL files

Chris

[Bubba]

Or, you might try using SheetCam as it will import hpgl (plt files) and output the necessary G-code.

[sunebeermann]

Hey Bubba, This SheetCam, will it export G-code that TurboCNC could use?

Another thing, I am thinking of using eagle instead of S-Print Layout. as a design program for my pcb, but i can't seem to find a GOOD guide of how to make it Export a file ( any file for at Mill ) that would work.

Sune

[Bubba]

sunebeermann,
As for Sheetcam outputting g-code for TCNC, I shure hope so as I have done probably about 50 different projects using it. Another nice thing about SheetCam is the fact that I can change the posts to suit my needs. (I can never leave anything stock!)
As for exporting from Eagle, I recently ran across a new ulp that is in the user section of the downloads at Eagle done by J Johnson. I have not tried it yet, but from some of the looks of his pictures on his site http://homepage.mac.com/johnatl/Proj...toAlbum28.html the boards almost look etched. If you need me to look up the exact file, let me know and will give you an answer. He has also done some "fat pads" but I haven't been able to find that file yet. Have had some correspondance with him, but seems to have dropped out of site for a while (I do know he is a field service tech so maybe he is just on the road!)

Hope this helps.

[sunebeermann]

Hey Bubba I downloaded the program you talked about, now my question is, which one of the turbocnc generator should I use I see 3 options, another thing I cant seem do be able to use, that file the program generats for turbocnc the *.tab do I have to do anything to it. Man am lost. hehe. another thing that Eagle ULP would be nice if you could link me to that to...

Best regards

Sune

[sunebeermann]

I looked aroud in the software and I think I could get it working. I do need to know what DNC is and how it work, i saw it in SheetCam.

[Bubba]

sunebeermann,
Ok, I "assume" when you are talking about the program, it is SheetCam. I use the non-modular post for turbocnc. Reason being was back in V3.x of Turbocnc, there were some situations that it did not like the modular type of post. At that time, thanks to the foresite of Les to allow the user to customize the posts; I started doing exactly that. I customized the post to suit my particular setup and procedures. So when V4.x came along (which I have also customized); I kept using my non-modular version of the post suitably reconfigured to allow its use in V4.x

As for the ulp discussed to "mill etch" PCBs, it can be found at:

ftp://ftp.cadsoft.de/pub/userfiles/ulp/pcb-gcode.zip

Let me know if I can further "confuse" the issue

[Bubba]

DNC is a communication means between your "Design" computer and "shop" computer. I personally do not use that method as my two computers are seperated by approximately 300 ft (two totally seperate buildings). My method of transfering files is to use a "USB Thumb drive". The shop computer is loaded with win98 so I boot up in that to do the file transfer. Unfortunately, there are no DOS drivers for my thumbdrive.

works for me!

[DareBee]

I don't quite agree with Bubba on DNC (sorry big guy). DNC stands for Direct Numerical Control. With my VMC I can store a program in the actual machine memory and the machine will run from that program.
In my case I have limited memory and need to run programs that wont fit in the machine control so I DNC; basically hook an RS232 cable between my computer and the machine control and the computer will feed the program to the machine as much as the control can hold. A lot of people will also call DNC "Drip feeding"

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by DareBee I don't quite agree with Bubba on DNC (sorry big guy). DNC stands for Direct Numerical Control. With my VMC I can store a program in the actual machine memory and the machine will run from that program. In my case I have limited memory and need to run programs that wont fit in the machine control so I DNC; basically hook an RS232 cable between my computer and the machine control and the computer will feed the program to the machine as much as the control can hold. A lot of people will also call DNC "Drip feeding"

Well, if you want to get technical, DNC defines two primary definitions.

1) As you stated, Direct Numberical Control in which the program is fed to the machine and the machine executes the program while it is being read in.

2) Distributed Numerical Control in which the CNC programs are stored on a server and distributed to the various CNC machines in the shop upon request. The programs are loaded into the control and run from memory.

In reality, there is very little difference between the two methodologies at the software end of things. The software, in both cases, uses some form of handshaking to send the programs to the machine in a controlled manor. At the machine tool...

In Direct Numerical Control, you are running the program as it comes in. With Distributed Numerical Control, the progam is loaded directly into memory and run from memory.

With PC based controls, there is really no need at all for DNC as the CNC control has a hard drive which can store very large CNC programs. Getting the program into the PC Based control can be achieved via a conventional network or via the many portable medias like: floppy, CD ROM, Thumb drives, etc. AKA - Sneaker Net.

Chris

[Bubba]

Hey DareBee,
No offense, I was just relating it as I understood it. Glad to be corrected. If I was "perfect", I probably wouldn't hanging around here trying to learn! I've got a long way to go and know it. So if I open mouth and insert feet, I hope somebody like you will correct me before I have to chew to hard