Trouble cutting after converting from .eps to .dxf file

[Carl26]

Hello, I am new here. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask for help, but here goes. Please bear with me while I try to explain my problem. I am trying to cut out a company logo that I found online. The logo was originally a .eps (encapsulated post script) file.

I open that file up in CorelDrawX3, save it as a .dxf, then open it up in AutoCAD for editing. In AutoCAD, the drawing is there, but all of the lines are splines. I then save and open it up in AP100 (Amada's laser software for generating NC code). It takes longer than usual to open the file in AP100.

Then once I make the NC code and send it to the laser, it will cut, but the feed-rate is very slow and it creates a lot of small ridges on the edge of the cut instead of a smooth edge.

I'm not sure if I should be doing something else with the file before or after I save it as a .dxf. Soemthing tells me that the problem is the spline. It should be lines or polylines. Has anyone else had a similar problem? Any suggestions? Thank You,
Carl

[bisjoe]

If you stuck to Corel for the editing and cutting you'd be fine. I do not use any CAD programs, but when people who do send me their DXF or DWG files I always have problems when importing to X3 (same with v.12).

In some cases a curve will be hundreds of point connected by short lines, reulting in ridges when cutting. In other cases there will be 30+ lines on top of each other, so that it makes the same cut over and over and over again. One person who is a regular customer uses Solidworks, and eventually figured out how to provide a clean vector file for cutting, but these bugs in translation are very common and different depending on the cad program.

[mxtras]

CAM packages don't like splines.

One method for getting rid of them is to explode the data in ACAD and then Polyedit the individual entities into a polyline. Duplicate lines can create major problems, and if you have lines stacked on top of eachother you are in for a lot of work. Your raw data needs to be clean! If the chain can not be polylined easily, it is not clean data.

After the entities are all polylined together and DXF'd you should see a dramatic improvement in motion.

One way to get rid of spline data is to export as an R-12 DXF, by the way. (thanks to GER21 for that awesomely helpful tip!)

Scott

[Switcher]

Then once I make the NC code and send it to the laser, it will cut, but the feed-rate is very slow and it creates a lot of small ridges on the edge of the cut instead of a smooth edge.

What is the Feedrate set to in the NC file?


.

[Laser Doctor]

Dear Carl,

Have you thought of tracing the company logo after inporting into AutoCAD using the polyline function, then erasing the splines?

Please respond with your thoughts.

Thankyou.

The Laser Doctor

[Carl26]

Thanks for the replies. I will definately try to clean up the drawing and get rid of the splines. I'm glad you guys understand what I am talking about. I thought I was the only one with this problem.

[Carl26]

Originally Posted by Switcher What is the Feedrate set to in the NC file?

It depends on the material. This is acrylic, but I can't remember what I had it set at. I haven't tried yet, but I can speed up the feedrate. The only problem is that some of the entities are not splines, they are polylines, so those areas on the part will be cut very fast.

I hope that makes sense. In other words, no matter what I set the feedrate to, the splined areas will always cut much slower than lines or polylines.

[Carl26]

Originally Posted by Laser Doctor Dear Carl, Have you thought of tracing the company logo after inporting into AutoCAD using the polyline function, then erasing the splines? Please respond with your thoughts. Thankyou. The Laser Doctor

I'll try it and get back to you on that. If I remember correctly, I tried it before, but I would have to make a bunch of points along a curved line to make it smooth. It took a long time.

[lamicron]

If you are cutting in a chinesse machine , try the most to use only corel and better if you use corel11 or 12 not X3, I have worked with 3 different machines and always the same , you get an adobe ilustrator file, convert it to corel and there your machine get crazy, so you have to redraw it in corel then save it as plt or AI and then you canwork it without any problem.
Luis

[Carl26]

I am using a Amada Quattro laser. Thanks.

[Laser Doctor]

Originally Posted by lamicron If you are cutting in a chinesse machine , try the most to use only corel and better if you use corel11 or 12 not X3, I have worked with 3 different machines and always the same , you get an adobe ilustrator file, convert it to corel and there your machine get crazy, so you have to redraw it in corel then save it as plt or AI and then you canwork it without any problem. Luis

Follow up:

I agree with the Corel update. My suggestion is for the version currently being used. Corel has many versions available 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Also, Video/DVD, Photo Imaging, Illustration/Design. I believe my earlier suggestion should work!

The Laser Doctor

[Carl26]

Laser Doctor,
I replied to your post earlier today, but for some reason it didn't take. I have tried tracing, but I can only trace using a spline. If I use a polyline, I can't trace smooth curves. I'll try playing around with it in AutoCAD and get back to you.