Lazycam doesn't generate "passes"

[wadero]

Hi, I have the free download of Mach3 and Lazycam. Before spending money on it I would like first to make this work properly.
I cannot find a manual of Lazycam anywhere so it's guesswork.
What I cannot Lazycam to do for me is making passes. ( I understand by "passes" cutting a 10 mm stock in passes of 1 mm)
No manual means no explanation of jargon.
This is my setting. Have a rectangular shape of 100 x 100 drawn in Autocad14 at layer0 and made a dxf output from it.
cutorder:0
stockdepth:10
cutdepth:10
feedrate:100
passdepth:1
plungerate:100
rapidheight:11
spindlespeed:10000
startdepth:10
toolnr:0

this is the output I get
N5 (File test )
N10 (Default Mill Post)
N15 (File Posted in Mill Mode)
N20 (Sunday, August 19, 2007)
N25 G90 G80 G91.1
N30 G0 Z11.0000
N35 X0.0000 Y50.0000
N40 M3 S10000
N45 G1 Z10.0000
N50 Y100.0000
N55 X100.0000
N60 Y0.0000
N65 X0.0000
N70 Y50.0000
N75 G0 Z11.0000
N80 M5 M9
N85 G40 G80

M30

For me there is confusion between height and depth?? . Where is the 0 position of z-axix supposed to be
according the program? The G-output even doesn't add the feedrate??
So could anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

[pointcloud]

http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/forum...action=search2

Try here..

[ger21]

Make sure you have the latest version of Mach and LazyCAM.
http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/Downl...ersionR2.4.exe

Then watch the LazyCAM videos. http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/Video.../LCamIntro.swf

[wadero]

I downloaded the latest version and it still doesn't generate passes, I tried a number of things, even set negative cut depth which is unlogical and suddenly one time i got kind of passes, only the total cutdepth exceeded far more than was stated and even negative Z positions were generated.
I already spent lots of time trying things out, sometimes when I alter some values they weren't actually altered because i got the original back when I clicked "project" and back to "layer". Colours change without message, don't know what that means.
The whole thing seems a bit amaturistic to me and I think I'll leave the Art soft for what it is at least the G-code generating part.
Anyway thanks for the replies.

Kind Regards

[Torchhead]

Give SheetCAM a try. It's a lot more mature and multiple passes are easy. The tutorial that comes with it is not too bad, but there is no real manual. The good news is that it's pretty easy to learn.

www.sheetcam.com

If you use CorelDraw for any artwork you can get a free demo of a DXF export plug-in that renders the true arcs and circles instead of the line segments the native DXF Corel export gives you.
Download the DXFTool demo at:
www.CandCNC.com

Tom Caudle
www.CandCNC.com

[pointcloud]

Originally Posted by wadero I downloaded the latest version and it still doesn't generate passes, I tried a number of things, even set negative cut depth which is unlogical and suddenly one time i got kind of passes, only the total cutdepth exceeded far more than was stated and even negative Z positions were generated. I already spent lots of time trying things out, sometimes when I alter some values they weren't actually altered because i got the original back when I clicked "project" and back to "layer". Colours change without message, don't know what that means. The whole thing seems a bit amaturistic to me and I think I'll leave the Art soft for what it is at least the G-code generating part. Anyway thanks for the replies. Kind Regards

Z- is typically what you want? Z+ would move the tool away from the part, so you might not want Z+..Even in sheetcam, lazycam or any cam

[Switcher]

N25 G90 G80 G91.1

Hows that work (on the same line) G90 & G91.1?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N80 M5 M9

Coolant gets turned OFF, but never gets turned on (M8)?

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N85 G40 G80

What was being drilled (G80)?


.

[ger21]

G91.1 sets Mach3's IJ mode to incremental.
So he's setting it to absolute with incremental IJ.

[mxtras]

I have never been able to get LazyCam to generate passes, either. I take the single pass output and generate my own multi-pass program.

LazyCam has a little ways to go - there are still lots of buggy things. BUT - for the money, I think it does a pretty decent job. Sometimes, you have to adjust to use free, developmental software - at least that's how I look at it.

Scott

[wadero]

Yes I regret to have installed the latest version of Lazycam because I found the previous version better, less bugs apart from not generating passes that is.
Well when I started this project of building my own mill I wouldn't have guessed that the software would be the mean problem.
Mach3 is OK i think but there is a lot of work to do on Lazycam and for now I won't pay money for it.
Sheetcam seems OK but I hadn't have the time to work myself into it....again another program pfffffffffffff.
Anybody knows a real professional program, all in. I just get fed-up learning things I cannot use...even when they are free.
Give me something I can pay money for please.

[mxtras]

I hear ya on the frustration.

I also hear ya loud and clear on the latest version of LazyCam - I loaded it but after the first few attempts, I went back to the older version. I will give them a few revisions before I try it again.

Scott