PartKAM - free crossplatform 2.5d CAM

[duzallcnc]

Thanks!!

And thanks again for making this neat program open source!!

Sean

[Jack000]

been away for a while, but now I'm back!

with the release of flash 11, I thought I'd update partkam to take advantage of some of the new features.

- native cubic bezier rendering. Previously it had to be approximated with quads. Now rendering should be faster and more accurate for most vector files.

- unlimited bitmap sizes. Previous versions were limited to 4000px bitmaps, which limited the accuracy of the offset algorithm. The default is now 8000px, with a maximum cap at 20000.

try it out and let me know if you find any bugs!

[jakehorky]

Great to here you're still around, and thanks for the updates! I'm not sure if I've experienced their need, but I'm sure they will be appreciated none-the-less.

Does Flash 11 allow saving any user info to save preferences and make generating toolpaths quicker?

Just so you know, I'm still using PartKAM for all of my hobby CNC'ing!

[G3d]

Hey Jack
The domain is down, whats up ?
Please don't leave this great piece of software to waste.
I use it mainly becouse it's multiplatform - i can make simple designs using illustrator & partkam.
Maybe you need some help or anything ?

[gera229]

Kind of hard first learning this software.

But I still haven't figured out how to generate the G-Code. Or where it is stored.

I downloaded Revision 16, but I could not see PartKart anywhere in tabs.
Where is it?

Also, you should add some help comments for each command explaining what they do.

Aside from that are there any instructions/manuals?

[jakehorky]

FWIW, I wrote out my workflow below. As you can see, I only use ParkKAM to generate gcode from svg files. This has been working very well for me for a long time - especially for cutting flat parts out of aluminum plate.

-Draw part in Inkscape
-Open PartKAM, Edit->Edit Preferences: Set "SVG Default Resolution" to 90 (90 is the default resolution for Inkscape) & uncheck "Snap to Local Points" (I put the part where I want it in Inkscape and therefore don't want PartKAM snapping it to any other position).
-File->Open: select .svg file created in Inkscape
-Highlight path(s) to machine, then go to CAM->Profile and input machining parameters. I repeat this for any other paths I wish to cut. I rarely use any of the other cam utilities besides "profile" (if any it's "pocket" and "drill")
-Generate toolpaths with CAM->Calculate All
-Edit toolpaths under the Toolpaths menu as required
-Generate and save gcode with CAM->export gcode
-Give the file a meaningful filename, and save it with an .ngc file extension
-Open EMC2, open the ngc file, verify everything looks good. If not, I switch back to Inkscape or PartKAM and make corrections.

This entire process is very simple and very fast. I leave Inkscape, PartKAM, and EMC2 open until my part is cut so I can quickly edit anything as needed. It's actually somewhat important to leave PartKAM open because it can't save any settings. So if you close you have to reenter everything (minor inconvenience considering its cost...).

A quick tip when making edits to the original svg drawing is to highlight all paths in PartKAM and delete them. This will clear the screen before opening/reopening another part.

[gera229]

So what exactly is PartKart?

Jakehorky, are you milling 2.5D objects?
Do you import 3D objects into PartKAM or 2D objects and milling in 2.5D?

I would appreciate if you make a video tutorial describing the majority of the things and ones that are important too.
That should get me started pretty good.

Gera

[jakehorky]

I think PartKart was going to be a way to place a part order directly through Jack000's website.

PartKAM doesn't do 3D, just 2.5D, which is what I use it for. It's really easy... be careful not to over think it.

One thing I forgot to add to my process above is using the "add tabs to selected" feature. There can be some strange behavior when you try to delete extra tabs, but barring that, it works wonderfully. I suggest ignoring this feature for now until you get more familiar with generating plain old gcode from PartKAM.

I probably can't do a video just yet because I'm overworked as it is. I will keep it in the back of my mind though.

[gera229]

I would appreciate it so much if you make a video.
Or you can guide me through private chat or instant messaging when you have time?

[gera229]

In PartKAM there is a pocketing, profile, and follow path operation.
What is the follow path operation? It sound like it's similar to profile operation.

Aside from that, to cut your 2.5D things, do you import your files as 2D projections (and add depth, idk if this is possible) or 3D projections?

[iwonderbra]

Hey Jack.
I really need your offset path algorithm. Where I can find PartKAM sources now?

[itain]

I found partkam sources here. It is an old version. I hope Jack will update that site or find other ways to publish sources of the latest version.
Anyway, it looks like the complete g-code post processor is there. Very nice and readable source code.


Some suggestions for improvement:
1. In profile operation when I ask for CCW direction, Inner paths should be processed CW (or have a separate option).
2. Some path order optimization would be welcome. A lot of time is wasted on jogging when the artwork is made of many small paths.
3. Store preferences.