Do you know software that can do this kind of pocketing?

[Loadus]

Hey guys, thought I'd ask this because I've been through a lot of free CAM software as well as demos from a few big commercial names. Some of them can do results very close to what I need but none of the ones I've tried did exactly what I needed.

I'm using a Roland DXY 1150-A plotter to print out artwork and I started to look for a tiny helper app that could convert the filled areas into properly pocketed contour lines. But as it happens, almost all of the algorithms are designed for milling/engraving, where it is expected that the actual drill bit will fit inside the lines. Also, I noticed that I know absolutely nothing about engraving stuff and as I don't have an engraving machine (yet).

So, have you seen a contour pocketing algorithm that can fit a stroke over all lines in the image and not just the areas that it can fit in (this sounds really odd when I type it)? Here's an example:



I need the pen to follow the path between the tool paths and not the lines the algorithm has set. Is there such a thing? Or should I write my own app?

There is a workaround for this, where I add more width to the strokes so the pocketing algorithm has space to move about, but that destroys detail and seems like a totally unnecessary step. The most optimal thing would be a standalone app that does this path fitting or a plugin / macro for a program like Corel Draw or Inkscape. Import as vector > process > output as vector or HPGL.

Or is this just a daydream as nobody really does pen plotting anymore?

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[awerby]

It seems like the easiest way to do that would be to set the program to generate lines that are twice as close together, then delete every other one, starting on the outside. Either that, or find a real CAM program that can do what you want, while also doing all the other things CAM programs do, like ramping into the cut, stepping down in layers, setting speeds and feeds, calculating tool offsets, etc.

[minicncuser]

if it was in cadcam you would use a cutter comp to cut to the line