TurboCad to G-Code

[rcazwillis]

I have TurboCad v9 and have it fairly well under control. I can draw just about anything that I want. However, I have a heck of a time getting it converted to G-code on a cosistent basis. I am using Ace, but continue to get strange tool paths. Stuff that makes no sense.

I have tried exploding the drawing multiple times before saving. However, I still get very strange paths.

For example I want to cut a radius on the top half of a 1" x 1" by 12" piece of 6061. The simple drawing is attached. The g-code generated by Ace is also attached. Any suggestions or guideance would be appreciated.

[ger21]

ACE can't do 3D, which is what you're drawing is. If you can draw it as a solid and export an .stl file, you could use FreeMill or MeshCAM to do it.

A tedious workaround would be to draw a series of parallel lines. put each line on it's own layer. Calculate the depth each line needs to be and set up each layer to the correct depth in ACE. All the lines should be drawn on the same plane, at the same Z level.

[rcazwillis]

Oh. Bummer. I thought that Ace would do 3d. Guess I should have read up on its capabilities. Turbocad does not have an option for .stl. Does Freemill or Meshcam handle other formats? Is there a method for converting files to .stl.

Thanks for the feedback.

[ger21]

MeshCAM can load 3D .dxf's, but they MUST be constructed of 3D faces ONLY.

If you can't do that either, you can use this to convert to .stl. It's $20
http://www.micromouse.ca/index.html