turbo cad to gcode

[jc286006]

hi guys i am using turbocad 11.1 or what ever the free ugrade from tcad 10 deluxe is to make my 2d drawings when i use ace to convert the dxf to g-code it will not keep the same start and stop coodinates for an object such as a basic square. am i doing something wrong or is this just a glitch in ace ? i have been very careful in my alignment of starting and stopping points when making this drawing. what i am drawing is the rail adjustment blocks for the jrgo router so that i can cut them out of delrin and replace the mdf ones that i made when building it. i have uploaded the drawing i made of this part and the g-code file that was generated by ace.you can see the differecnes in the x-coordinates in line 4 and 5 and then the difference in the y coordinates in line 5 and 6 is this just the conversion being done incorrectly or something im doing wrong in the drawing?i am new at cad and new at g-code reading but i know enough to tell that something isnt being converted correctly or drawn correctly any help would be greatly appreciated. also i drew this as close as i could to allow for the cutter diameter. the actual piece is the smaller y and z axis adjusters so measurements are as close as i could get them to .062 oversize for the outside of the block and .062 undersize for the center hole and the screw holes
james

[ger21]

The square in you're drawing isn't square. I don't know how TurboCAD works, but if it has an ortho mode, use that, or enter the coordinated directly. Draw everything the correct size, and use the offset command (or whatever it's called) to offset everything by .0625 if that's the too radius.

Ace seems to be working fine, but make sure you add the Z value in ACE before the conversion, or you'll just be cutting air.

[jc286006]

hi ger21
i ran a test of this file and when it came to the large inner hole it was offset by almost .375 from center on the x axis and the 4 small outer holes were offset by .038 from their correct location on the x axis. they were located correctly for their location on the y axis. as you said the drawing isnt square or i take your word on it and i can see were this would cause the small offsets on the small holes but why would the large hole be so far off i know this drawing cant be far enough out of square to cause that could it? i have my machine built and running but this problem with the conversion of file not being what i have drawn is making me feel like i have gotten in over my head

[ger21]

Originally Posted by jc286006 but this problem with the conversion of file not being what i have drawn is making me feel like i have gotten in over my head

The gcode you posted is correct for the .dxf you posted. Exact same coordinates. Exactly the way it was drawn. Keep in mind that the coordinates in the g-code are not the center of the circles, they are the right side of the circles.

[jc286006]

hi ger
when i did a test cut on scrap the center hole was offcenter by .375 and all the small holes were offset by .038 from where they actually should have been. i did a test cut on a piece of scrap mdf board before i started cutting my delrin im glad i did to! no place around here is willing to let go of delrin scraps they actually wanted to sell me a piece 2" by 18" man that stuff is like gold here in st louis a piece 8"by 14" cost me $36

[ger21]

The gcode is correct, so it must be a problem with you're machine setup. Remember that your drawing represents the center of the tool, not the actual part size.

[kong]

Not only is the square not square, but it also has a small glitch on the bottom left corner where two of the side lines overlap.

Best advice is to start again, use the "square" tool to draw the square, rather than use single lines. Draw the whole lot the finnished size first, then use the offset tool (edit -> offset) with an offset the radius of the cutter you will use, to offset each entity to allow for the cutter. Next job is to explode the square into lines (format -> explode) then save as DXF R14 (use "setup" once you have selected DXF from the save-as dialogue box).

Don't mean to offend you by talking you through each step, but you said you were new to CAD. Hope this helps!

[ger21]

Originally Posted by kong then save as DXF R14

R12 is usually best if you have that option.

[jc286006]

thanks guys as i said im new to cad and basically cnc the last time i came close to cnc was back in college with a tape driven vertical mill. i will take any help i can get with this as i said im new and would rather learn from old hands than to waste time and money. my main problem is when someone tells me how to do something like you did kong i have to constantly go back to the post to see if i am doing it right or remembering things correctly! as my mother would say my mind is about as long as my d--k LOL! again guys thanks for all the help heck just a few weeks ago i couldnt even figure out how to draw a line LOL!!! im a fast learner just need the proper knowledge to do things correctly i just hope i dont get on anyones nerves asking all these questions!

[kong]

No probs jc, that iswhat we are here for!

Gerry, yep, there is an R12 choice, my bad!