CNC Standard File format for tube bending
Hi all,
I have questions about standard format accepted by CNC, for CNC Plasma Cutting, I see DXF or GCode as the most common, any clue why LinuxCNC seems to accept only GCode?
What about tube bending?
What format use the CNC Tube bender?
I'm designing a CNC Tube bender, it's gonna be fully controlled by Servo motor.
The controlling part will be done using Arduino based PLC.
So i need to somehow pass the bending data, so what is the standard?
I was thinking it could probably be extracted directly from step file. Is it a common way?
is CNC bender accept Gcode or DXF or sonething else?
Thank you very much
Re: CNC Standard File format for tube bending
Quote:
Originally Posted by
garthos
I have questions about standard format accepted by CNC, for CNC Plasma Cutting, I see DXF or GCode as the most common, any clue why LinuxCNC seems to accept only GCode?
DXF is a drawing format, not machining format. The reason why many plasma controllers accept it is that a 2D drawing can be easily translated to torch movement. If you give a plasma machine a drawing of a 3x3" square, it will cut a 3x3" square.
LinuxCNC is a general purpose CNC controller. If you give it a drawing of a square, it would have no idea what to do with it. Cut a hole? Mill a pocket (how deep)? Engrave? It takes CAM software to translate a drawing to tool movements.
I guess a bending machine would use either G-code, or its own proprietary format.
Re: CNC Standard File format for tube bending
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CitizenOfDreams
DXF is a drawing format, not machining format. The reason why many plasma controllers accept it is that a 2D drawing can be easily translated to torch movement. If you give a plasma machine a drawing of a 3x3" square, it will cut a 3x3" square.
LinuxCNC is a general purpose CNC controller. If you give it a drawing of a square, it would have no idea what to do with it. Cut a hole? Mill a pocket (how deep)? Engrave? It takes CAM software to translate a drawing to tool movements.
I guess a bending machine would use either G-code, or its own proprietary format.
Actually I will develop the software so I'm not gonna use LinuxCNC but an Arduino based PLC, so I'm trying to know how commercial solution does to go from the design (for example Solidworks) to the machine to do the bend.
I guess it's probably good to go for STEP/INGES format as it will contain all the required information.
I would like to be able to import the bend sequence from my design instead of programming it manually, actually will have both possibility as I will start by manual programming of the machine and later adding the import of whatever format that will be convenient.
As I will need to do some research to find the appropriate libraries, I'm anticipating :)
I should be able to find some C++ libs that will allow me to read such format, but I could implement other format as well if it's useful.
I'm trying to know what would be the most convenient as I want to later publish all as an open source project.
Re: CNC Standard File format for tube bending
Quote:
Originally Posted by
garthos
I guess it's probably good to go for STEP/INGES format as it will contain all the required information.
I would like to be able to import the bend sequence from my design instead of programming it manually, actually will have both possibility as I will start by manual programming of the machine and later adding the import of whatever format that will be convenient.
As I will need to do some research to find the appropriate libraries, I'm anticipating :)
I should be able to find some C++ libs that will allow me to read such format, but I could implement other format as well if it's useful.
The way I see it, you will need to somehow analyze the part design and translate it into a series of machine movements, something like:
FEED 3 inches
CLAMP
BEND 135 degrees
UNCLAMP
FEED 10 inches
ROTATE 180 degrees
CLAMP
BEND 45 degrees
UNCLAMP
It does not really matter what language you choose for your controller. It would be trivial to translate, say, "ROTATE 180" to "G1 A180".
Re: CNC Standard File format for tube bending
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CitizenOfDreams
The way I see it, you will need to somehow analyze the part design and translate it into a series of machine movements, something like:
FEED 3 inches
CLAMP
BEND 135 degrees
UNCLAMP
FEED 10 inches
ROTATE 180 degrees
CLAMP
BEND 45 degrees
UNCLAMP
It does not really matter what language you choose for your controller. It would be trivial to translate, say, "ROTATE 180" to "G1 A180".
Yes of course, it's gonna be translated like that, the question was more, according to you guys, what would be the most convenient source to extract this information, STEP/INGES file ? or I don't know what format?
I'm not a professional so I'm wondering how professional work from the design to the bend, so basically what file format they use as output of solidworks or catia and then what format go in the CNC?
is it usual that machine directly take format such STEP/INGES or something else? is the manufacturer then provide some kind of converter?
It's just my hobby, I'm not mechanical engineer but I'm software engineer, I also studied mechanical engineering so that's why I have some base I can design stuff on Solidworks but I never practicing professionally as a job, so this is why I have some many questions :)
Re: CNC Standard File format for tube bending
I think you'll find most machines are controlled by gcode
I think Linuxcnc would be a good choice as you can write custom components for it.
You just need to have some maths that converted the distance the ram needs move to achieve a given angle and it becomes just another X,Y axis machine and add a rotary axis to rotate the tube.
SO I would write a custom component in linuxcnc that accepted as input the parameters defining bend angle. and output a distance to move.
