Need help bad, How do I engrave text

Ok, might have to change my username from 2bits to 4bits as I now have a 30 and 45 degree engraving bit. Now apparently I am missing everything and anything about how to do this. Any documentation or tutorial about actual engraving, I can't find except for some cnc files in the CAM Example directory, but that doesn't do me alot of good. Unless! as I said I have no clue. I can create cad drawings, contours and toolpaths and cut parts. But I have yet to figure this engraving thing out.

So can someone lead me by the hand as to how in h do I put text on the drawing and get it into the CAM/Milling section so I can engrave it with one of my 2 engraving bits. This is the one task that confuses the heck out of me. There's a engraving icon in the CAD program and there's an additional 2 different 'Engraving' places in the CAM program. But any of them want me to enter text and ignore what I have in the drawing.

If I have a drawing, say a plaque or nameplate, I should be able to enter the text where I want, what I want and in the milling program select the bit I want to use to engrave it. Or am I dreaming...

Would be very much appreciated if someone could explain the steps to do this. Using PM Pro

Thanks!

Hello 2Bits,

You can select the Precision text option to create your text. Select the 'text' option from the toolbar(is labeled Aa), then slect the precision text or other text option from the toolbar that drops down. If using the precision text after clicking on the location of the text box in the drawing a window will pop up allowing you to input the text. Choose the font, size etc and there are advanced options available also. Select how you want the text to be created, but if you select 'output text as a number of contours' you will be able to type in the text and then click OK. Then click the Machining option from the toolbar along the top, and then Milling Module from the drop down window. It will open the CAM module and place your text on the drawing board. You will probably have to set up the tool to be used and machine specific information the first time around and when adding tools to the library. Then you can select the appropriate machining strategy(Contouring etc) and select the tools, pass depth, cut depth etc. in the dialogue box that pops up. It is all basically reading the dialogue and selecting the needed options. Fill it all in and you can preview the simulation. There are many options available and this is only an attempt to help you get started. I hope this helps you some.
Regards,

Metalworkz, Thanks for the help. I was doing exactly I thought what you said, but the screen would always be blank or I couldn't figure out what operation to use on the milling screen. I think mostly what I was doing was selecting Engrave once I got to the CAM milling screen because that's what I wanted to do. Tonight I used the contour (go around), selected No offset and milled out a nice 2" set of letters. So now I can play with smaller sizes with my smaller bits. It worked great and I'm a happy camper.

Thanks again.

Hello 2Bits,

I'm glad you were able to make some progress with the little bit I posted and your own efforts! The Dolphin Partmaster program is very powerful and has so many options that it is really a great deal. I found the CAD program a bit awkward in the begining but once you figure out how things work with it you will probably really find it is a very powerful program.
You can import a .dxf file with all the text in place and by selecting the text vectors you will be able to use the Milling Module to create the toolpaths and even optimize the cutting sequence etc. The simulation is very accurate also and you will find it will help see if what your program is doing is the way you want it done.

Regards,

I have just started playing around with the text engraving as well. I have some 1/8" 45 degree engraving bits. How do you guys define them so that you can engrave small text?

Hello deadeye_sd,
You can define the tool by its dimensions(diameter, included angle, length of cut, flat bottom dia., etc) in the CAM program. Save your defined tools with a name that you will recognize for future work. The thing that will be critical with engraving toolpaths is the 'depth of the cut' and the 'depth of each pass'. For small letters especially you will want to use very shallow depths, probably .005" deep or 2 passes at .0025". I would recommend you start out with a minimal depth and increase it by small increments until you find what works best. For very light engraving like on a thin brass label etc. I feel you will get better results with a drag tool. You can find diamond drag tools that will work very good on many materials, but for a cheap general purpose drag tool you can grind one from a HSS broken end mill or other tool. Just grind it to a fairly steep point (60º or less) by hand and it will work very well on most metals.
The drag tool does not get rotated, it is merely drug across the material basically scribing the toolpath. Use very shallow depths with the drag tool also.
Regards,