[bmx4637]

I'm just immersing myself into the cnc world but I wanted to know how much software I need to do my own cnc machining. For what I've read so far I need a CAD to design the part, then the CAM to transfer the design to G-code, Then the CNC software to transfer the G-code to physical movements to the motors on the machine. Is this right? (Rhino 3d cad has a bangin student discount I want to take advantage of, I also heard mach3 was easy for CNC, But what about CAM?)

btw if theres somewhere else to post this then lead me there cuz the home page looks like a mess.

Thanks,
Alex

[mcphill]

There are many CAM options, but if you are using Rhino for CAD, you proabably should stick with the plugin RhinoCAM since it operates within Rhino. Easy to use the same interface that way.

http://www.rhinocam.com/Products/Products.shtml

That said, most CAM software will accept files from many different CAD programs. I use BobCAD for my CAM software, using SolidWorks for CAD.

There are literally thousands of threads on here about "what CAM should I use". A bit of searching will get you any opinion you want...

[Melkiades]

Software set depends of tasks also.
If you plan cut simple artwork decor you can use artcam only, it's "all-in-one" soft having CAD and CAM modules in. Price of it can shock you
For metalwork machining the best value set is Rhino student edition with Freemill
For cutting or engraving purposes you can use cam oriented soft with cad. Familiar for me MasterCAM X3 and Vectric products like VCarve pro, Aspire etc. Cheapest is Type3 IMHO

[bmx4637]

ok I think I'm gona go with the RhinoCAD w/ Rhino CAM plugin. what kind of cnc software is out there besides mach3 that is good and affordable? and is it difficult to transfer the files to g-code on the cnc?

And I plan on working with aluminum primarily, some wood, and some steel.

Thanks

(edit) oh, and I know this goes into another thread but I'm just going to throw it on here. I would like to have 4-axis capability. I believe I am going to make the machine to lower the cost a lot. Any Idea where quality parts are sold at?

[awerby]

ok I think I'm gona go with the RhinoCAD w/ Rhino CAM plugin. what kind of cnc software is out there besides mach3 that is good and affordable? and is is difficult to transfer the files to g-code on the cnc?

[If you want to stick with the Windows platform, the only other CNC control program I can think of is Flashcut, which is considerably more expensive, and requires dedicated proprietary hardware. If you want to go Linux, then there's EMC, which is free but somewhat difficult to set up, especially if you're unfamiliar with the OS. If you can handle DOS, then there's TurboCNC and CNCPro (although I haven't heard much about that one lately.)

It's not hard to load a G-code program - it's basically just a text file. Of course, if you want to load them from a network or USB stick, then using DOS might make that difficult...]

And I plan on working with aluminum primarily, some wood, and some steel.

[That shouldn't be a problem for the software, if your machine's up for it.]

Thanks

(edit) oh, and I know this goes into another thread but I'm just going to throw it on here. I would like to have 4-axis capability. I believe I am going to make the machine to lower the cost a lot. Any Idea where quality parts are sold at?

[That's a big question - what parts specifically? Most people building their own machines want to cut wood, foams, plastics, maybe aluminum. Steel-cutting machines need to be considerably more heavy-duty than what most people can build at home, so retrofitting a large industrial mill becomes a more attractive option. I've got a pretty good collection of links on my site for suppliers of miscellaneous machine parts - you're welcome to browse them. And when you get ready to purchase that software, I can offer a pretty good discount...]

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

[chmillman]

Note that RhinoCAM does not have individual student versions available, their only EDU version is a lab version for schools.

On the other hand, MadCAM (also a Rhino plug-in) does have an individual EDU version for $195. --ch

[bmx4637]

Thanks awerby, great info and i'll def check your site out.

retrofitting an older cnc mill seems like the path I will take :boxing: I guess it's pretty much adding some motors on the handles, and a motor controller? Since that will give me good precision (0.001" tolerance I hope). However will I be able to tell the machine where the middle of the part is that way for alignment?

I heard linux is good to use, I will need a separate computer for the CAD/CAM and one for the CNC?

oh and I have a friend I work with just told me he can hook me up with Autocad 2010, what good CAM software I can use with that to pair it up?

Alex

[awerby]

[QUOTE=bmx4637;912882]Thanks awerby, great info and i'll def check your site out.

retrofitting an older cnc mill seems like the path I will take :boxing: I guess it's pretty much adding some motors on the handles, and a motor controller? Since that will give me good precision (0.001" tolerance I hope). However will I be able to tell the machine where the middle of the part is that way for alignment?

[Most industrial-type mills will be able to hold +/- .001", but they often have worn spots, especially if they've been used to repeatedly make a single part. So finding someone knowledgeable to go with you when you check out a retrofit candidate would be a good idea. You can always designate a "floating zero" point for a milling program; actually finding the exact middle of your part takes some cyphering, though...]

I heard linux is good to use, I will need a separate computer for the CAD/CAM and one for the CNC?

[Right, unless you find Linux-compatible CAD/CAM software.]

oh and I have a friend I work with just told me he can hook me up with Autocad 2010, what good CAM software I can use with that to pair it up?

[VisualMill will work with that, or any program that can export STL, DXF, or IGS.]

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

[bmx4637]

sorry for the newbie question but.. what is the floating zero point?

Andrew thanks for helping me out so far man you've been awesome :cheers:

Alex

[awerby]

is what's used for a particular part, not the "machine zero", which is a fixed reference point determined by the machine's automatic homing routine. When that's invoked he machine will start out by finding the limit of X, then Y, then (the upper limit of) Z, although some machines have separate sets of home and limit switches. Not every machine has the switches to determine an accurate machine zero, but if it does, it allows you to re-calculate the position of your floating zero based on that if it gets lost for some reason.

When you fasten your workpiece part down to the mill, you can establish the floating zero by using an edge finder to determine (usually) the leftmost side of the part and the front edge. Those (often) are used as the starting coordinates for X and Y respectively. The Z zero is then determined by (carefully) touching off to the top surface of the workpiece. Of course, that's just one way to do it - some parts are better done by finding the center and putting the floating X and Y zero points there, and Z zero can be on the bottom, or in the center. You want to make it match the way the part is laid out in the CAD program, since the CAM program will (typically) follow that.

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

[wizzardworks]

Yes there are three softwares required. I am extremely satisfied with my Rhino4 which does a great job of lofting 3d complex solids. I had been useing autocad 14 which is easy to use but doesn.t have a loft command only exruded solids. I tried out autocad 2010 and couldn't get even a simple loftbetween two different curves. Solid works is slow to learn and very expensive to buy and requires an annual fee but is great at parametric modeling. Parametric allows a solid or part to be moved by dragging and have all the interconnected parts reconfigure into athe new shape. Solidworks also allows mechanical mechanisms to operate. If you don't need these two features I could not justify the expense. Rhino4 cost me $775 from novedge.com in california. They are a McNeel authorized distributor. You will be looking for a 3D CAD system which can export as an STL file extension.I have used some that were $29 new on E-bay which made solids but didn't loft shapes and had trouble with the boolian operations. More experiance with it might have improved the results.
The second step is to import your .STL model into software that creates G-code files. I use meshcam3 which I recall was $175 at the time I have build 17 although meshcam4 is available now. The meshcam slices the model into the width of the tool stepover and calculates movement for the tool to follow the edge of the slice taking into account the shape of the tool tip. A second pass can be done 90 degrees to the first or waterline machining wher the model is sliced into horizontal sections for the toolpath. The final pass is a pencil point cleanup with a smaller tool that reaches places the roughing tools were too big to get into. The tool perameters are stored in the program as well as speeds of the cuts and RPM. This program also does 2 sided machining. Meshcam4 has a lot of new capabilities and I will eventually upgrade after a few more builds are released. This program also SAVES IN ABOUT 30 FORMATS to use on a lot of different CAM programs. I export in Mach3-inch which is the CAM program I have. Mach3 has a good user interface although optional ones are available but I am not sure why someone thinks that is desireable. This program installs very easily and outputs through a printer port. Mine is in a moderate speed desktop with 1 GB of ram with windows XP as the operating system. As with all CAM programming the machine movement must be calibrated bu measuring a commanded jog and entering a correction factor for each axis. You don't need intimate knowledge of this software to cut parts but there are a lot of options available if you care to study up on them. Alternatively post a question or look through previously posted comments on CNCzone if you need to do something odd or have accidentally reconfigured something.
If you use linux or have a dual boot(second HD) with linux you can download EMC-2 free from their site. It is extremely well featured has all the extra axis and a real nice interface. There is a lot of documation on installing, configuring, and useing the program.
You might have a look at youtube videos of CAD and CAM programs and also CNC routers and milling machines cutting parts. The dialog usually sites the software they are useing