[nekidfrog]

So cutting out a picture using MicrocarveV4 and setting it to 175IPM to cut out foam. Now mind you I've been able to run my machine up to 300IPM without any issues with studdering or anything else.

Microcarve generates a 1.5M line gcode. When running I have to manually adjust the feedrate down to 35% of the original value or else I get insane studdering on the machine. I'm not sure if this is an issue with microcarve or an issue with my cnc or with mach or with the pc?

PC is a dell Optiplex 745 with core 2 duo and 1gig of ram. Is it possible that Microcarve is generating a huge g-code that due to low memory the pc can't keep up with it? Should I upgrade the ram? or is it possible microcarve is just causing issues? Cut2D works fine and has been shown to reliably run over 300IPM cutting air. But these files it's using are usually like 5k-30k lines of gcode... not 1.5 million.

Also wish microcarve would not raster cut the part and use conventional methods as cutting foam causes little string like things to be left when the cutter is coming back the other way. But leaves a nice clean cut when it's going the correct direction.

[ger21]

Try turning off the toolpath in Mach3 before running the g-code.

[CarveOne]

That kinda sounds like the vectors have millions of nodes instead of a few that will give the same results using arcs and bezier curves. You don't have exact stop enabled in Mach3 do you?

[dertsap]

the code is short point to point movements , accel decel between points will play a large roll in the choppy motion .
make sure you have a decent sized read ahead also check this out for optimizing http://www.machsupport.com/wp-conten...ettings_v2.pdf
chances are slim to none of having smooth motion with that type of choppy code , especially on any machine that doesn't have high speed machining , but mach can be tweaked to be a bit smoother and to gain a bit more of the desired feed rate

[nekidfrog]

Honestly not sure how Microcarve does their code, but it does generate a ton of lines which is odd. I will check today about turning off the tool path viewer as I think that might cause the pc to have tons of resources being used during cutting.

CarveOne, I do not have exact stop enabled. I have the default setting from the g540 config and how mach installs normally. My machine cuts squares as it is suppose to with those settings.

dertsap what do you mean on a machine that doesn't have high speed machining?

with just testing on the axis's I'm able to hit 600IPM but usually stick to much lower due to screw whip at that speed.

[dertsap]

I was able to push mine in the upwards of 1500 ipm , but it doesn't necessarily mean it is high speed machining . high speed options are usually hardware related options and can run around $10,000 on professional machines . If i was to go to work and put the same code in a machine with hs and one without , then it would be a night and day difference between how the mills react . The one without hsm would be bouncing off the ground and would max out at 75 ipm (on average) .
Using the pdf that I posted will help some but your stuck with what your mill is set up to and the rate that mach can spit out pulses , linux won't be any better
Up until recently , I used , sold , and supported Microcarve software and this issue has come up a few times . It is what it is , the short line segments are affected by numerous things . accel decel settings on your machine play a large part in this
Best thing you can do is get the accel/decel at the safe max that you can push it , and follow the pdf that I posted .
Bottom line is that unless your using high end machinery , you will never have mach running that type of code consistently at 600 ipm .
Photo images have a lot of detail and that detail adds up to a lot of code . The only image to gcode software that I'm aware that shortens up the code by adding arc moves is vectric . Even then , chances are slim to none of getting near 600ipm

[nekidfrog]

That's what I figured. I have looked at your pdf and will use it tonight to test some settings. I don't really want 600ipm on my machine! I currently limit it to only 300 due to super long acme screws. I would however like to try cutting foam at 175IPM+ since there is almost no resistance for my cnc.

I do wish Microcarve would not raster the cut tho but do conventional circular cuts so that it only cuts in one direction on the cutting face. Currently it does this in foam.

https://imgur.com/a/KDyN9

you can see that when the end mill is cutting in one direction of the cut face I have zero strings of foam, but when it reverses direction the bit does not cut cleanly anymore. Any ideas on how to reduce this or is it even possible with microcarve?

[dertsap]

your pretty much stuck with zigzag tool paths . Since your cutting something that is waterproof , I'd suggest filling a spray bottle with a good concentrate of soapy water , and give it a spray every so often .
One problem with low cost software , is the fact that continually adding options adds up to an expensive software . I'm not sure if vectrics photo v carve offers the option of no zigzag (maybe it does ?)
Microcarve is certainly my favorite software for image to g code , which is why I was quite comfortable and confident in dealing with it as I did .
Judging by what your doing I'd lean more to vectorizing the image in inkscape then pocketing it out with a 2d cad/cam product . That would save you a huge amount of time .

[nekidfrog]

Hmm soapy water huh? I might try that next! I wish I had the 480 it cost to upgrade my cut2d to vcarve pro

[ger21]

You'd be far better off following Dertsap's advice. Use Inkscape to vectorize the image, and use Cut2D to cut the vectors. The file will be a fraction of the size, and your cutting time will also be reduced by a huge amount.
Microcarve is not the right tool for that type of job.

[dertsap]

If you already have cut 2d then as I said before , vectorize it and the pocket the image , the time you'll save would be immense , and you'll have much more control of your tool paths
Microcarve is much better used on high detail images

[nekidfrog]

Will give that a try!

[nekidfrog]

K took my try at using inkscape and vectoring some images and importing them to cut2D... I must say holy f'ing cow that is so much better than using microcarve! Thank you guys very much for showing me that!!

[nekidfrog]

So tried the vectoring of images for Cut2D and must say, I'm extremely impressed at using it for cutting than other stuff. Cuts so much faster!!. Tho I found that with this foam I cannot use conventional cutting, I have to use climb cutting to reduce stringies. I also tried the soap/water method and that just made things worse with this foam... it's the Home depot 24x24 in pink insulation foam. Probably not the best type of foam to cut

Anyone have any suggestions on good types of foam to use? The foam will be covered in plastidip and used for LARP type games. A few of my friends play and wanted cool cnc'd foam on their armors and shields and whatnot.

[nekidfrog]

I also made a very terrible mistake.. I removed the 2 screws for the bosch evs1617 router at the bottom to check and make a exhaust deflection shield and vacuum attachment. Well I forgot about putting those 2 screws back in! What I did not realize is those are responsible for holding the bearing in it's place. Because of this I was cutting some plywood and well... bearing dropped and the plastic exhaust fan broke. I've tried JB welding the fan and that holds up under low RPM's but when I crank it up to high... say 10-15 mins later and the fan breaks again.

Sadly bosch does NOT sell the plastic fan part by it's self. They only sell the entire armature with fan included.. Does anyone know of a epoxy I can use that should be able to withstand that type of rpms or another way to not need this fan? or maybe mount a fan at the top? Dunno but the armature cost 107+shipping which sadly I do not have.

[dertsap]

you could try mounting a pc fan on the top , but chances are that it may not prove enough air for cooling
5 minute epoxy would probably fix the fan , but don't go heavy with it because the extra weight will probably throw the fan off balance

[nekidfrog]

I've tried the JB weld quick set and that has failed 3 times now. Is there a brand of epoxy you recommend other than JB weld?

[abcmojave]

Try jb "weld" not the quick type. it is much stronger.

[nekidfrog]

I do have some of that laying around... will try tonight.

[Devastator]

Does anyone know of a epoxy I can use that should be able to withstand that type of rpms or another way to not need this fan? or maybe mount a fan at the top? Dunno but the armature cost 107+shipping which sadly I do not have.

Is it made of ABS? If so, I'd use ABS glue that you use for ABS plumbing. That will weld it back together if you do it right. Just make sure it is all of the way cured before firing it up.