[calvoeiro]

Hello,
Is there a software that I can use to photocopy a picture and then traslate it into a mach 3 file (notepad)?
Thank you

I'm a newbie at this, I just finished building my cnc.

[Independent CNC]

You can take a look at the Wittlock Engineering software that will do what you’re asking.
http://www.wittlockeng.com/Products.html

Don’t let the price scare you it may be the best investment you will ever make. I will share my thoughts and let you do the math. If your hourly rate is worth $50 an hour and the software will cut your programming time in half and lets say you do 10 programs a week that would normally take an hour. (50 x 10 = 500 / 2 = 250 x 52 = $13000 a year) I think I am being conservative when I say it will reduce your time by half. Also keep in mind that there is value in getting your product to the customer faster, your cycle times will be reduced and you will have more time to do other things.

Greg
Home Page: http://www.ctcn.net/~3kings

“Eagles may soar but weasels don’t get sucked up in jet engines”

[--colin--]

What type of "picture" are you trying to cut? If you are referring to a photograph that you want to engrave, Mach software has this capability built in. If you are trying to cut a geometric profile you will need search for a raster to vector converting software.

[calvoeiro]

All I want to do is scan a normal picture and emboss it.
In Mach software, is it a plug in or it comes with Mach 3?

Thanks for your replies guys,
Calvoeiro

[--colin--]

Don't know what you mean by "emboss it".

Mach software has a built-in utility to import a bitmap file and convert shades of gray into Z levels and create the code to cut it as a shallow engraving like this attachment.
Other programs that give you better control of the photo engraving are Meshcam or Photocarve. Meshcam will also allow you to cut surface contours of 3D parts.

[calvoeiro]

I found the Mach 3 utility you were talking about, now I just have to learn how to use it.


Thanks,
Calvoeiro

[diarmaid]

Im not 'entirely' sure what you meant. But if you scan a photo into your computer, this free program can be used to convert it into vectors.
http://www.inkscape.org/

Also as mentioned above PhotoVCarve can be used to carve photos.
http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectr.../pvc_index.htm

[calvoeiro]

The picture you showed above looks awsome, that's exacly what I want to do. What type of cutting pattern did you use? pixelation, spiral? and what size of bit?

Thanks again,
Calvoeiro

[--colin--]

I don't remember exactly how I cut that one. Probably with and X&Y raster with offset 0.010 or so. Use a steeply pointed engraving tool. After cutting, seal the wood with a couple coats of Polyacrylic, paint the surface black and, when dry, sand off the surface and then seal with a couple more coats of PA. The key to a good carved photo is the quality of the original photo. Meshcam has a good toolpath preview from which you can judge the output.

[calvoeiro]

Thanks a lot Colin!

Cheers,
Calvoeiro