Get the CNC Program above (ISEL or BOXFORD versions)
The tools then traces around the contour staying on the LEFT of the job.
Later, when the G41 code is run (left compensation), the diameter of Tool 1 is called ( D1). In this example, M6 sets the tool and calls it T1 (Tool 1). Assume the tool begins at theįirst point (lower left hand corner) at a height of 10mm above the job. The font as Courier New or some other font that has equal spacing forĮach character (non-proportional font). The above program in incremental coordinates (G91). This up in SE draft, and make sure all you measurements are based on Point is the bottom left hand corner of the 191 x 146 mm BLANK. You need to know all youĭimensions as absolute coordinates. Offset the perimeter by ½ the tool diameter (The tool is 3mm diam, soĭimension the drawing so that the bottom left You begin to write the code, take the sketch of the platform and then That we have not made allowance for the diameter of the tool, so theĪctual part will be SMALLER than the toolpath (by ½ the tool diameter). This program is written in absolute coordinates. I & J are the coordinates of theĬentre of the circle. F150 means a feedrate (movement) of 150mm per minute. Notice that coordinates that remain unchanged do not need to be Coordinates are written with an X, Y or Z before them. Let’s write a program The centreline of the tool will follow the Which means: "Using a controlled speed, go in a straight line (from where you are right now) to the point (X50, Y100)".
G01 Move the in a straight line (at controlled speed for machining).Īdvanced codes (Not used in CNC Composer):
G00 Move the axis at full speed (keep clear of the job!). To start our first program, we need to know
While programs can be generated directly from 3D models and 2Dĭrawings, a knowledge of G&M code is helpful needed for analysing For more information see the webpage Robot CAD.īasic language for controlling a CNC machine is called G&M code. The design incorporates the motor mounts, location of theįront wheel and clearance for the drive wheels. I will post the videos of this at a later time.Platform is to be cut from plastic (Polycarbonate 4.5mm thick) using aĬNC mill. The first thing I am trying is to export models created in Viacad into Truespace for assembly into a rotating VAWT. I hope to produce a simulation of my next generation wind turbines in Truespace, which also has some physically based modeling capabilities.
My son is an expert with Truespace so I am now learning the software from him, and from the video tutorials.
Several days after that, I came across the news that Caligari Truespace was now free so I downloaded that onto my Vista-64 Quad Processor workstation and began playing with that. I abandoned Google Sketchup and instead purchased and downloaded Viacad 2D/3D for $99 from Punch Software and was able to recreate my turbine wings in one day. I need STL files to produce 3D objects on my CNC machine using the DeskCNC software (only option is DXF for 2D and STL for 3D). I also found that outputing to STL (stereo lithography file format) from Sketch-up was a dicey process. I abandoned Google Sketchup after wasting days trying to get around these bugs. I had no problem modeling the wind turbine blades, but found that trying to machine holes in the blades to allow machine screws to connect the layers together was an inaccurate and inconsistent process. I found that Google Sketchup has some excellent intuitive drawing techniques, but fell short as a CAD tool. I recently attempted to design a vertical axis wind turbine blade using Google Sketch-up. For some reason, this has not received a lot of press. On top of that, all of the training videos are now free. Well, in a bid to compete against Google's Google Sketch-up (also a free tool from Google), Microsoft purchased Caligari and has made Truespace a free product. We were highly productive with this software. I paid over one thousand dollars for the software and some training videos. After much comparison shopping we decided on Truespace from Caligari. Two years ago my son and I were looking for a 3d modeling and animation software package.