I suppose the very best thing would be to go work things out with the operator at that shop and see what's feasible. What you see is what you get (from the machine). No need to worry about layers and whatnot, as you do with DXF. With this method there is a lot less fussing around. That way you can simply send the entire job file to a shop with a Thermwood router. They should be willing to help you along.Īlternately, you could obtain eCabinet Systems software and design your projects with it. Simple in theory, but as contributor J said, if you have a shop in mind to machine the parts for you, I'd get in touch with them. Thermwood machines can nest and generate code for DXF files directly at the machine control. You may want to collaborate with a machine operator while learning to prepare CAD drawings for machining, as tool pathing strategies can be a bit tricky.ĪutoCAD outputs DXF files. Gcode or machine code is then read by the machine (in your case Thermwood) controller and translated into actual movement of the machine axis to produce parts desired. For most of the world this is "g code." Some machines have a proprietary code, such as Thermwood, and this will be produced by your Thermwood operator, but I believe Thermwood will read gcode as well. Tool paths are produced in the CAM process and converted to machine code. Mastercam, Aspire, Enroute - most of these are CAD/CAM programs but will also import data from a CAD only program. They produce vectors that can be read by a CAM (computer aided machining) program of several types. What steps do I need to take to break that drawing down into parts that the Thermwood will understand? What CAM software must they have for me to do this? With smaller parts or curved parts like legs, would I simply glue up a thick enough blank and then the Thermwood operator would know where to place it on the machine's bed?ĪutoCAD and others like it are CAD programs that design and produce files such as. The only software that I have access to is Cobalt or AutoCAD. What exactly are the steps needed to take a drawing from AutoCAD or AshlerVellum's Cobalt to a CNC machine? I have a music stand that I'm designing, and I'm curious about cutting some of the parts, or at least some accurate templates for the parts, on a Thermwood CNC in a nearby shop.
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