[CNC] CNC from sketch to part the way I do it

Hi Steve. Been moving right along with my conversion. Waiting on a breakout board and a UC-100 so I can finish the control wiring. Got Mach 3 and D2nc loaded yesterday. I watched your video on how to import an eMachines drawing into D2nc. It was very helpful in getting me started. However I'm having a problem with the imported eMachines drawing that I can't figure out. I can import it with no problems but it loads multiple views of the part in D2nc as one drawing, e.g. top view, side views, end views, etc. I went back and looked at the .ems drawing but couldn't find anything obviously wrong. Searching on Help in eMachines was a bust as was the D2nc Help page. Tried attaching the ems and dxf files but Xenforo wouldn't upload these file types. I'm going to make another drawing and see how that works out but I'd like to know what I did wrong so I won't make the same mistake again.

My wife just walked through the door with today's mail. Got the BoB and UC-100! Now I'm revved up to get my machine running.

Thanks in advance for your help and insight into CNC.

Tom S
 
Hi Tom
here is how you fix it...
1. open any drawing in Emachineshop
2. click on export
3. on the right side of the box that opens, at the top it says "include" uncheck every available selection.
now it will only export what you see on your screen.
go ahead and export the file just to make sure it saves your settings.
Steve

P.S. Tom
If your computer has a parallel port I would set up the entire machine and get it running before installing the uc100. that way if your having any problems it is one less thing that can be causing it.
 
Last edited:
jumps4 said:
Hi Tom
here is how you fix it...
1. open any drawing in Emachineshop
2. click on export
3. on the right side of the box that opens, at the top it says "include" uncheck every available selection.
now it will only export what you see on your screen.
go ahead and export the file just to make sure it saves your settings.
Steve

P.S. Tom
If your computer has a parallel port I would set up the entire machine and get it running before installing the uc100. that way if your having any problems it is one less thing that can be causing it.
Click to expand...

This cured the problem. Thanks.

I'm using a laptop with Windows 7 so no computer parallel port. I downloaded and installed your ZX45Mill profile that you included in a post a while back. Seems to be working OK.

Today I'll be wiring the breakout board to the controllers and tie in the limit switches.

Thanks again for your help.


Tom S
 
I'm having difficulty with Mach 3 tool path simulation. I watched your video several times on how to use D2nc to select shapes and generate G code. I select the origin point as bottom left but then go through the remaining steps to select shapes and generate G code. This is simple and G code is generated. The issue is the tool doesn't start at bottom left. It starts a significant distance from 0,0. Not sure if it's me not understanding the program or Mach 3 and D2nc aren't communicating properly. Is there a calibration setting I'm missing? I double checked the drawing to make sure there are no stray lines or points. I'll check again but I don't think this is the problem.

Thanks in advance for helping me and others get over these hurdles.

Tom S
 
try zeroing the 3 axis in mach3 before bringing in the g-code
or zero the axis and then hit the regen button by the tool path display.
Steve
 
You CNC machinist/programmers are amazing. I really mean that. I wanted to learn back in the day, about 1980-81, but my class of toolmakers didn't qualify for the class at GE. The next class did. How you take a drawing and convert it into a series of instructions that produce a part or group of parts is beyond me. One shop I worked in bought a CNC machine center for precision production. A older gentleman was hired to program this machine. Terry was a pattern maker, tool maker and CNC programer. I worked in another shop where the operator knew more about adjust the program to account for cutter wear than I did.

I felt intimated by the machine I guess. I like to be in control if you know what I mean. I took computer programing in collage in the 1970's. CAD came out after I graduated. I got to play with it when I visited my school.

Make those chips fly and have a nice weekend
 
Many years ago when I worked as a moldmaker I started to learn NC programming. That's back in the day when a tape full of holes told the machine what to do. Anyway the main, and only program writer got t'd off because the owner was letting me learn and he threatened to quit. Well that ended my chance for that. But because of that I never learned programming but can enter adjustments when needed. I figured why try to learn if someone is always going to stop me. But it did give me the attitude to be willing to teach what I do know. I was never afraid of someone taking my job. If they were becoming better than I am then they deserve it.
 
You and I must be of the same generation. I remember seeing photos of the NC tape drives. I have an old teletype machine with a paper punch and reader unit. Bought it at a HAM feast. We have seen many changes and improvements since those days.

Thanks for sharing.
 
jumps4 said:
try zeroing the 3 axis in mach3 before bringing in the g-code
or zero the axis and then hit the regen button by the tool path display.
Steve
Click to expand...

Did both and still having trouble. My drawing is 5" square by 1/2" thick with a 2" centered thru hole and a 4" diameter by .1" deep counterbore. I open the DXF file in D2nc and select Next". I then select Bottom Left then select Offset. To make it simple I select the 2" thru hole, then In/Right. I type in .5 for the tool diameter then select Offset. I go to Path and select Contour. I click on Local Shape then select None. I then click on the 2" diameter thru hole and click on Move Current Selection to Local Shape. I enter .51 in the Full Depth box and .050 in the Step box. I change the Speed to 3000 and the Feed to 100 then select Add and Close. On the next screen I select Contour then Generate G-Code & Exit. In Mach 3 the axis are all 0.000. If I click on the part in Table Display and rotate it is a cube not a 1/2" thick object. The tool is now on center but tool simulation shows it cutting a 1/2" diameter hole. Not sure what strep I'm missing or doing incorrect, or there is an issue with D2nc and/or Mach 3. This is becoming frustrating.

Tom S
 
I sent you a pm tom with my phone number
it's hard to explain in text here
Steve
 
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