cnc mach 3 software help needed

[techmanager123]

Hi I have taken the plunge and bought a cnc 3020 mini cnc with mach3 software but I am having difficulty importing my own images and converting to the g-code if there is anyone reading this can help me sort things out I would be very greatfull or if anyone can come to my house then I will be willing to pay expences as I need this working A.S.A.P

[Buddym]

What problems are you having with the import?

[techmanager123]

hi thanks for your reply first let me explain what i want it to do as i make fishing floats from balsa wood and all i need the machine to do is follow some simple drawings which i do ie zig zag in a stright line but the machine only needs to move in 2 directions up or down side to side now comes the big problem i take a photo with my camera of the diagram of the drawing i need the machine to create but i cannot import it across and convert it to g code in mach 3 cnc software if you can be of further help to me would it be better if i was to exchange email adresses so i could send photos of the machine i am using and the products i am wanting to make

ps my email address is jd1462@hotmail.co.uk

[Masterploxis]

Hello Techmanager,

Mach 3 is the software which controlles thes stepper motors of your cnc machine according to

the commands provided in the gcode. It is not the software which converts images etc to gcode.

The software you are looking for is "cut3d" from vectric software or similar programs.

Cheers
Andy

[riche543]

You can use lazycam which is free for D/Load from artsoft (mach3) site , this will convert a dxf drawing into gcode so mach3 can control your cnc.
There are a number of drawing / cad programs out there that allow you too save in dxf form, One great piece of software is aspire or vcarve pro from vetric this program has everything built in so you only need aspire or vcarve & mach3, (expensive though) also google sketchup will export too dxf but thats more for design drawing. some programs allow you trace from a bitmap or jpg.
Good luck
Riche.

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Just my 2 Cents worth , i have Vectric Cut 2d which i bought as and entry level package . I've used this for all my cnc work so far and have to say bang for bucks its great value ( no i'm not their sales rep LOL :-) i found the package very intuative and the easy to use, as most if not all my designs are geared around 2d work -- will get Vectric 3d further down the line but this package does the job for now , my only gripe and it is my personal gripe ( you cant expect all sing all dancing for that money ) is you cant directly create programs with auto tool changes i.e if you change cutter or drills , in saying that though there is a manual edit option , but i found it just as easy to create several tool paths and run them sequentially to make my parts, DXF PDF to 2d Profile quite easy as said above .. Cheers

[john van berkel]

hello all,

I have bought myself a CNC router and I am ready to start with cutting my panels.
I have some questions

What type of software to use? = I have Mach3
What type of drawing software to use? = I have coreldraw
What type of gcode converter I need to use ? i= I have DXF2GCODE b02


regards john

[Masterploxis]

See my workflow:

Workflow for Making Panels on CNC machines - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gOa6oK-K-Es)

or see link from my update thread...


http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/my-cockpit-update/19967-start-b737-ng-project-2.html

[vikingsraven]

I'm using inkscape for 2d work, there's s plugin you can get to convert the vector files to gcode, can't remember the name of hand .its something like gcodetool.
Anyway this can be use for text, any font you have on your pc, pockets and lines
It even generates multipass as you set your cutting depth.

[john van berkel]

hello all,

I have found the perfect solution for my cnc router it is indeed Vcarve pro thats the software to use it has everything you need for your mach3 software to work with

regards john

[prefect1]

Hi all,
first time on here and cannot find how to ask a question,
so will try this, on the 3020 mini CNC they say you have to have a tower computer with a parallel port ?
Can I just buy a Parallel port to USB cable and use my laptop ?
many thanks

[Westozy]

I use VCarvePro for practically everything, I don't even bother with CAD anymore! It is a great package!