Keyboard Shortcuts
ctrl + shift + ? :
Show all keyboard shortcuts
ctrl + g :
Navigate to a group
ctrl + shift + f :
Find
ctrl + / :
Quick actions
esc to dismiss
Likes
Search
water jet cam
|
Hi all,
I've being reading about a water jet cutter, it looks like it can handle about any material, but it's slower than lasers. We got a lot of lasers running near by, but no water jets. So, I was thinking about build one. I can handle almost every thing, only limitation would be the CAM software. I looks like it needs some kind of look ahead to comp.for lag when cutting around corners, so the cam needs to know when to slow it down when aproxing a corner so the botton of the jet can catch up with the top. Another option would be to use a tilting head(5 axis) to tilt the head before the cutting gets to the corner. Anyway does anyone knows of a affordable cam software that has any of this features? thank's Fogassa |
|
Peter Renolds
I don't think you need any of that 5 axis (or 4 axis) complication - plasma cutters have all the same issues about a curved cutting profile through thicker material. Remember the KISS motto... You have to limit your feed rate to give the waterjet time to cut through. As you will only cutting 2D profiles, you need something that can convert a DXF profile into G-Code. Rasterfratz works for me for 2D cutting and engraving letters converted from true-type fonts. You will need a CAM package that supports lead-in so you can cut a clean edge after you've penetrated the material.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Cheers, Peter afogassa wrote: Hi all, |
|
--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@..., Peter Renolds <prenolds@...>
wrote: complication - plasma cutters have all the same issues about a curved cuttingprofile through thicker material. Remember the KISS motto... You have tolimit your feed rate to give the waterjet time to cut through. As youwill only cutting 2D profiles, you need something that can convert aDXF profile into G-Code. Rasterfratz works for me for 2D cutting andCAM package that supports lead-in so you can cut a clean edge afteryou've penetrated the material.Hi Peter, I do have deskcnc and it's good enough for this, but water jets needs a good cam that can look way ahead and predicts what is going to happen and than starts to adjust the feed rate before it gets to a corner or radius to compensate for Jet lag doing that manualy would be a pain if not impossible. Got a quote from PEPs and it runs at 10K US$ (ouch !!) I've being thinking about getting a working G code, than work this out on excel to adjust the feed rate. fogassa |
|
afogassa wrote:
Hi Peter,Why would the CAM be doing the lookahead? Why can't the CNC control handle this? Normal lookahead, only worrying about machine acceleration is done in the CNC control, as the acceleration is constant (a property of the machine) and doesn't scale with feedrate override. I think EMC could be adjusted to handle this. It would need a different acceleration parameter for cutting vs. non-cutting moves, and that cutting value would need to be changed for the material and part thickness. Jon |
|
Les Newell
SheetCam <www.sheetcam.com> can do this at a much lower price. I can write a post processor for you that will slow down to a preset percentage of the normal feed rate on arcs. The post could even be configured to slow down more for tighter arcs.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Les afogassa wrote:Hi Peter, |
|
I See from the web site that the registration tab can include MACH2. So why
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
would someone need sheetcam if they have MACH2/3? John Dammeyer Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: water jet cam |
|
Les Newell
Hi John,
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
SheetCam is a CAM package so it takes your drawing, works out the toolpaths, cut order etc then generates G-code for Mach to cut. For instance say you draw a 1" square. You could load that drawing into Mach and cut it but Mach would follow the lines exactly so the part would come out undersized by the cutter diameter. SheetCam knows about this so it would increase the size of the square to allow for the cutter diameter. Your part would now come out exactly to size. Les John Dammeyer wrote: I See from the web site that the registration tab can include MACH2. So why |
|
Hi Les,
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Thanks for the info. I have a little project that requires MACH2/3 to engrave a serial # onto a PCB board. The system will work as follows: MACH moves table to the first circuit board on a panel and asserts an output and then waits for one of a couple of inputs. The output triggers the programmer to program the PIC micro-controller. If programming was successful, the OK line is asserted and MACH moves the Z axis down and up to have a rod push the button on the board for testing. It then again waits for the OK line or NOTOK line. When OK happens it calls a subroutine file that has been created by the programmer code. This is a concatenation of G-Code files each containing one letter or number. (0..9, A..F). The programmer just creates the serial # file which is read in by MACH which knows where on the board to engrave the serial #s. Now for everything except the engraving I could have written a simple program to just do the positioning and programming. MACH is kind of overkill for this application. But engraving letters by sending G-Codes seemed to be the easy way. So my question is, can SheetCAM create letters from a DXF file where the tool is an engraving bit and the tool path is the centre of the letter. I need speed here. I currently use a hand held vibratory engraver and can whip out 12 sets of two digit serial #s very quickly and the numbers are quite legible. I don't want the G-Code to follow the outline of a letter. Does this make sense? John Dammeyer Wireless CAN with the CANRF module now available. Automation Artisans Inc. Ph. 1 250 544 4950 -----Original Message----- |
|
Les Newell
Hi John,
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Unfortunately SheetCam can't do that. There is a text wizard available for Mach that does pretty much what you want. Alternatively have a look at DesignCad Express from <>. It has built in single-line fonts. You can then use SheetCam or Lazycam to convert the drawings to g-code. Les John Dammeyer wrote: Hi Les, |
|
--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@..., Les Newell <lesnewell@...>
wrote: can write a post processor for you that will slow down to a presetjets goingneeds a good cam that can look way ahead and predicts what is gets toto happen and than starts to adjust the feed rate before it thisa corner or radius to compensate for Jet lag doing that manualy Hi Les,out on excel to adjust the feed rate. For what I've read about softwares for water jets,is that the tool path should change speed progressive from a straith line into a corner or radius.not just change speed when it runs into a corner or radius. If you can do that Than we can work on feed rates percentage to adjust for jet lag. Fogassa |
to navigate to use esc to dismiss