Sequential Serial Numbers

I’m looking for an easy way to increment serial numbers on a batch of parts that I’m making. I came across the link below on YouTube for a Haas mill but was wondering how to do this on a Carbide3d machine. Has anyone gone down this road yet?

GRBL doesn’t have anything like that built in. What CAD/CAM tools are you using?

How many do you need?

Do you want to machine them one at a time or in batches?

If one at a time, I’d suggest making a template .c2d file, dividing it up into sections before the number and after the number then create a list of the desired numbers and stitch together multiple copies of the file, one for each needed number using a script.

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Thanks for the replies guys. I’m using Fusion 360 and need to make about 100 parts. I have a jig set up to cut them in batches so the scripting method could work if there aren’t variables built in GRBL. I was hoping to use the same g-code for all of them but can use a work around it that’s not possible.

No, Grbl doesn’t do variables — if you make files you might be able to use Gsharp though: https://github.com/NRSoft/GSharp

I had to do this for a set of 15 or so items. I used f-engrave to make a toolpath for the SN:xxxxx . text for each one. Loaded one at a time and just ran a toolpath on each part. Worked ok for a small number. f-engrave doesn’t have a good command line, so I don’t know that it would be tolerable for 100.

Are you modeling the “batch” in Fusion and running one file? Did you pattern the gcode or are you just running one at a time and resetting your zero each time?
Fusion 360 had a pretty powerful API…I wonder if it could be used to manipulate text like that.

I patterned the g-code in Fusion so that I can keep one zero, run a batch of parts, then load the next batch and run the same code again. Right now I have a second program that I run to engrave the serial numbers and the engraving program has to be unique to each batch. I’m trying to find a better way but if G47 isn’t available in Carbide Motion, I’d probably need to look at other controllers but I’m not sure if I have the time.

I don’t think G47 is a “common” g-code word, I see it referenced as “G47: Axis offset double increase” from other sources. HAAS is using it as an engraving function instead?

While CNCjs supports macros, documentation is lacking (non-existing) on what it supports. Doubt it supports the functionality of this script for example (https://github.com/appliedengdesign/serial-number-macro/blob/master/sn-macro-cambam/sn-macro-cambam.nc), if statements and goto. However @WillAdams suggestion of GSharp (https://github.com/NRSoft/GSharp) might support interpreting the G-code script (slight tweaking may be required).

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The controller won’t matter if it’s grbl based…grbl doesn’t support the the generation of g-code on the fly like the video you linked.

I think this is how I’d do it.

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