I’m currently trying to make a sign in which I plan to add some wired led rope. I found video in which a fellow maker made one but used an hand router to carve out the name.
I figure our CNC machines would be able to achieve that. Well, I was wrong.
I laid out the words that i want. I then went through the process of welding the letter by creating an offset at 0.01 and then deleting the original text.
I then select the text and move to issuing a tool path. I picked contour using my#102 Endmill 1/8 (The maker used a straight 1/8 bit)
Here is where I’m having issues. Once I click to preview the simulation it looks a hot mess. Most of the wording doesn’t appear.
(picture provided) .
Any idea what I need to do to enable the CNC to cut out exactly what I typed?
The effect would be a little different but the V-carve toolpath is an ideal way to handle designs like that that have a range of thicker and thinner elements.
One suggestion is to use a 1/16 or a 1/32 bit to do your tool paths but use a .25 EM in the machine when you actually do the cut.
The problem you are having is the vector is too thin for a 1/8 bit to pocket out the areas.
Another thing you could try it to do a Vcarve then go back over the vector with a contour cut on the line. That will pocket out the vector then you go back over it with the EM to clean up the edges.
