Carbide Create Limitations?

CAD11 · August 8, 2018, 2:48pm

I am new to the CNC world and I am experimenting, but I have run into a snag with Carbide Create. I am trying to create tool paths for the image I created in AutoCad. It is below:!

Although this is just an image I have saved it as .dxf (without the colour) and tried to create tool paths that ultimately create three different depths. The white being the deepest cut, the orange next and the black being the top of the material. My problem is that when I import it into Carbide create it just seems to select what it wants to and also some of the lines are purple (Which I believe means there are incomplete or dangling lines) But I have gone through very diligently and cannot find anything. I am wondering if this is not something Carbide Create can do…

Radiation · August 8, 2018, 2:52pm

Should be doable? I’m not super well versed with Carbide Create yet, but having run into a snag with a few objects imported from .svg you may want to draw lines/objects yourself with the curved line tool in carbide create.

WillAdams · August 8, 2018, 2:59pm

That should be workable.

Things which you may need to do:

join lines together to create closed paths — Carbide Create has better facility with closed paths than open — see http://docs.carbide3d.com/assembly/carbidecreate/video-tutorials/#manipulating-objects and https://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/Carbide_Create_Basics#Joining_Paths
punch out elements on the top out of elements on the bottom — see http://docs.carbide3d.com/assembly/carbidecreate/video-tutorials/#boolean-operations and https://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/Carbide_Create_Basics#Boolean_Operations

If you’d post the Carbide Create file here, or send it in to support@carbide3d.com we can work this up as a step-by-step tutorial.

CAD11 · August 8, 2018, 4:10pm

CAD11.c2d (1.1 MB)
Attached is the file. Thanks for the interest. I only have limited time to learn this.

MaxamillionX72 · August 8, 2018, 10:36pm

Great looking logo, I like how the C and D are one long curve. One issue you’re going to run in to with this image is going to be the sharp inside corners of your pockets, once you do get it into CC. The endmill, being round, can only give you round corners. This is the logo done at about 8.25" across, with a 1/8" endmill.
From the Z

From the side

The bigger you are going to cut it, the less it will be affected by the rounding of the corners. This is the same logo done at about 28x28

Here are the parts I used to make this, hopefully that will speed you on your way:
logo white.dxf (6.0 KB)
logo orange.dxf (6.0 KB)
logo black.dxf (196.7 KB)

WillAdams · August 8, 2018, 10:54pm

The problem is the file has been imported with open paths:

In order to fix this you will have to:

select all the paths which define an area and close them
if need be, duplicate and punch some paths out

In addition you’ll need to:

resize the Stock Size to match the desired output size
rescale things to match that size

WillAdams · August 8, 2018, 11:14pm

Begin by selecting contiguous paths:

then click on the “Join” icon to combine them into a single path, then go into edit mode and drag nodes on top of each other so that they will then allow joining and closing of the path:

Repeat this for other elements — using Boolean union as needed to combine things. When one arrives at a point where one has elements which need to be combined: