I have a ShapeOKO 1(f) that’s ‘slightly’ upgraded(1000x1000 rails, twin Y-axis servos and you know… the works. ) and I need to cut some 2.5D parts.
Normally, I’d just hack together some G-code manually and run it through Universal G-code Sender, but the parts I want to make now contains circles and part circles that may not all end on nice points(directly right/left or front/back of the circle center), and the old PathCAM sw I used usually made a horrid mess of circles… and anyting else… and has never been updated, so I don’t even want to try messing with that any more.
In short, I’m looking for some SW that can take .STLs and produce G-code to cut my parts with somewhat less of a fuss that it is right now.
If anyone wonders…
That’s good old 2014f that’s still kicking wood and spitting sawdust.
For importing an STL the commercial Carbide 3D options are:
MeshCAM:
or Alibre Atom3D Workshop if you also need CAM:
and Carbide Create Pro:
For the specifics on the latter, see:
A free program to replace PathCAM is Carbide Create v6:
There are various free and opensource options, and other commercial ones. What sort of STLs are you working with and how do you intend to approach them?
You will need to export that design at multiple heights, then superimpose them, then assign toolpaths.
Please see:
for one way to do this.
Alternately, you might want to try a tool I’ve been working on which allows directly modeling G-code cuts using OpenSCAD, then generating G-code to cut the files using RapCAD:
If you’ll post the .scad file as a zip archive and let me know your preference I’ll work up a file whichever way you prefer.
Many of my parts have pockets that does not go through the part or different surface heights. That’s a 2.5D design.
You need positional Z-axis control for 2.5D.
Seems most of the programs listed in the Wiki hasn’t been updated in ages and are pretty much useless by now.
OpenSCAD will model anything one can describe mathematically — it can export a model as an STL which can then be cut using any suitable 3D CAM tool such as Carbide Create Pro or MeshCAM.
OpenSCAD can do a lot. I know that…
I’m trying to find a suitable CAM tool to convert that into physical parts, without destroying my hobby budget for a long while.
Blockscad3d may look nice, but can only seem to handle level cuts. And parting up a design into slices may not always be practical.
Trygve, what we’re all trying to tell you, without much success, is that you do not have a 3D part to cut so you don’t need 3D software. Carbide Create is free and will do the job.
Are you saying that you want to convert your non-3D part into a 3D model?
In that case, you could use the gcodepreview library I’m working on — post your .scad file and I’ll take a look at translating that. Also let me know what material, tool(s) and feeds and speeds you want.
This part can’t be handled as a stack of 2D parts in any CAM tool. It’s a 2.5D part.
2.5D is usually defined as a 3D part without undercuts, that can be machined in a 3axis machine just by moving the spindle left/right, forwards/back, and UP/DOWN to do the required cuts.
Try making that one as a DXF!
No, I’m not going to upload actual part models. Because if i can get it to work correctly, I may actually be able to sell a couple of the completed devices.
