Openbuilds Gcode generator

Hi, no tutorial just yet, there will be some videos soon(ish)

Basic workflow:
1) Use the Open button to get your file in (DXF PolyLine, SVG, Bitmaps (JPG, PNG, BMP), Gerber 274, Excellon Drill files all supported)
2) Select the entities you want to use, and add them to a new operation
3) Set the parameters for the operation
(Repeat 2 and 3 as needed. Most jobs have a couple inside cuts, some outside cuts, maybe a pocket etc)
4) Generate GCODE

My advice, dig in and play around. Start with the Hello World example

 

Shout if you get stuck at any point

 

Make sure to select the outside and inside vectors of the A together and create an operation:
On the operation: click Advanced, under Merge Geometry, set to Yes. This will then tell the software, hey that outside part, and the other thing i selected, go together. The maths then figures out which is inside which, and accordingly tries to keep the pocket in between them, etc. What you select, and whether to merge or not, depends on so many factors it may take a test or two.

Also watchout for duplicate vectors (double paths of same vector overlayed on each other) - merging a duplicate results in a nothing as the same points cancel out. Good CAD software wont generate doubles, but some artsy applications do. Easy to spot, if you click on a double, the lines won't turn red

 

If you are still stuck after, post the Workspace Export (obc file, from File menu) or the SVG.

 

Draw a rectangle, setup a pocket operation

 

Yeah its worth spending the time tramming your spindle first (Mini Speedsquare on the bed, against the bit, check from all sided that you are square to the bed) and also making all facets of the machine as precise as possible first (fixing sag, make sure all is square and true etc) before doing all the effort of a spoilerboard skim.

You can set Z-Safe Height to be the same as cut-depth, for example:

(this is a operation that cuts 3mm off the spoiler board, in one pass (3mm per pass, 3mm total = 1 pass), and Z-Safe is at -3 (So it doesnt pull out) (slight risk of crash though, depending on moves)

 

Is the endmill a 6.35mm shaft. I once accidentally bought 6mm shaft ones, they pull out of the collet slowly making it look like the axis slips. As the collet is 6.35mm and doesn't cinche down on a 6mm shaft

 

or your Z acceleration is too fast and it is missing steps when it retracts.
reduce the acceleration on Z by 25% and see what happens.

 

Not a full tutorial just yet, but highlights of some of the cool features you maybe didnt know about: Over on Things you didn't Know about OpenBuilds Software

 

you must put the grub screw up against the flat spot in the motor shaft. if it does not have a flat spot, make one with a Dremel.

 

Another option is to carefully drill into the shaft and tap it - using the hole in the pulley as a guide. I did this on all my lead screws then put longer 3mm screws into them with loctite. I have never had one come loose.

 

SVG by nature is more of an "artwork" format, where DXF is more the "engineering" format. So SVGs use Pixels/DPI/etc as units which can easily get lost between different applications. DXF supports actual inch/mm units, so much more reliable.

As such, make sure when you save in illustrator, that you export it as 72 DPI, that is what CAM expects if the file header says it was drawn in illustrator.
One caveat is if its a file someone drew in say Corel, then someone edited in Inkscape, before you downloaded it and worked on it in Illustrator... then the file header might be confusing and it may not know is the supposed to be 72dpi (Illustrator standard), or 96 dpi (Inkscape older than v0.91), or 90 dpi (Inkscape > 0.91) or 57dpi (OpenType's weird standard) or if all else fails, it assumed 96 DPI.

(; Or just consider using DXF (NB as DXF-R14 with Polylines for maximum compatibility - although DXF is great it sadly has the one drawback that there are different versions of the DXF standard. R14 is most widely understood as its also an older version)