Pros and Cons of different Programs

Hey Allen, you have 1000 X-Carve or 500 ?

I have the 500x500 size.

Thatā€™s why you pick V-Carve Desktop. I shouldā€™ve do same. I purchased Pro because they says it doesnā€™t do bigger carving, looks like Iā€™m gonna use all this football field. But youā€™re correct everything you said about program It is heavenly application.

1 Like

I have been able to carve projects that I did not think were possible to do on the X-Carve.

Now I am trying to figure out how to orient 3D models imported as STL files so they can be carved correctly. Once I can do that a whole new set of possible options for carving will open up. I should be able to download solid 3D models from Thingverse and other libraries and carve them one half at a time.

1 Like

Iā€™m following you. Let me know if you figure that out please.
So far Iā€™m generating model G-Code on Fusion360 and sending to UGS.

In my first few attempts to create usable gcode out of Fusion360 I failed big time, so now I plan to use F360 to create the model and then export the STL file out.

1 Like

Iā€™ve been using MeshCAM for my G-code generation so far, largely with great results. This is a STL downloaded from GrabCad, scaled in MeshCAM (the original file is twelve feet long) and machined using UGCS and a .250 round-nose two-flute router bit.

The bad quality of the finish here on the bottom is due to me giving MeshCAM an incorrect instruction on where exactly to start the finishing passes. I also didnā€™t quite get the inversion dead center around the axis, so the top and bottom arenā€™t quite perfectly aligned to each other. But Iā€™m getting closer! I hope to have a completed one this weekend.

6 Likes

Dan, that is excellent!

I hope to be doing the same thing with STL files soon.

I have a couple of questions:

  1. What method did you use to align the stock when you flipped it over?
  2. Why did it remove so much material around the outside of the model?

I drew a line down the center of the piece of stock, then used my drill press to drill tight-clearance holes on each end for brass screws. Then I laid it down on my wasteboard (I have a second wasteboard about a foot square attached to my main one that I use as my consumable board) and screwed it in place. THAT is where I went wrong, and my two screw placements were not perfectly aligned with the X-axis. Next time, I will use the machine itself to spot for those holes. I was off by about 1/32 at the bow of the boat, and doubling that with the flip was enough to give me nearly a sixteenth of error, which is almost the hull thickness of the boat.

I told it to clear .260 around the outside of the model, and since MeshCAM was trying to do that with a ball-nose mill, it cleared .260 to the center of the ball, giving me roughly 3/8" clearance all around, instead of the intended just-over-a-quarter.

As I said, I did a lot of learning with that particular model. Iā€™m looking forward to running it a second time, Iā€™ve re-programmed it in MeshCAM to smooth out the bottom of the hull, and Iā€™ve figured a better hold-down method. With some luck, thatā€™ll give me a better boat next time!

Two sided milling is a difficult trick to get right, I can only hope my first attempt is half as nice. I like the idea of using the spindle to drill the registration holes.

MeshCAM does all the hard work, fortunately! I think this next time Iā€™m going to use a pair of dowels to orient the part, and a couple screws just to hold it down. As long as I cut the holes for the dowels in the wasteboard with the spindle, they should be perfectly aligned with the X-axis, and therefore not have any flip problems. Hopefully.

Today, I ran the first job I created in V-Carve Desktop. It was refreshing to be able to do all of the drawing and toolpath creation in one package. It seems there are no limits to the type of drawing you can create. I had created my project for 1/2" material but did my prototype in 3/4" mdf. It was super simple to make quick updates to my paths before saving the gcode. Iā€™m a happy camper!!!

1 Like

I actually did just last night as well, Bill. Wow, now thatā€™s quite a program right there!

Iā€™m thinking that V-Carve and MeshCAM will compliment each other very nicely for the X-Carve. I think that the sign-making bit that I was doing with Easel just got completely taken over. Easel has that handy ā€œfreeā€ business going for itā€¦ but V-Carve is just awesome. I still need to get a better V-bit, the one I have has a flat on the point, so itā€™s not cutting all my lines as perfectly as it should. Still came out looking better, with no corners blown off, etc. Oh, and it did the same carve that Easel did in a touch under two hours in just a hair under twelve minutes! And thatā€™s with the feedrates turned down to match Easelā€™s.

For all of you using V-Carve, and these other software programs, I would love to see a full-blown tutorial on how to do it. Maybe just put together something easy (small sign or something) in V-Carve, and take it through the entire process to cutting end-to-end, so we can all see how to get these other programs into our workflow. I donā€™t have my X-Carve yet, but I know that any beginner who wants to move into advanced stuff would love to see that workflow, with good details about where to click, etc.

That two-sided boat carving is very intriguing, by the way. So much potential here!

A tutorial is a good idea, but really the process is not very different than any other process using a program other than Easel to create gcode.

  1. Design the project in Vcarve (lots of great video tutorials on the Vectric site showing this)
  2. Create the tool path in Vcarve (again lots of great video tutorials on the Vectric site showing this)
  3. Use the X-Carve specific post processor to save the Gcode
  4. Open the Gcode created in step 3 inside UGS or Chilipepper
  5. Zero the machine
  6. Click the button to have UGS or Chillipepper send the Gcode to your X-Carve

Steps 1-3 are covered in great detail on the Vectric site and steps 4-6 are pretty standard for sending any gcode to your X-Carve if you are not using Easel.

1 Like

For complete beginners, those steps 4-6 are still pretty vague, to be honest.

Good point, you do need some experience sending gcode outside of Easel.

I would suggest you download the Universal Gcode Sender (UGS) this link will download it http://bit.ly/1BSKon6

Install it on the computer you have connected via USB to your X-Carve

Then see if you can connect it to the Arduino (it is usually port 3 and connects at a buad rate of 115200)

When it is connected you should be able to the jog button on the ā€œMachine Controlā€ to move the spindle

Then you can use the ā€œFileā€ tab to open a gcode file (the gcode files need to end with the extension .NC)

You can then click the Visualize button to see what you are about to carve.

IMPORTANT: Be sure you have all the X, Y and Z coordinates set to zero (Work and Machine) you may need to exit UGS and restart it after you position the tool at your zero location with the tip of the tool just touching the work surface.

After you exit and restart UGS you may still need to use the Command tab to manually enter the command ā€œG92 X0 Y0 Z0ā€ (no quotes) to zero out X Y and Z

You may also need to manually enter the command G20 to force the units to be in inches the program you created the gcode in did not add a G20 to the file (or G21 if you are using mm)

[quote=ā€œAllenMassey, post:37, topic:10542ā€]ā€¦ connect it to the Arduino (it is usually port 3 and connects at a buad rate of 115200)

When it is connected you should be able to the jog button on the ā€œMachine Controlā€ to move the spindle

Then you can use the ā€œFileā€ tab to open a gcode file (the gcode files need to end with the extension .NC)
[/quote]

Ditto on Allenā€™s comments. In my case, the ā€œPortā€ number has changed occasionally probably due to plugging other things into my USB ports. It is currently port 7 but UGS has always found it whatever it is.

As to the filename extension, it can be almost anything. Different software appends differing extensions: .nc, .cnc, .ngc, .tap, .txt, for example. It will even open a gcode file with no extension on it.

As Bill mentioned, the file does not need to have a ā€œ.NCā€ extension, apparently! At least, not with the current version of UGCS. V-Carve generates a ā€œ.GCODEā€ extension or something like that, and it runs as-posted in UGCS just fine. :smile:

That is good to know, I am still running version 1.0.7 of UGS and the open command only sees .nc files.

I have tried to upgrade to the latest version, but 1.0.8 will not work on my computer. I am working with the Inventables help team to figure out why.