martin54, I'm running UCCNC with my Stepcraft. But that's only the "final" control once I suppose to have already a set gcode file. So I can't "tell" it to do a hot wire cutting path, since it's a step I have to do before loading gcode into UCCNC, when I'm setting the toolpath and generate the right gcode instructions
The reason I asked is because having looked at the software you mentioned it says it will work with mach3, if it works with mach3 then it will more than likely work with UCCNC, they have a downloadable trial so you can easily test it yourself.
That is what I would be looking to do if I wanted to do this sort of thing myself, it would appear to be the right tool for the job
Vectric do listen to what their customers have to say & I believe have a list of feature requests from customers, if this is something you would like to see added then sent Vectric support an email asking them to add a feature, if enough people are asking for this sort of thing & it is a feature that can be added then they will look into it. Then I guess it comes down to complexity & cost as to what happens next
JimmyD wrote:While this ongoing debate is interesting, even if only in it's absurdity, I wonder how anyine is going to cut the shapes pictured in the posts using hotwire.
I have built a hotwire foam cutting machine. It uses DC voltage to heat a nichrome wire that is stretched between two points. This heated/taut wire does well in cutting foam, but it must be stretched between two points because it is thin.
How do you propose to cut the shapes that you've pictured with internal closed polygons? Constantly disconnecting and reconnecting the wire through pre-drilled holes?
If not, then you're looking at hot knife cutting which is a different beast as the knife is ridgid and has a shape that would have to be manipulated within those internal polygons.
Have you thought further through this process than how to draw pretty pictures?
Jimmy, you need to read all the posts. The idea is that those shapes have a connector between them. The ones I drew are quite wide so we can all see them, but in reality they would only be about .001 inches apart. I have seen people do this type of work and it turns out really nice.
That has been the whole point of his postings, how to connect those shapes easily. He is hoping he can find a piece of software that does it automatically. If you look at mine closely you will see that it is on continuous vector.
"If you see a good fight, get in it." Dr. Vernon Johns
Ted,
I understood what was happening. My point and still my point, is that there are poles in the tent a whole lot longer than drawing the shapes that may be insurmountable and should be addressed before worrying about drawing shapes.
JimmyD wrote:Ted,
I understood what was happening. My point and still my point, is that there are poles in the tent a whole lot longer than drawing the shapes that may be insurmountable and should be addressed before worrying about drawing shapes.
To each his own
I see your point, would seem like the same concept as a scroll saw [and I have done far more intricate, days long scroll saw projects than the one posted here] ,,, I guess the thing is, unlike wood, cut portions would not literally fall out, and the wire is so thin the cut cannot be seen, may even close back on itself to a degree I don't know, never done any hot wire work.
Seems like some are getting a bit perturbed, defensive and slightly condescending here, can't see why. Interesting topic, and it is indeed easy to see or imagine why Vectric can't cater to every niche out there.
The technique to cut those inside shapes is the same as folks use to create bandsawn boxes.
Cut in from the outside, cut around the interior shape, remove slug and then glue the entry point closed. Simple as that and nothing "absurd" about the technique.
His biggest challenge is getting all those connectors constructed in a reasonable manner.
"If you see a good fight, get in it." Dr. Vernon Johns
I'm not worrying about how to design, the picture I've uploaded was just an example to explain my problem, that is "maybe there is inside VCarve any function or plugin which allows you to automatically convert a complex design (made of many separated paths) into a single path which goes along the whole design?".
I don't need to drill holes in my workpiece, because, when you do cnc hot wire cutting, the job is usually done through an unique path which (being the hot wire very thin) goes directly towards internal shapes by partially cutting the external ones.
These kinds of jobs are usually done in things like birthday or wedding parties, when you make some decorations and next day they go into the waste bin!
So, it's not worth the job, for example, to do the same decorations by cutting wood; it's much more reasonable to use cheap materials and also to do the easiest, cheapest and fastest job possible, without, at the same time, going to uselessly waste materials and endmills.
The final result remains good, because noboby can see the very thin cuts which cross the piece and, at the same time, the structure of the piece remains solid.
Anyway, just to mention a very simple example, you could search for "polyshaper". It's a very minimal hot wire cutting cnc machine, and it has included a basic algorhithm to automatically calculate the best path to go along the whole design. It's not the best solution in the world, but it's a good example about a fast and automatic function for people who wants just to load a design and cut it on polystyrene or foam, without thinking about how to connect all the paths (by this way ruining the original design, too).
It gets to the point at about 33min into the video. Evidently there is a plugin for Inkscape that does what you need but it may not produce the code for your machine (based on your earlier posts).
If it were me I would be investigating that and IF the gcode was not 100% compatible I would be looking to either modify it myself or have someone write a program that modifies it to suit the machine. Normally there is nothing to change with motion commands in gcode, it is usually the first handful of lines and a couple of lines at the end that need changing.
Looked up your machine too, that is a pretty darn neat attachment!
"If you see a good fight, get in it." Dr. Vernon Johns
TReischl, I agree with you in the possibility to edit the output g-code, but, also in this case, there is another problem.
Unfortunately the algorithm example I've posted is, in my opinion, too simple, because it generates the g-code by using a too low number of points.
For example, if I start from a circle, the generated g-code will produce a kind of dodecagon, in which you can too clearly see every single segment.
You can see an example in this video at about 7:28, when the speaker zooms the 8 number.
So, editing the g-code probably will make my machine work, but the detail level could be only used to cut very basic designs, or to cut very big items.
A friend of mine has got a machine similar to the polyshaper, he made and gave me a sing based on a polystyrene cut of my logo. Along the curved areas of the cuts, I can clearly see there is no rounding, and the cut-pieces which make my sign are even quite big.
Moreover, VCarve has at least a post-processor optimized for Stepcraft Machines, which will produce a better job.
It's mainly for these reasons why I was looking for a solution inside VCarve itself.
Another thing I don't understand is a thing I had already mentioned some posts before, and is more understandeable if you visit the Stepcraft website: Stepcraft people produce by themselves and directly sell a hot wire attachment; at the same time, in the software section (https://shop.stepcraft-systems.com/software_1) they only recommend Vectric Software Packages. But there is no Vectric package which includes something for working with hot wire.
In my opinion, selling a hot wire attachment without also providing a software optimized for hot wire cutting and, above all, optimized for Stepcraft machine, makes no sense.
In order for going to the point: when I have to work with wood, I can simply load my design inside VCarve, set a few parameters, select a Stepcraft post-processor, and in ten seconds I have my g-code ready to work.
Instead, if I have to cut a piece of foam, Stepcraft company has left me alone. Why didn't they also made or recommended, like for Vectric, a software for being ready-to-go?
Last consideration: In theory, I think I should be allowed to start from the same and unique design (always the same file), and let the software generate a g-code based on what kind of job I want to do.
Speaking in general: I have a design file; If I want to send it to an inkjet printer, the printer does its job and I get a printed paper with my design. If I want to carve my design onto a piece of wood I use my Stepcraft and I get a carved piece of wood with my design. If I want to cut my design with a laser cutter I can make the same. And so on. In all the mentioned cases I can use the same file, and always there is a specific control software which knows what it has to do.
Damn, it should be the same if I want a piece of foam!!!
I don't think it's reasonable (and I don't think it should be up to me) that I have to produce a new and "garbled" copy for each of my designs only when I want them to be cut onto foam. I think the best and universal solution should be to always mantain your design and have the possibility of using the same file for any kind of "output" and any of the machines you have.
I don't think to be expecting absurd things, I think to be asking for obvious things!
It's not a Vectric company problem, it's a Stepcraft problem. But, I repeat, I've decided to also ask to this forum because Stepcraft company only recommends Vectric softwares and sells hot wire attachments.
