Script Wanted, Could Be very Sellable !

[bill steer]

Hi,

I think there is a Mac market for a Vectorworks CAM script to produce CNC G-code files that laser cutters can use.

Basically using the lines & arcs create straight x-y moves, arc moves, turning the laser on and off. Allowing the user to click on entities to adjust leadin and out moves, then writing it to a text file.

There is no CAM for the Mac market place so you would be the only one with this product !

Thanks, Bill

[Charles Chandler]

A while back I did a couple of plug-ins for generating the g-code for plasma cutting, and for re-importing the g-code for verification (or editing an existing part program). You can take a look at the (somewhat sparse) documentation at: CAD/CAM/CNC for VectorWorks. The biggest difference with laser cutting would be that you wouldn't need the .25" clearance that I'm providing for the lead-in and lead-out moves (which are automatically generated by the way). I should probably make the clearance user-definable. Anyway, I'll consider doing more work on this. Send me the specs for your controller and I'll see how much it would take to support it.

[bill steer]

HI Charles,

Your plasma g-code looks like good start ! A few comments for laser cutting .

a) Cutter comp can be set to zero. Laser Kerfs are 0.010. If we need to be right on, we just adjust the hole size a bit. Our Trumpf laser actually has cutter comp built into it, but we have never used. We try to keep things as simple as possible.

b) A button to guess at and set holes to white automatically then user can click items on / off as needed.

c) Your automatic selection of lead in point looks good for 80% of the time, but need to give user ability to select 1st entity and the pierce location. Lasers can make "final" parts (most of the time) with no grinding of leadin / out points, if properly positioned.

d) Our current cam program will put all "like" entities in sub routines. Main program moves to pierce point, then sub routine turns on laser and incrementally cuts and turns off. Just a be cleaner and if you need to make adjustment, there is just one code to change, rather than maybe 50.

e) We currently use our cam program to make code, then we use our database program, "Omnis Studio" to post process to make the code just the way I like it to run on laser. Misc note : Omnis is great RAD program, we have used for 22 years, but it has never really "caught on".

f) Would need button the click on "non contour" enities to cut. Sometimes just need to cut lines or arcs that are not contours. Just allow user click then put moves in sub program. Sometimes we turn laser on / off between clicks, sometimes not. Post processor handles this now.

Why don't you email me, great2b1@aol.com off list to discuss moving forward. Maybe I can email you a quicktime movie of what we are doing now ?

Thanks, Bill Steer