Problem with depth of cut in 4D

[Mooselake]

For a couple ideas heekscad/heekscam is a usable open source product, if a bit quirky, with a newly released modest cost upgrade.  CamBAM has an older version that's free and quite usable.  There's an inkscape add-on that's usable; I use it for engraving.  All will let you experiment and get started while investing only your time, and (in my experience) a bit of adult language and possibly some hair pulling.

Somebody else can chime in for commercial products.

Kirk

[JustinO]

Stephen,
LinuxCNC can be fun to "hand code" if you are a programmer. It has embedded math and parameters, and embedded structured programming. I do wacko stuff with it that can't be done vie the normal CAD | CAM pipeline. If you're a nerd and enjoy trig and loops, it might be worth playing with.

I'll check in later to see if my account here is still active....

[Stephen Fornelius]

Thanks for all the replies.  I was thinking about cnccookbook's g-code editor and conversational program.  My main brain-farts are I don't follow how the variables work.  I remember DOS and the thick manual on how to run it.  They gave a command, and then some variables but the book explained what the variables were. 

Things like incremental move - I was thinking about jeweling a flat piece - where you tell the program to execute a command like z=0, and then return to z=.25, move from x=0 to x=.25 and repeat.  Then the next line to be surfaced would be x -.25 for a start point and then repeat.  Things like that.  And especially doing things with the A-axis (I bought the rotary table and I'm damned if I don't use it for something!).

I'll keep looking around to see what's available for learning - some of the books look interesting, but I'm not sure the direction I should be taking in that kind of education.  Right now I keep fiddling with BobCAM until I get something that looks right and let the program do the g-code.  I can sort of read through the g-code step by step, but the headers etc. are a mystery to me right now.  I also realize I've only been working with CNC for a few months too.

[ArtF]

>>I'll check in later to see if my account here is still active... .

lol.. Your account is safe. Ive never had a problem with LinuxCNC, hell Mach3 was based on it
and Ive met its developers, all pretty good people. Ive been away from Mach3 now for years,
though I still have very fond memories of the hectic times I had in its development.

  So if your a LinuxCNC guy, feel free to extoll its virtues here, Im truly an equal opportunity
CNC-er. ( Actually I use a version of Mach3 (version 7.777) no-one else has or has ever
seen... ).

Art

[Wod]

You cut me deep Art. I don't feel esoteric or nearly dead either one.
Wiley

[ArtF]

lol.. Give it time, youll catch up with me.

Art

[JustinO]

Steve,
LinuxCNC has some extensions that other NC programs won't recognize, but if you are interested in "ornamental machining" with counting parameters and loops, then you will want to look at it:
http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/gcode/overview.html
http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/gcode/o-code.html

Unfortunately, the other fourteen people interested in this sort of machining do not constitute a large market attracting authors and vendors.

Google images with "ornamental turning" for a good time.

[Amazon [Bot]]

( Actually I use a version of Mach3 (version 7.777) no-one else has or has ever seen... ).

Art

Seeing that the latest version of Mach3 is messed up and Mach4 may never see the day of light, give it up  ;D

[ArtF]

Never, Mankind isnt ready for that kind of power, I hog it solely to protect you.