GearHeads Corner

Yes,please and Thank you
Jerry

A laser cutter's on my list...

I don't imagine anybody's seen anything like one of these?  Won't cut anything more than paper, but it'd be a cheap intro and (assuming it works...) could replace the xacto knife and box of punches for gasket cutting.  Bit smaller and cheaper than a 60 watter.

Kirk

Interesting.. amazingly cheap..

I use DXFs a lot and as I'm now also playing with 3d CAD the ability to slice my models to DXFs will be very useful.

I also import gear profiles as DXFs and build tailored 3d models from them - for example I recently exported a 78 tooth T10se pulley as a DXF and built the associated 3d model from it. I then cut the model into 7 interlocking pieces so I could 3d print it. My UP! printer unfortunately doesn't have a large enough footprint to print the pulley as one - hence the 7 pieces.

While the DXF output is great I do have to do quite a bit of editing as arcs are generally output as a series of short straight lines. An option to output arcs as arcs would certainly be of significant benefit to me. Could this be a possible future enhancement?

Thanks for the fantastic software Art.

Jim

Hi Jim:

  I do have on my list a Arc interpolation routine to replace segments with arcs where it can, so we'll see how that goes.

Its seems slicing is osmething many want... So Im adding widgets now to my rather raw interface to allow you to get
what you need for slicing.. Probably a week or two..

Art

"Probably a week or two.."

I may be dead in a week or two by virtue of freezing to death here in Ohio, can you have it later today :D

Hi Jim,
Unless I missed something in my math classes - there is no such thing as a mathematical arc - its all just a series of straight line segments.  If the segments are short enough you can't see them without magnification.

John

John,
That is theroetically correct but most of the newer CNC machine post have circular out put selection in Full, Half, quarter and Arcs as Lines, Full dramatically decrease the number of code lines.

How they do it I don't know.

Ken

Hi Guys:

  Heres a video of the new module in its testing. Hope its usefull , its fun to play with . :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgNIQXa ... e=youtu.be

Art

Hi Art,
That is fun looking. kinda wierd looking as well but very cool.

I take it then that you can import, what format?


Ken

Ken :

Any STL object

Art

That's good, it is one of my CAD export options.

Ken

Ken_Shea wrote: "Probably a week or two.."

I may be dead in a week or two by virtue of freezing to death here in Ohio, can you have it later today :D

Wait until you have to blow snow with a cabless tractor when it's below 0 (F, not C) and 20 mph winds.

You just need a better sweater and pair of long johns, Ken :)

Kirk

"better sweater and pair of long johns"

Brrrrr, that's not going to take care of that cold problem Kirk :)

-6f and blowing snow again tonight :(