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I have a student version of solidworks and HSMworks is free CAM plugin for it. In regards to G-Wizard, I dislike that it is subscription based, so here is an online alternative for free: http://zero-divide.net/?page=fswizard Other than that I have a version of EZ Cam that fits in a floppy that I got from a coworker. It's really old, like late 90s old, but it works alright, but only up to windows XP. Haven't found something that matches the simplicity of the OMAX Make CAD software. EZ Cam comes close, as does Mastercam v9, but both of those are stupidly expensive. I'm going to have to check out freeMill, that looks interesting. Cool setup! I have a Sherline 2000 with IMService servo setup. I got it none running on craigslist for $900. I've got it running but the lead screws need replacing as the PPO did circuit boards with it. Luckily it's not very expensive.
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Jul 12, 2013 05:28
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rotor posted:i have but they dont want to sell me ingots, they want to sell me bundles of crushed trash and cars and stuff You need to try different metal recyclers, like the ones that work with construction companies. Worst case scenario, a metal supplier. There should be lots, and most sell remnants for $1-2/lb or so over scrap. Here I have Industrial Metal Supply. They have a whole room of aluminum remnants, that sell for like $2-3/lb. Try this place perhaps? http://www.bayshoremetals.com/aluminum.htm (ugh flash + music) If you plan on making parts, you need to know what aluminum alloy you'll be using. You don't want to be using scrap of unknown source. Oversimplification: 5052 for parts that get bent, or don't require lots of rigidity (try to bend with the grain to avoid cracks). It's also pretty inexpensive. 6061 for a good mix of strength/lb that won't break the bank. Most "billet" parts are made with this. You can bend certain tempers (T0, T4) pretty easily, but unless it's a big radius, 6061-T6 will crack if you try to bend it. 7075 is the most common "super strong" alloy. It's pretty awesome, but it is aerospace ($$$) and unweldable. Avoid cast aluminum for structural parts, as it is usually much weaker than 6061. Cast jig plate is nice and flat and good for making fixtures though. Material comes in basic shapes: Sheet (thin) Plate (thicker than sheet, can't remember what the cutoff is, something like >3/8" or so) Bar (best for smaller parts, this is usually what I buy, because I can easily cut it with a chop saw or band saw to load in my machine) Rod (solid) Tube (hollow) Angle, Channel, Beam (usually for structural parts, I like using angle and channel for parts that require 90deg bends, you can usually get them with sharp or round corners) You really shouldn't be using ingots, as they aren't very uniform and might be hard to hold down to. Also, you want to invest in proper tooling. Router bits are not replacements for proper endmills. Avoid 4 flute endmills on aluminum. 3 fluters work amazing, but 2 flutes cutters are substantially cheaper, and work almost as good. High spindle speeds, low depths of cut and high IPM are your friends on these non-rigid machines. Have fun making chips!
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Oct 28, 2013 03:59
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When you set up linux CNC, you give it a table size. When you power it up, you home the machine (either using limit switches, hard stops, or eyeballing one end of the travel). You tell linuxcnc that this is home, and then it sets up soft limits based on table travel. I think there is a menu to remove the home so that you can move it to the right corner and reestablish home.
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Mar 4, 2014 19:38
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