CNC in the (Model Engineers’) Workshop
Part 17
Instalment 17 of CNC In The (Model Engineers’) Workshop was published in the Autumn 2015 issue of Model Engineers’ Workshop (issue 233),
This month saw the beginning of a two-part article on making Heel Guards for a motorcycle.
This instalment contained information about CAD/CAM/CNC workflow, and the process of drawing a part which has complex curves, then turning that drawing into a G code program.
The project concludes in Issue 234, with notes on machining, workholding, chamfering, and downloadable programs.
MEW Issue 233 : Autumn 2015
CAD/CAM/CNC software
The article sets out a typical workflow, but while the stages in the process are always the same, the software currently available may merge one or more stages. Vectric software, for example (and they are only one example of many other brands of software) allows the whole process to take place within what appears to the user to be a single program. In reality, the stages are distinct and separate, and there is more flexibility, but less convenience, in using individual packages at each stage. The bonus is that you can choose particular programs which are optimised for each stage. The drawing tools in the Vectric packages at the lower end of the price range are adequate, but nowhere near as sophisticated or capable as, say, Illustrator or similar programs designed purely for vector drawing. It’s largely a matter of individual choice.
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