I am having issues with a beam flipper I made on Qcad, not sure if Im doing it wrong, or the arcdroid is having issues?
I did turn the whole thing into a polyline, in theory that should have fixed it from what I read, but no difference.
The forum wont let me upload a dxf, not sure what I need to do to get it to let me?
For those who are curious its a tool for working with I beams, and super handy for bending, straightening, and tweaking steel.
the handle is about 4 feet long, and the plate is usually 5/8 or thicker.
Here is the dxf in case its something I am messing up, or if someone wants a beam flipper for themselves.
beam flipper.dxf (103.2 KB)
beam flipper.gcode (3.3 KB)
Hi try this. G Code file from Sheetcam. I use Solidworks for all my design and then convert the dxf to gcode in Sheetcam. Obviously you will have to set all your own parameters for the cutting process but at least you will have a cut path.
Hope it is some help
Thanks, that runs properly.
I guess now I need to figure out where to go from here, assuming that the arcdroid cant be relied on to convert dxf to gcode?
I heard lots of good things about sheetcam, does anyone have both sheetcam and Qcad ?
If i need to learn a CAM program it would be good to know what makes more sense.
Thanks for all the help and advise
yes I use QCAD and sheetcam all the time. No issues. you don’t need to convert to polyline for Sheetcam.
Lots of minor DXF bugs are still in the AD firmware so best avoid dxf for reliable cuts.
Sheetcam gcode has never let me down so far.
Is there any reason to use sheetcam instead of Qcad for converting to gcode?
It looks like arcdroid has a post processor for Qcad and it sounds simpler to only use 1 program instead of 2.
Is there any other benefits to one or the other?
Just want to choose the path that makes the most sense the first time
I like the ability to nest multiple parts on one gcode file with Sheetcam which makes the whole process easier. I am all about making things as hassle free as possible and I find that Sheetcam gives me that. And no I am not affiliated with Sheetcam I just have had nothing but good results with it
It is nice to be able to choose the job size and then be able to arrange multiple parts to minimize wastage.
It is very easy to choose the order of multiple cuts.
Post Proc is for QCAM not QCAD - I found it VERY basic and cumbersome. The difference is like writing a letter in Notepad or MS Word. Sheetcam is a joy to use QCAM is like something from 1987 . of course this is just my opinion.
Its not hard to save a DXF then open it in sheetcam - make your paths, with tons of options then output a gcode file onto a usb stick and job’s done!
Thanks, thats what I wanted to know. Ill get sheetcam.
I didnt want to waste a bunch of time with qcam only to figure out its not what I want.
QCAD is where you draw your part - QCAM is where you make tool paths. Still use QCAD to draw then save the dxf for Sheetcam.
Even Qcad is hard work these days. Better options out there. I now use Vetric software so easy to use lots use Inkscape
I got sheetcam somewhat figured out, but am not sure the best way to do things.
My preferred option would be to make the gcode with 0 kerf, and add it in on the arcdroid.
This would allow me to have all my files on the arcdroid and pick whatever thickness steel I have on hand, type in the kerf on the arcdroid, and cut without having to mess with the computer.
So far when I do this every time I add a kerf the cut path doesnt stick to the trace.
I have heard this being blamed on the dxf format, but this is still doing it with all gcode.
Do I really need to have a seperate gcode file for every possible thickness of each and every file I have? Or carry a computer around to modify every file for the thickness I happen to cut that particular time?
Kerf has to be set at zero on AD when using gcode. Kerf has to be “baked in” ie, as you say, set when making the gcode.
If DXF input worked well on AD then that would be your solution but it’s still not reliable enough for me.
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