Hi All,
Id like some guidance please. Ive bought several DXF files on etsy… most have turned out great… some have not. When I download the file to my usb (which looks complete) then load it into the Arcdroid not all lines are there (see pic 2)? I would like to know if there’s a way to correct that? Maybe something to do with tolerance???
1st pic is what the item is supposed to look like.
3rd pic is what actually was cut on the Arcdroid…lots of details missing.
Is there a way to fix this on the Arcdroid UI?
Any help is greatly appreciated…I am tech challenged. I reached out to the designer I bought the file from and he should as well been speaking Japanese…
Why does it not cut the complete file and can it be fixed to cut all lines?
Hey Glenn,
Are you getting an error message when you load it on simple trace? If so, it is likely because the file contains too many lines and will need to be “smoothed”
If no error message I would guess one of two things. 1- There are lines not connected in the file (I have bought several DXF files from etsy that required modification) I upload them to fusion 360 to manufacture cut paths and this will shows breaks in the design if lines are not connected 2- the cut lines are too tight for the kerf width of your plasma cutter (if your kerf width is say .05" and you are trying to cut a path less than that, it will not generate a cut path) Lead-in/lead-out distance can also do this if they exceed the width of the cut area.
Hope this helps.
Trevor
Good morning Trevor,
Thank you so much for your time and explanation, much appreciated. I have not changed any settings on the Arcdroid from factory settings. I spoke with Andrew for a few moments and he mentioned something about the Arcdroids memory capacity. In the same sentence he said to change the tolerance to between 2 -10…I did and that did nothing…I’m sure I misunderstood. There is an error code when loading but it states “file too large” which I often get on files from etsy. However, when I scale down the file it cuts perfectly, but for some reason it did not work on this file. As far as loading to Fusion 360 I know nothing about that. Like I said I am a Tech Tard! I need to learn though as I can see it would be very helpful and I would not burden anyone. I hope I’m not asking too much, Is there any way I could send you the file and you take a look and correct it if possible?? I do not want to take away your valuable time, I would be forever grateful if you could take a look please. I reached out to the designer I bought it from and he was not helpful at all as he knows nothing about the Arcdroid and it’s capabilities/limitations. This past month has been a very educational and challenging month getting into this new hobby…I love it though.
Again, thank you for your time Trevor.
Good morning,
It sounds like the file contains too many line segments, I’ve run into this often, I do have a couple things I can try to hopefully get it to load. If you can upload the file here on the forum I would be happy to take a look.
You’re the greatest Trevor. I truly appreciate your efforts and hope you can do some magic. What I did in the meantime was stop the cutting at a certain point so it doesn’t look incomplete. I have 5 I need to make as they are sold.
Can you also please take a look at the stingray file. I tried cutting it and it said G2/G3 error. To me it looks like a very simple cut.
Hey Glenn, So I checked out both the surfboard files and there was all kinds of things wrong with them. I took the best one and did some re-working of the file (It had a lot of lines not connected or overlapped). I manufactured all the cuts in Fusion 360 (only way I know how to do it) I am going to attach a Gcode file which will have all the cuts programmed so you should be able to put that on your flash drive and it will hopefully be ready to go. Once loaded on the arcdroid, go into the “tune” tab and set your feed, clear z, pierce z, cut z and prc delay just like you would, make sure the kerf is set to 0. Just so you know, this Gcode file will be different from your previous attempt so you wont be able to pick up where you left off on your half cut piece. Hope this works for you, let me know.
Trevor surfboardGcode.gcode (125.4 KB)
Good morning Trevor,
AWESOME JOB SIR!!! Whatever you did worked like a charm. At first I was confused as it just showed g-code and not dxf. When I uploaded it to the Arcdroid it went exactly in the middle of the screen which surprised me as I had never seen that before. I have a few questions for you.
*Is there a way on my Arcdroid to scale the file you sent, as the Arcdroid did not give me that option?
*What are the dimensions of the surfboard on the file you fixed for me?
*Is there a way I will be able to cut that file on the X2 as I’d like to make one that is 48" wide?
I want you to know I appreciate all you have done. More importantly, I do not want to be a burden to you. I’d be willing to pay you for your time and efforts if it’s not a hassle. I look forward to hearing from you.
Hey Glenn,
Glad that worked! I dont think you will be able to scale that because it is a gcode. I will attach the DXF that I fixed on fusion and see if that will load, that you will be able to scale. When you load it, set your tolerance to 0.01" if you are in inches or 0.25MM if in metric. surfboard.dxf (360.2 KB)
I cannot thank you enough Trevor. i appreciate your efforts. I have seen that video. Problem is I do not know Inkscape/Fusion 360 etc. However, it is certainly in my near future to learn.
Wanted to let you know that I was able to cut the surfboard with great detail from the g-code file you sent. Got really excited about it and wanted to cut another one out using my X2 with the dxf file you corrected. I set the tolerance to your suggestion and it is still incomplete, theres more than before but not complete. Not sure if theres anymore you can do? Your efforts are greatly appreciated Trevor. Sure wish there is a way to cut it using the X2.
Also, when I set the tolerance to .01 per your suggestion the details were less than the original issue, very few lines.
As you can see the tolerance is set at .118 which gave it the most detail. I even played around with different tolerance values and this was the best I could get.
That’s cool I didn’t realize you could scale the gcode. I have not done the updates on my Arcdroid so I don’t have all those options.
Glenn, you are welcome, glad that worked! As for with the x2 just curious if you tried to scale the gcode and if that worked? If it doesn’t I can scale it on fusion and send it back to you. I am out of town until Monday so I won’t be able to get back to it before then
Interesting…???..to say the least! Here’s what happened when I loaded the g-code. It automatically lined up in the center of the UI (which never happens in my experience without having to push origin) I did nothing to scale it, whatever you sent me is what I cut and it just so happened to be exactly the dimensions I needed…coincidence??? Another thing I noticed with the g-code was I did not have options like other files to change any dimensions, move my X/Y, etc. Your g-code file was my 1st experience so it’s all new to me.
Although the 24" ones look awesome I think the 48" surfboard would look even better. I’m guessing the width would be double at roughly 14". I’d really like for you to do that for me please and feel free to cut one for yourself if interested. I found on my Arcfony running my feed at 140 in/min, 45 amps and 60 psi works best…that has left the least amount of dross and it comes off with my finger. Thanks again Trevor and Monday or so will be perfectly fine. Have a great weekend.
Well Hello,
Interesting…??? I bought this file from etsy. Another fella on here fixed that file for me and converted it to g-code and it came roughly 24" x 6". I couldn’t find how to make it 48" x 12" or something like that. I’m really wanting to use my X2 for this Hibiscus Surfboard as I live on the beach in a surf community and think people will buy this all day long when powder coated. I’ll go right now and give this a try. Thank you so much for the info. It’s information sharing and the Arcdroid community that makes me love it even more. I appreciate you and your knowledge. If it’s ok with you I may reach out again for some more guidance as I am very tech challenged but willing to learn. Thank you again.
Hi Trevor, just wanted to give you an update on the file you fixed for me. I ended up making (2)
48" X 13" pieces that turned out amazing.
The powder coats one is. 24" X 6.5".
I can’t thank you enough for fixing that file for me.
Also, that bit of advice from the other gentleman made it possible to scale the g code. Can’t wait to powder coat the big boys.
This is truly an amazing group of people on the forum. Always willing to help everyone. Never been involved with a group like this. Plus Andrew is always available for those arcdroid questions. Can’t say enough good things about the ArcDroid community.
God bless
Anthony in Alabama
Wished all would put the state they are from when posting thing that would be great to know.
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