We carved the test crown yesterday, and cut some boxes and basic shapes earlier today. I will get the site details tomorrow from my computer at my shop, but it is a paid site that my friend uses for downloading designs for his laser and my uses son for downloading files for his 3D printer. I just changed the filters to look for gcode designed for CNC routing and downloaded the corresponding gcode for CNC routing vs 3D Printing or Laser cutting. Neither my friend with the laser using LightBurn nor my son using Fusion 360 have had issues with the downloaded files. That is why I made the incorrect assumption that I could download the applicable gcode, open it in EstlCAM, not EstlCNC as I made that mistake earlier today and had to call Jonathan as to why the config/setup looked different in my EstlCAM vs the V1 Engineering setup guide. I was inadvertently launching EstlCNC vs EstlCAM. Once I got into the correct application, we configured the settings using the V1 guide and video call with Jonathan to edit the Post Processor Text. However, looking at the gcode now, I do not see the updated Processor Text starting code in the exported gcode snippet I copied in my previous reply. Maybe I did not save the settings correctly in the Post Processing Text setup.
I would love to watch your videos as I have been watching everything I can find on carving and inlays using a CNC and found Broinwoods channel a few weeks ago. Can you please share a link or search parameters for your tutorials specific to the LR4 as YouTube is a vast wasteland
I will check the file extension at the shop tomorrow, but the file I downloaded from the maker site was a zip. Once I extracted the file, I never looked at the extension. I simply opened it in EstlCAM and it already had the tool paths configured, I only had to select the correct bit from my tools.
hmmm…now looking at both exported gcode files (I saved them to the cloud and can access them from home) I do not see the required LR4 Start Code that I configured in the Post Processing Text setup. I only saved the exports so I could transfer them to the SD card otherwise I would have access to the rest of the files on that computer. I need to configure a network in my shop and then link it to my private network via VPN so I can have full access to that machine from my home.
Here is the start of the Predator gcode and it is missing there too. Maybe that is my only issue and my apparent ineptitude at saving the configuration. It is 3AM and I am thinking about driving 20 min to my shop just to see if this was self induced.
(Project Sci-Fi_Alien)
(Created with Estlcam 12.155)
(Machining time about 00:24:52 hours)
This will never work. Every machine is different. Every gcode will be a little different. If you want to do a 3d carve then you need to download the STL and open that into estlcam. Then do the CAM to get your gcode file for your machine.
Trying to download gcode off the internet is like trying to leave home and go straight to 3rd base. It wont ever work.
The marker site is CreativeFabrica.com and I was incorrect, they are STL files that I downloaded into EstlCAM. Then exported the gcode specific to the configuration set in EstlCAM..
Cheers for the additional context, that’s helpful. Able to share zip of the gcode you generated? Curious if the gap tolerance was too large which resulted in extremely lo-fi (i.e. useless) CAM toolpath of the alien model, and/or whether other stuff contributed to the resulting ugly foam carve.
3d carves are simple. WAY easier than your fancy inlays. They just take forever if you want them to come out clean and not have to do a ton of detail sanding.
Pansy. They are super easy in Estlcam. It does all the work for you. Start with a straight endmill for roughing and then a ball endmill for finishing. The smaller the ball the less sanding you’ll have to do lol. Also low low stepover on the ball endmill. They are super cool when they are done. Just don’t be in a hurry
Well…spent some time and figured out the correct tool settings as I found much of the configuration done yesterday was not retained/saved. We redid the setup then purchased a 1/32 taper carving bit. Used the 1/8 single flute upcut for the rough in paths and then switched to the 1/32 for finishing passes.
Obviously foam is not the best medium, and I think I was running the spindle a little hot but hey…progress IS progress. Tomorrow…MDF
