Single line (center line) font out of Inventor for engraving in MC

[Thad]

Is anyone doing this?

 

We are making some molds and I have to engrave really small numbers & letters. When I engrave die details with the part number, etc, I use Create Letters with the box font and drive a contour path down the center (comp off). I want to be able to do the same thing on the mold but it's designed in Inventor 2013 and we're having trouble outputting the single line data as lines and arcs to read into MC.

 

What I'm currently getting is something like an arial font which creates a pocket after the letters are extruded to a depth in the mold. I then have to re-create the letters in MC so I have something machinable. The text follows a curve, is rotated and exists multiple times in a single detail making the duplication in MC a very time consuming process...not to mention, the designer has already spent the time to do it once.

 

We tried multiple things last week with no luck. If I understand it correctly, Inventor can create text with a single line font in sketcher, but the text is really only an image, or visual representation of the text. When I tried to import the .ipt file into MC, the text didn't come in.

 

I'm open to any and all ideas on how to accomplish the lettering in Inventor.

 

Thad

[Jayson Kramer]

Thad I have Inventor 2014 but do not know it well enough to help you on that side but would like to see the file to see if I can come up with a fast way in MC can you share.

[Thad]

Jay,

 

I have a @mastercam-cadcam.com and a @ppcadcam.com address for you. Are either of these current?

[Jayson Kramer]

yes both are good.

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

Thad

 

Inventor can create single line text in sketch mode but it must be embossed/extruded to show up in masercam on the model. if you don't emboss/extrude the text it will show up in the Inventor model if the sketch is made visible but then it won't come into mastercam. I don't know anyway around this so I've always re created it in mastercam also.

[Thad]

Mike,

 

There's no way to turn the sketch text into lines/arcs? Or even a drafting note and I can convert to lines/arcs in MC? It just seems like an odd thing for a CAD system to not be able to do.

 

Thad

[Jayson Kramer]

After looking at the file Thad there really is no quick and easy way but offset contour and trim that will make it easy. I was thinking the geo was different then it is. I agree there needs to be a tool that makes this easier.Some times line bisect can help to. I can do it in about 10 min but that is ten min to long from my view.

[Thad]

Offsetting the contour only works when all areas of the letter are the same width. In this case, they're not. From memory, I believe the M has different width legs, among others. I know I could do multiple contour offsets, but...

 

We even tried adding taper/chamfer to the boss extruded walls so there's a peak to each letter that would be the centerline data that I need. With different width lines in the letters, that didn't work either.

 

Thad

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

Thad

 

I'll do some playing in Inventor this morning and and see if I can figure something out. I'll try to create some text in a Inventor .dwg file and bring it into MC like that. This approach may work. I've never tried to bring in a inventor .dwg file into MC. With Inventor text, when you create text and place it into the file you don't have control over each letter with lines/arcs like autocad/MC. It groups it as one entity. You would think Inventor would be able to do autocad style text.

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

I can't find a stick or single line text in Inventor. Everthing comes into MC as a box type font. Like inventor, it comes into MC as one entity. You can't offset or select individual letters. You would only be able to move or scale the text and window chain for toolpaths. I also tried to import the text into acad and explode it with no luck. I'll check with the autodesk.

[Thad]

Mike,

 

Just to clarify, what's listed as "Box font" in MC is a single line font, I think back to V9 days and prior, it was referred to as "stick font," though I could be wrong. Anyway, I think we still understand each other.

 

The text that comes into MC as one entity, if you analyze it in MC, what does it say it is? MC can convert drafting entities to lines/arcs. It may just be an issue of installing a single line font so Inventor can use it. Maybe?

 

Thad

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

Thad

 

yes we are on the same page with the font. The text from inventor .dwg filecomes in as a note/drafting entity. If you break drafting entities it does turn it into individual lines and arcs. I checked with the autodesk forum and had no luck. Other people have the same issue. The closest single line font I could see in inventor is the TXT font. It looks like single line in inventor but still comes in MC as double. It doesn't appear there is much of a solution. I'll let you know if anyone from the autodesk forum comes up with a solution.

[jeff]

On one of our other mills my guy uses this to letter parts since he's not fluent with Mastercam and therefore doesn't have to bother me.

 

http://ncplot.com/stickfont/stickfont.htm

 

There is a V2 also but that's not free. V1 is free.

Maybe this will do what you want?

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

Thad

 

Here it is directly from Autodesk

 

The ability to retrieve text geometry from sketch text boxes in Autodesk Inventor is already being considered by the Product Development team as a future enhancement. However, it's a "wish-list item" and doesn't have a high priority.

 

In order to icrease the visibility of this enhancement request and raise its priority, please log your request in the Inventor IdeaStation Forum so other users can add kudos.

 

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Inventor-IdeaStation/idb-p/v1232

 

The IdeaStation forum is monitored by Product Managers and is currently the most effective way to suggest a product enhancement.

 

Thank you,

[Thad]

Thanks for the update Mike.

[Thad]

Jeff,

 

Thanks for the tip, but I'll just use MC if I have to do it. I was hoping to get machinable geometry out of the software that is designing the mold. That would be the easiest way. You would think, anyway.

[Mike@Dive Lab Inc.]

I put in a request to autodesk idea station for this option

[Thad]

Mike,

 

On the .dwg that would import into MC as a drafting not...can you create that text in Inventor along a curve?