odd cut patterns

[ch3no2freak]

Not sure if this goes here so if it doesnt then I apologize.

 

I use mastercam 9.1 to design vinyl decals. For some reason though when I design something on mastercam and send it to my machine it makes cuts all over the place and constantly starts and stops on the same line. Is there something I'm not doing correctly when I finish my designs? Thank you for any help in answering this question I have. Still pretty new to all of this

[crazy^millman]

Got a sample file?

[Rstewart]

Is your geometry Lines, points, and arcs or are they Splines?

 

This sometimes happens to me when I send designs to the WaterJet.

[ch3no2freak]

Can i just upload an mc9 file straight to this thread? i am using arc points and lines, I never use splines only because I remember the mill didn't like them for what ever reason.

[Jayson Kramer]

Ya upload. just so you know most here are using X9 an 2017 but we can open and review.

[ch3no2freak]

it says im not allowed to upload this kind of file....

[jlw™]

Change the extension to .txt then when people download it they can change it back.

[ch3no2freak]

ok there, after I draw it I convert the file to a .dxf and open in corel 13 then send it to my cutter

BOBA 1.txt

[jlw™]

If you only need to create a dxf maybe look into using Draftsight for free from the makers of Solidworks.

 

Totally free for the cost of registering every few months.

 

http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

[ch3no2freak]

ok, I was using mastercam because I know how to draw in it but really that's about all I know how to use in it haha. I'm just confused as to why it was cutting like that

[ch3no2freak]

I remember sending stuff to the plasma cutter or mill and it would do that. It was just really odd

[ch3no2freak]

Is your geometry Lines, points, and arcs or are they Splines?

 

This sometimes happens to me when I send designs to the WaterJet.

 

how did you fix that?

[jlw™]

If you're drawing it you should never have splines. If you're importing it is very likely you could have a ton of splines.

 

Not sure about 9.1 but you can refit splines in later versions of mcam.

[ch3no2freak]

i dont use splines though

[ch3no2freak]

oh I see what your saying. sometimes i import line art from corel but then i go over that with arcs and lines then erase all the splines.

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

I bet when you export as DXF it writes the entities in creation order or database order rather than any geometric order.

[ch3no2freak]

how do i check and or fix that? is there a way to?

[ch3no2freak]

anyone anything?

[Guest]

There's 157 Arcs... looks clean so far.

 

I did a contour toolpath on it and everything looks as I would expect it. There are only the number of pickups as there are individual contours (7)

 

I would say most likely you don't have a setting right.

[ch3no2freak]

so is there no way to fix the issue when converting it to a .dxf with the geometry being out of order?

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Near as I can tell he's not toolpathing in Mastercam, he's just outputting a DXF file which the vinyl cutter reads directly.  I don't know how to re-order entities in a DXF.  Maybe there's some freeware on the net that can do it?

[ch3no2freak]

well then darnit! haha thanks for the help guys. hopefully someone knows how to fix this problem.

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

I bet when you export as DXF it writes the entities in creation order or database order rather than any geometric order.

 

No doubt, as it would not know what "geometric order" could/should be. They're just a collection of random geometry entities.

 

Let me get this straight...

You're just sending out the geometry data you've created in Mastercam as a DXF file, and that is what's sent to your machine?

Or are you creating an actual toolpath in Mastercam?

 

By creating a toolpath, you would be setting your desired cut-order.

If we now need a DXF file "in that order" we'd need to extract the geometries referenced in the chains (in their chained order), then write them out in that order.

*That's where it could get a bit tricky.*  I’m thinking of a couple possible solutions

It would require using a NET-Hook or C-Hook Add-In to “re-process” the geometry.

[Rob Peirolo CNC Software]

ch3no2freak,
I haven't tried it and it is just a shot in the dark, (and may be more work than it is worth), but for now, what if you toolpath the geometry with no comp. (i.e. center of the tool on the geometry), backplot and save the toolpath to a level. Delete any un-needed geometry, retracts rapids etc., then save THAT geometry to a DXF file.
 

[ch3no2freak]

No doubt, as it would not know what "geometric order" could/should be. They're just a collection of random geometry entities.

 

Let me get this straight...

You're just sending out the geometry data you've created in Mastercam as a DXF file, and that is what's sent to your machine?

Or are you creating an actual toolpath in Mastercam?

 

By creating a toolpath, you would be setting your desired cut-order.

If we now need a DXF file "in that order" we'd need to extract the geometries referenced in the chains (in their chained order), then write them out in that order.

*That's where it could get a bit tricky.*  I’m thinking of a couple possible solutions

It would require using a NET-Hook or C-Hook Add-In to “re-process” the geometry.

 

You are correct, I am sending out data I've created in mastercam as a .dxf file for my vinyl cutter to read. I am not putting toolpath on in master cam.