Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread
So I spent tonight setting up a Torchmate 2x2 that a friend of mine bought during the KOH lakebed sale. He knows nothing about computers; I spent a good portion of my college career running a machine shop w/CNC equipment.
Pros: the table is awesome.
Cons: the software SUCKS DICK.
Why I should have to use
3 different programs to get a part cut on the table is beyond me. One to draw the part (and export it into DXF), one to import the DXF, trim away the bullshit, and create the tool paths and lead-ins, and the last one to import
another DXF (with the tool path info) to translate it into G-code and run the machine.
A few hours into it I was getting some really nice parts cut out...like less than 1/16" tolerance, without spending a lot of time getting the plasma torch height & speed set up. No doubt that it'll turn out some high quality stuff once that's taken care of.
But damn...how hard would it be to make a software package with basic CAD tools (squares, arcs, lines) that you can sketch something on a scaled grid, hit a button, and burn it out?
Not to mention that after cutting out half a dozen parts, the same procedure would make the USB box shit itself and lose connectivity, leaving the torch to sit stationary and burn a big hole in the same spot until you could manually shut it down. What a pain in the ass, still didn't figure that one out.
Plus side is, for my efforts, I'll be able to shoot down there whenever I want and cut out some stuff. Once it's working.
I had fun anyway...it's been years since I got to work on stuff like this. I hate the fact that the table only uses stepper motors instead of something with absolute feedback...that means it never knows where the physical boundaries are; there's no permanent 'home' to send the torch back to. You have to set it every time you do a new run.
Something different to do for a night, anyway.
