TimB
20-02-2023, 05:37 PM
I hope this is the right place, please move this thread if not.
I have an ExelCNC M5s on the way, arriving in a few weeks. This is a fairly substantial machine, custom made with increased gantry height / Z-axis to 280mm
We are going to be using the machine to carve various complex / organic type forms in solid wood and stacked ply. I would like to use Fusion360 as it has the capabilities and I'm used to autodesk software (although it's a bit of a transition from AutoCAD)
The controller seems to be a generic HC-200 / HC20xx type thing such as THIS (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002347040714.html)
There is no post processor available off the shelf, so that's sent me down a rabbit hole to make the link between software and hardware. My current options seem to be:
1. Learn how to write a PP, which seems to mean learning Javascript, the specifics of the controller, specifics of the machine, getting very intimate with M+G code very quickly, and probably more that I'm not aware of.
2. Find someone else to write a PP. There seem to be people on Fiverr who offer the service but I'm not sure how they do it. It might involve finding and feeding them so much info I could maybe do it myself.
3. Swap the controller for something that already has a PP in F360, or at least something close. The Masso G3 looks like a good solution, if a bit pricey.
Option 3 feels like my favourite so far. I feel like we might come up against the limitations of the supplied controller quite quickly and I've read plenty of accounts of people swapping to a Masso or similar to avoid problems like skipped steps etc. -definitely something we want to avoid when doing big batch production runs.
Any advice on any aspect of this would be most appreciated :thumsup:
I have an ExelCNC M5s on the way, arriving in a few weeks. This is a fairly substantial machine, custom made with increased gantry height / Z-axis to 280mm
We are going to be using the machine to carve various complex / organic type forms in solid wood and stacked ply. I would like to use Fusion360 as it has the capabilities and I'm used to autodesk software (although it's a bit of a transition from AutoCAD)
The controller seems to be a generic HC-200 / HC20xx type thing such as THIS (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002347040714.html)
There is no post processor available off the shelf, so that's sent me down a rabbit hole to make the link between software and hardware. My current options seem to be:
1. Learn how to write a PP, which seems to mean learning Javascript, the specifics of the controller, specifics of the machine, getting very intimate with M+G code very quickly, and probably more that I'm not aware of.
2. Find someone else to write a PP. There seem to be people on Fiverr who offer the service but I'm not sure how they do it. It might involve finding and feeding them so much info I could maybe do it myself.
3. Swap the controller for something that already has a PP in F360, or at least something close. The Masso G3 looks like a good solution, if a bit pricey.
Option 3 feels like my favourite so far. I feel like we might come up against the limitations of the supplied controller quite quickly and I've read plenty of accounts of people swapping to a Masso or similar to avoid problems like skipped steps etc. -definitely something we want to avoid when doing big batch production runs.
Any advice on any aspect of this would be most appreciated :thumsup: