lots of questions

[jsa2001]

Hi again. I contacted Roy at cnc systems, he said he could sort me out with a ready made kit So thats another thing sorted. Just need to sort out the mach 3 software which i just downloaded. Looks complicated. I do 3D graphics and have Cinema 4d and Rhino 2 which output DXF files. Is that what the cnc software uses?

[HiltonSteve]

Glad to hear that Roy has sorted you out.

OK, Mach3 is just a stepper motor control program and a very good one. It needs to be programmed using G codes which is a industry standard that is used worldwide, so you have 2 options -

1 - Teach yourself how to write G code and write the programs by hand. I still use this method for simple jobs.

2 - Get yourself a CAD/CAM program which you can import your DXF's and certain format of 3D designs into, the CAM software will then write you the G Code program. Have a look at http://www.artcam.com/ for starters, should give you an idea.

I have been using CNC's for quite a few years now and up until recently i used to write all my own programs by hand, now times have changed and using the correct software makes writing G code much easier. Now I do all my modelling in Solid Edge and then load the model into either FeatureCam or ArtCam depending on the type of job I am doing, you then tell it what tools to use and the how you want to machine the job then the software will create the G Code.

I suggest you teach yourself the G Code basics first and get to understand how it works, google is your friend!