How that I am pretty close to using more then just a marker for jobs I have a few questions.
If I have a job the uses 2 tools… Say and engraving V bit and cutting bit (2 flute upcut). Lets say for fun I am making a sign on acrylic.
So the lettering of the job will use the engraving bit. Then once the engraving is done I need to switch to cutter to cut out the sign from a larger piece.
Question is will Estlcam put in the gcode a pause for tool change? Or does that need to be done manually?
So upon digging thru gcode on a test file i created it appears to add a M00 (program stop) for a tool change. Next question is does it keep the motors energized?
I guess I would have to manually add commands to have it home and raise up.
So no it doesnt keep the motors energized… Add an M17 command to Enable Steppers
then
G161 X Y F3600.000 (move X and y home @ 60mm/s)
G00 Z100 (move Z to height 100)
Does this seems right?
Depends on how accurate you need it. I usually do 2 separate cuts with the same staring point. Then I am free to change the tool and not worry about moving the head. Then just line up the starting point and hit go. I show this in the stamp video, 3 changes. You can easily get it within 1mm this way, if you need more x and Y endstops would help.
I have X and Y and Z Endstops… Although so far I am finding the Z end stop useless. But the code I put earlier looks correct?
I’ve never been able to get repetier to “unpause” a paused job made from estlcam. I just make it two different jobs with the exact same start point. Then I just write down my x/y offset from x/y home to set the job zero. You can set the z zero by eye, or use a touch off plate. Sometimes, depending on the job, by eye doesn’t always work, since you may have cut the zero position.
Hmm could it be the code Estlcam puts in? It uses a program stop… Now i am very new to editing g code so maybe changing to like a long pause. But then you need to know when the tool changes are coming. I am going to experiment with pen and paper this week. Must be a way.
Today I used the pause on the display / controller when cutting from a SD card and it worked when I resumed.
Well sure that works, so does hitting pause in repetier, but the tool change code that estlcam uses stops the job with no way to resume that I’ve found. The hard part is pausing, then changing out the tool, then rezeroing the z, then restarting, all without screwing up your cut.
I wonder if we manually changed the M00 with a M600 which is a filament change pause and is marlin compatible.
I still think it’s better to make it multiple jobs. You’re going to move the router during a bit change, and you’re not going to be able to get it back to the same exact spot.
So in using multiple job what do you do?. Take the some file into estlcam. Create tool paths for tool 1, then save. Open it again create tool paths for tool 2 save as a new job file… and etc etc?
Correct. That’s what I’ve been doing. So far so good!
This used a 1/16" end mill for the roughing, I’ll never do that again… And a 1/16" ball end mill for the finish. Took about 20ish hours total. I have a switch that has a relay inside it hooked to the hot end wire connection on the ramps board, so when it’s cutting(printing) the power is turned on to the router and my dust collection. When it finishes one part it parks the router back at zero and shuts down the router and vac. Then I swap out the bit, rezero everything and hit go for the next step.
That is some beautiful work… Is that done with the carve function in Estlcam?
Barry would you be willing to share that dragon file… I am a bit of a dragon buff and would love to test using that file.
I will have to look for a tutorial on doing 3d milling like that.
Vicious1 (Ryan) any chance you would be interested in doing a 3D milling tutorial since your 2.5D was so good?
Yea, I’ll post up the file when I get home.
Awesome thx
Thank you sir! I cant wait to try it out.