I’m setting up to engrave a copper pcb board. This is the first time I have actually tried to make something with my MPCNC. I created the pads/traces using Adobe Illustrator and converted the file to .dxf using a free online converter (dxf cad converter). The size of the board is 144mm x 230mm When I opened the file in estlcam and it was scaled down to 14.8mm x 23.5mm. I tried another online converter ( AI to DXF Converter) and the size in estlcam was 1703.39mm x 2722.59mm. I don’t know if the problem is with the converters or estlcamor if I can scale it in estlcam.
As far as I understand it, dxf files are unitless. They say, the width of this rectangle is 10. Not 10mm. When you export the dxf from a program that understands units to estlcam, you need to keep the units the same. Export them in mm and import them in mm.
There are two other ways to do this though.
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use svg format. You can import it into estlcam. All the complex shapes need to be broken into paths first (I don’t know the terms for illustrator to do this). It should still ask for units. This method will take out the online converters.
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Use inkscape to convert to dxf. Inkscape is supposedly a lot like illustrator (Again, I haven’t tried illustrator). You can import an svg and then export as a dxf. Inkscape is free and open source.
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Have you tried in Estlcam select the resize button, select the DXF button, draw a box around everything, then enter the dimensions in the dialog?
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Jon, that’s just what I needed. My old version of Adobe Illustrator would export in dxf format but I used Stroke to make the trace lines wider and the export feature didn’t widen those lines in dxf. Using the dxf cad converter did what I needed and I was able to scale it to just the right size. Thanks
Jerry
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