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tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:36 pm

I built my own plasma table a couple of years ago , it's small (3X3) but it works pretty good. Anyway I haven't used it much until now. I am trying to do some very simple degigns in TurboCad 15 and use SheetCam for the gcode. Can anyone tell me why this very simple shape causes SheetCam to create gcode that runs over the outline TWICE?

bwshop · Post by **bwshop** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 2:14 pm

Ran it in sheetcam did one time for me . Do you relice that you got open loop hane a look at attach file

Gamelord · Post by **Gamelord** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:06 pm

I don't use sheetcam, but this may help you out.

With my software, when I create a tool path, it creates either a female or male cut to allow for the kerf of the torch. So lets say you create a male tool path, it will draw the tool path around the outside of the cut. What will happen is you get the tool path that is say .065" outside the original drawing, and you will also have the actual drawing. When you take this into your cutting software, it will look like it is cutting the item twice, but what is actually being done is the cutting program is cutting the tool path the first time, and then cutting the original drawing the second time.

To eliminate this, after creating your tool path (male or female), delete the original drawing leaving ONLY the tool path to cut. If the precision of the cut or size of the material is not important, just cut the original drawing and don't create a tool path.

Hope this helps.

Gamelord · Post by **Gamelord** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:08 pm

If it is cutting twice over just one small section, then the above issue of the overlapping lines is your problem. What you will need to do is to connect the nodes of the drawing so it is one continuous line instead of two overlapping lines.

tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:07 pm

Thanks, guys for the rapid responses. I fixed the small gap and it is still cutting twice. I don't see a way in SheetCam to delete the drawing after the tool path is created as was suggested. My pattern is so simple it seems silly to even use the table! Actually, once I get the pattern to work right I will be making a bunch, they are petals for a large coneflower. I still don't seem to have figures this out!

bwshop · Post by **bwshop** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:31 pm

Why don't you go over to the Yahoo group a lot more guys would see your problem http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/sheetcam/ like i said i ran it with no problem without deleting the path

Gamelord · Post by **Gamelord** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:45 pm

Did you try and cut it without creating a tool pat?

tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:32 pm

I am sorry to say I don't know what a "tool pat" means.... I said I was a newby.

JJsCustomDesigns · Post by **JJsCustomDesigns** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:56 pm

Tool Path - not pat

Gamelord wrote:Did you try and cut it without creating a tool pat?

tigtorch wrote:I am sorry to say I don't know what a "tool pat" means.... I said I was a newby.

tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:33 pm

Well, I am sorry guys, I am still a little slow here.... How do I do a gcode on SheetCam without a tool path?

JJsCustomDesigns · Post by **JJsCustomDesigns** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 9:04 pm

Are you sure you didnt make 2 paths for this single shape? i cant think of any reason Sheetcam would double cut other than having 2 Tool Paths. When i open a file that has duplicate lines. Sheetcam Deletes them for me. Im not familiar with TurbCad. Could be an export setting in TurboCad?

JJsCustomDesigns · Post by **JJsCustomDesigns** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 9:14 pm

http://www.plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4850

Also in SheetCam Look in Options->application options->Drawing import. Make sure 'remove
duplicate lines' is turned on. Note that this only works for lines that
overlap each other exactly. You should not rely on this. It is much
better to make sure your drawing is correct in the first place.

tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:46 am

After further inspection, it appears I don't know how to join two line segments together in TurboCad 15. If the shape has a break in it, sheetcam is probably tracing both sides (inside and out) of the "line" and in effect tracing the shape twice.

How the hell do I join two lines in Turbocad 15? I did a help search for "connect lines" and it is only in Trace Options which is only in TurboCad Pro....

bwshop · Post by **bwshop** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:40 am

What Post are you using ? let me know! then I will PM you the g code file
Like I said had no problem with your file trying to cut twice

bwshop · Post by **bwshop** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:42 am

tigtorch wrote:Well, I am sorry guys, I am still a little slow here.... How do I do a gcode on SheetCam without a tool path?

It is impossible

tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:36 am

I am using Mach2 post.

By the way I drew the drawing using the "spline using points" drawing function and it looks to me like SheetCam is doing a path for both the drawing itself as well as the straight lines that surround the drawing, I guess these are the "splines" and they don't show in TurboCad but they do show in SheetCam.

tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:45 am

I would post my gcode if I knew what extension was acceptable for gcode uploads to this forum (I use ***.tap but that or ***.txt weren't allowed).

tigtorch · Post by **tigtorch** » Wed Sep 26, 2012 3:11 pm

Just to wrap this up.... I emailedl SheetCam and Les said my version (6.2.0) does that some times and it is now out of date. I need to spend $89 on a half price upgrade to SheetCam TNG.

jmsrbrt · Post by **jmsrbrt** » Wed Sep 26, 2012 3:30 pm

tigtorch wrote:How the hell do I join two lines in Turbocad 15? I did a help search for "connect lines" and it is only in Trace Options which is only in TurboCad Pro....

MODIFY > MEET TWO LINES then select them both and hit 'enter'.

trucutcnc · Post by **trucutcnc** » Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:06 am

tigtorch wrote:Just to wrap this up.... I emailedl SheetCam and Les said my version (6.2.0) does that some times and it is now out of date. I need to spend $89 on a half price upgrade to SheetCam TNG.

We're on the latest version of TNG and it still does this now and then. It only happens if I import a drawing, then change the DXF in CAD and re-import it. It is supposed to import the new and replace the old, but it appears that occasionally it is just stacking the two....Not physically, but in memory. The toolpath will only show a single set of start points, but the machine will run around the part twice. I had one instance where it duplicate 4 times.

When I need to edit a DXF and re-import, I now delete the part first and the problem has not recurred.

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