[Newbie] Using Cnc Cam To Drill?

Derf, what do you mean by Manual input? I really need to just take a few days and Sit in front of some YouTube gcode classes and get a decent book.
I know that part of this process and many of my delays is me being me and wanting to understand how this stuff is all used in the industry. I know I should just pick my battles and CNC somethings while getting other tasks done the old fashinioned way. I was able to lay everything out and could now repeat this and be much faster with consistent part output going forwards. So I guess I win in the battlE of me and my gear for now.

Manual data input,or MDI is just that. It means you manually write the program( or I should say type). You know all the cordinates, start with one size drill and drill them , then go to the next size, so on,so forth. Learning how to enter moves is not all that hard, and I think anybody getting into cnc should learn to do that first before jumping into software. Learning how to do things the "hard way" gives you a back up plan when all else fails.

derf said:

Manual data input,or MDI is just that. It means you manually write the program( or I should say type). You know all the cordinates, start with one size drill and drill them , then go to the next size, so on,so forth. Learning how to enter moves is not all that hard, and I think anybody getting into cnc should learn to do that first before jumping into software. Learning how to do things the "hard way" gives you a back up plan when all else fails.

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Derf - you make a valid point about knowing how to write code so you have a backup plan. For the sake of us CNC newbie's can you suggest some good reading material on the subject of writing G-Code whether it be printed or web based?

Thanks,

Tom S

One good way to become familiar with G-code is to take some simple cam generated routines and dissect the g code. If you can say that you understand the significance of each line of code, you are on the way to being able to create your own.

You don't even have to have a CNC. There are plenty of examples of CAM created routines available. Fusion 360 is a free Autodesk CAD/CAM product which will allow you to create your own machining routines so you can play with them. Because certain G-code commands are machine specific, you will need to know what the G-code (and M-code) command sets are for a particular machine but those are usually fairly easy to find.

Bob

RJSakowski said:

One good way to become familiar with G-code is to take some simple cam generated routines and dissect the g code. If you can say that you understand the significance of each line of code, you are on the way to being able to create your own.

You don't even have to have a CNC. There are plenty of examples of CAM created routines available. Fusion 360 is a free Autodesk CAD/CAM product which will allow you to create your own machining routines so you can play with them. Because certain G-code commands are machine specific, you will need to know what the G-code (and M-code) command sets are for a particular machine but those are usually fairly easy to find.

Bob

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Thanks Bob. I downloaded Fusion 360 a couple of weeks ago but haven't used it much, yet.

Tom S

RJSakowski said:

One good way to become familiar with G-code is to take some simple cam generated routines and dissect the g code.

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I guess I learned the hard way. I had a list of G codes and what they would do, wrote a short program, g0 x1 y1 zi, go z.05, g1 z-.05 go z.05, go x2 , g1 z-.05 go z.05. then I learned about g81, g83, etc, It took about a week. I eventually was able to code tools and give them their own feeds and speeds.

Our tool shop inherited a modified machine (30 by 40 inch bed with a vertical spindle and a controller) and I was the only one in the shop with a home computer (this was 1985). Pretty soon I was making drill jigs, a circle of aluminum 3/4 thick, 12 OD 9 ID with 8 or 10 variously spaced holes for steel drill bushings 4 or 5 a day. after a month, they put me on days and had me teach each of the other toolmakers for a week how to run it. A couple of them took hold, the others never did catch on.

One day I came in, was given a D sized drawing of the company logo. They asked me if I could program it. I said I'd try. By the end of shift I was making these, 2 by 3 inch key chain fobs, for give-aways at the Open House the next day. Its engraved with 1/16 carbide burr in the back of a piece of lucite.



Its a cast Iron con rod, with Ariel, the company name. The machine was set up so a kid could put a blank in the machine, step away and push the start button. I guess they made a couple of hundred of them.

Start out with baby steps. Like RJ stated, finds the g codes that pertain to your machine. Then plot out a simple program. I taught my apprentis to start out by writing his name in g code. If you have to, use graph paper for a simple layout, assigning a value to each grid, say .100".Write your name in simple block letters, then figure out the co-ordinates. After that is easy as connect the dots.
After he could program his name in absolute, I made him do it in incremental. His next task was to do it in reverse order, then mirror, then upside down.
I can tell ya one thing.....that kid ain't never gonna forget his name, he knows it inside out and upside down......

countryguy said:

Dolphin noted I could simple have the Mill do area clears for the holes but that seemed a like a workaround? Since I need to thread them and attache stuff I was not sure if making a hole with end-mills and area clears would be good enough. Trying not to overthink this stuff- Just not sure what is the usual way to get a bunch of holes made via CAM. Yikes....

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If you're trying to make straight holes in a circular pattern, you could use Open-Office spreadsheet. Set up the sheet for the number of holes, the radius, and then let the spreadsheet calculate the X,Y positions you need. I do this all the time when wanting to make things very concentric. Then just hi-lite the columns and 'control C' > 'control V' into a text file. Some additional editing is required normally. Its pretty simple and
the accuracy is quite good. Can send you an example of you like.