Subject: CNC Engraving

From: [email-masked] (Steve Hardy)
Date: 27 Dec 1994 22:22:12 -0600

Hello all:

I am posting this on behalf of a machinist acquaintance who has the
following problem:

An engraving machine is available complete with stepper motors.
What is the best way to arrange for CNC of this machine from an
IBM PC?

Let us assume that we can purchase some software which will generate
HP/GL or some other standard protocol.  Also, we can obtain an
interface to the stepper motors.  What is the 'glue' which
converts HP/GL into the appropriate sequence of stepper motor
phasing?

Since HP/GL is public domain, perhaps I should write an interpreter
for it?  Shouldn't be much more complex than the 3-D PostScript-like
interpreter I once wrote.  However, if there is something out there
to save me the trouble I would appreciate knowing about it.

Note that I am a computer programmer, and my friend is an
experienced fitter & turner so between us we should be able to
work something out if someone could just point us in the right
direction.

I have seen several threads in this newsgroup relating to homebrew
CNC, but they've long since rolled off the top, so apologies if
this is a repeat question.

Regards,
Stephen James Hardy
(Canberra, Australia)

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From: [email-masked] (Joseph R. Landau)
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 1994 03:28:20 GMT

>What is the best way to arrange for CNC of this machine from an

There was a column of Don Lancaster's on just this subject in a
Midnight Engineering magazine, within the last few months.  I
think he maintains (or is part of) a forum on Genie.  If you need
help locating this stuff, email me and I'll conduct a search of my
files (ha!).

--
Joseph R. Landau                       Internet:[email-masked]
Applied Software Technology                         (408) 370-2662
591 W. Hamilton Ave., #201
Campbell, CA 95008  USA                             Even Jove Nods

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From: [email-masked] (Dan Mauch)
Date: 28 Dec 1994 21:41:13 -0800

I just finished building a CCNC engraving machine. It uses an 18X6 mill 
table that has stepper motors mounted on the X and Y axis. They drive the 
leadscrews via 2/1 ratio timing belts. This mill table is mounted on an 8 
inch alum channel about 28 inches long and over tool holder supports a 
1/4HP die grinder. 
I have designed my own controller  that works with low cost shareware 
programs. I have written three articles for Nuts and Volts Magazine in 
the OCT- NOV-Dec 1994 issues. I describe a concept I coined called Cimple 
Computer numerical control. It explains a great deal.
Cutting to the chase,. I take clipart or scanned images load them into 
Corel draw, save the files as an HPGL file then load it into my shop 
computer and scale the object up or down, turn on the machine and in a 
few minutes I have an image engraved in wood, metal, plastic. The die 
grider does a great job. Hope this helps.

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From: [email-masked] (Ron Ginger)
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 1994 23:05:34

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Steve Hardy) writes:
>From: [email-masked] (Steve Hardy)
>Subject: CNC Engraving
>Date: 27 Dec 1994 22:22:12 -0600

>What is the best way to arrange for CNC of this machine from an

.........

I think the best connection is INDEXER.LPT from Ability Systems. 1422 Arnold 
Ave. Roslyn PA 19001  phone 215/657-4338

This package is basically a printer driver. Once installed you send simple, 
english like commands to the printer. The driver turns them into step and 
direction signals out the LPT port.  It iwll drive up to 6 axis and will do 
simelteanous motions for smooth contors. The softwware is about $250.

All you need in electronics is basically a power driver.  For that I bought a 
fine 3 axis board from American Scientific Instrument Co, 103 Morewood Dr. 
Smithtown NY 11781. phone 516/361-9499. They have a catlog full of driver 
cards and motors.

Ability also sells an HP/GL convertor to its driver. I have a pre-release 
version of that, they now have a version that is suposed to have a very nice 
menu interface. 

Basicaly with these products, you can draw lines with some CAD package, turn 
them into HP/GL plot files, and have the motors turn the cranks.

I have no connection to either of these companies, but I have bought items 
form both and have found both EXTREMELY helpfull on the phone. 

Ron Ginger
my signature is http://www.ultranet.com/~ginger