The current settings would be fine if you’re going to hold the stock down with double-side tape or something similar. In the screenshot below, you can see that the white box representing the stock has been enlarged. Since we just need to add a little room around the part, enter “.2” for the “Right” and “Back” values under the “XY Position” area.

We’ll enlarge the stock using the “CAM->Define Stock” command. In this case, the stock is touching the geometry so the tool would not be able to move completely around the part to cut it out. By default it is set to the size of the geometry you load (you can see it as the white box around the part). The stock in MeshCAM is used to define the area in which the tool is allowed to move. V3 users will not have this command available. It’s worth noting that this extrude command was added in MeshCAM V4. If you’re just trying to cut flat stock then you should make the distance equal to the thickness of your stock. The setting entered here will tell MeshCAM how thinck to make the new geometry. The file will be opened like any other 3D file with the exception of the new “Extrude” window: Load the DXF in MeshCAMĬlick “File” then “Open 2D DXF” and load the file saved above.

Select the “R12 Lines & Arcs” option and you’re done. In this example, we’re using the excellent Rhino CAD program but the lessons apply to almost any CAD program that can save 2D DXF files.Īfter saving clicking “Save As”, select a file type of “DXF”. Most CAD programs will have a list of DXF options available when you save the file. Future MeshCAM releases will probably support newer DXF versions but V12 is the best one to use for wide compatibility with other programs. The “most compatible” version of this format was way back in Autocad Release 12, and that’s the one that MeshCAM likes to see. The DXF format has suffered a long evolution that makes it a less-than-ideal format to move CAD data between programs.

The first step in the DXF to g code process is the DXF file. MeshCAM will have no problem finding this hierarchy and generating a toolpath automatically. Also, these is nesting where the rectangle and circle are within the outline curve. This files contains a good combination of arcs, line segments and bezier curves. We’ll use the part below to show how we can do a DXF to g code conversion with minimal effort:

Can we make this common 2D task easier with 3D CAM software? Yes we can. Given this simple task, many CAM programs look like overkill. Frequently there is no need to pocket or face the stock- just cut out the objects in the file from flat stock. With all of the powerful CAD/CAM programs out there, one of the most common tasks is the conversion from DXF to g code.

Online dxf to gcode converter