Recessed background!

[gacox@earthlink.net]

I am a new shopbotter (4 months)and I am becoming just short of dangerous. I use the fonts from Autocad, make a dxf file, and send it to shopbot. All of this is ok, but I would like to make a sign with the background recessed amd the letters standing out. Do prople do this by cutting out the letters amd then gluing them on another surface or is there a better, high tech way?

[rgengrave@aol.com]

Gary you can do this by island & hatching in a cad program, it you have Coreldraw? or any program that will do island & hatching, it is simple.

Look on the server under Cad Programs , and look for raised letters in the diffrent programs listed.

Ron

[imserv@imsrv.com]

Gary, yes many sign companies have traditionally created signs by gluing seperate letters onto a flat background.

However with the Vector software that you received with your Shopbot, you can create raised letters with a function called pocketing. In this process, you draw an outline(say a circle or a rectangle) around your letters, which may be drawn in Vector using any Windows Tru-Type fonts. You can also import a design in DXF from another application like Corel Draw or even TurboCad. You then select the contours to be cut around, and Vector creates a cutting pattern that cuts around the letters, making a flat recessed background area. This creates a complete tool cutting path, including, lifting the tool up to miss the letters when it gets into a corner. You then generate the SBP code directly from Vector and cut it.

Vector 9 can also create pockets with islands at different depths, and using the new Swept curve pocketing, can create prismatic or dimensional letters with bevels and curved sides.(3D! letters without having to buy expensive software)

Instructions for pocketing are included in the Version 7 addendum manual on the CD you received from Shopbot, and the new pocketing functions in Vector 9 are covered in that addendum manual. The Vector 9 manual also has extensive tutorials about doing all kinds of lettering and engraving kinds of tasks, including pocketing.

You might want to consider attending our training class in Michigan. We cover pocketing at some length, and use our Shopbot to cut out some signage in class. The next class is April 20 and 21.

[donchapman]

Gary. Go back to the shopbottools.com home page, click on "ShopBots in Use" and then on "Model Signs" to see how I do what you are trying to do.

[beacon14]

Gary;
I recently purchased EnRoute software, it is made specifically for generating toolpaths, and it will create a file to do what you describe in literally a minute or two. It allows you to use multple bits (large diameter to remove the waste, smaller for a cleanup cut) and many other options. I'm sure there are other programs that also do this. I was generating decent toolpaths in about 10 minutes after loading the software the first time.

[danhamm]

Gary, another opinion..
Im only a 10 month shopbotter.."but"

I recieve auto cad files from a lot of large org's
Who employ people to write them..
Autocad is the standard a lot of others stem from,
so if you are 4 months into it,why start another.
Pocketing is a controlled area of material removal, Hatching is the path used to remove it.
there is unlimited ways of creating hatching patterns with autocad, from any point on a 360 deg. as a start point, after designing a control
line for pocketing, you create a hatch pattern then pocket the area, then you use your font or offset of the font or drawings or whatever to cut the hatch patern, leaving islands then insert your
fonts into the islands to create a cut file..
I am goint to send you a dxf to look at I made
for a Bussiness in our area..I am going to send it
to Fred also, the reason is "vectors" dxf filter
changes the colors if I save it from it..