Converting csv to sbp file

[Ben Guengerich]

Hi, I looked around for a bit to see if anyone else had already answered this question, but I couldn't find anything. Anyway, I work at a fab lab helping people use the various machines. This past week, a user came in with a csv file full of x, y, and z coordinates and wanted to cut the shape out on our ShopBot. As far as I know there's not an easy way to add the tool info and move/jog info to the file other than to just go into the text file and add any missing info line by line. Have any of you ever had to do something like this?

I was also thinking that they could take their data and create a solidworks part using a macro (similar to what this link describes: http://grabcad.com/questions/tutorial-how-to-import-points-to-solidworks-from-a-text-file). From there they could save the part as an .stl and we could generate a .sbp file using PartWorks.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Ben

[adrianm]

I can think of quite a few ways of getting the CSV info into a format that would be usable but you'd still need add the tooling info along the way.

If you're using PartWorks/VCarve etc you can import a CSV converted to DXF (google search for program that can do that) and toolpath from there.

Paul Rowntree has an excellent gadget for PartWorks/VCarve that can process CSV files as well - http://paulrowntree.weebly.com/gadgets.html

[Ger21]

If you load the data into Excel, you can add a column in front filled with M3, and export back out. You should just need to edit a few lines at the beginning and end.

[Ben Guengerich]

Thanks for the help!

[donek]

As indicated, there are many ways of using excel with a CNC. Take a look at the programs here:
http://donektools.com/free-cnc-router-software/make-a-cardboard-box/
http://donektools.com/free-cnc-router-software/links-2/
It's very easy to add move and jog commands to an excel file, export the csv and then if necessary perform search and replace for certain character strings. The programs available at the above links contain macros that export worksheets as shopbot code as well.

Once you have your shopbot code, you can easily use the shopbot software to convert the sbp file to a dxf which can then be imported into almost any drawing program and manipulated.

I have yet to research the dxf format, but there is undoubtedly a way to write a dxf file from excel as well. After all, geometry is nothing but numbers, right. File types are just a language that describe the geometry to the software being used.