New User Needs A Boost

[bwood2800]

I am an engineer for a furniture manufacturing company. We are installing a cnc next week. I am hoping to get a quick start by using this forum. Any help is greatly appreciated.

We draw our products in AutoCAD 2000 and wish to import .dxf files into Part Wizard; however, before I go there, I wish to complete a very simple part.

I would like to draw a 15" x 6" x .75" drawer face and machine two grooves (1/2" wide x .25" deep) along both ends of the drawer face (parallel to the 6" side - inset 1").

Can anyone help me get a quick first lesson with this software? I currently only have the demo program, but I hope I can learn to do the above with it.

I have machined a groove; however, I couldn't tell if it was correct or not, because it did not display a finished piece with the groove in it. Simply a rectangle at the depth of the cut, which is parallel to the work-piece surface.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Brent

[kfitzgerald@graphicmetalsinc.com]

Brent,

As an engineer, you are overqualified to use Part Wizard and ShopBot. Just kidding. Software and tool are very simple to learn. You will figure it out very quickly.

But I must ask; why do you want to machine this on ShopBot? Seems like a table saw or a table-mounted router would be much more productive.

Regards,

Kevin Fitz-Gerald
Project Manager

Graphic Metals, Inc.
P.O. Box 31
715 East Perry Street
Bryan, OH 43506
Voice 419-636-5757
Fax 419-636-6404

kfitzgerald@graphicmetalsinc.com

CNC laser cutting up to 14 ga steel
CNC routing wood and plastic

[bwood2800]

Kevin,

Actually, the machine is a table-mounted router that is controlled numerically. We are using the Part Wizard to write our programs quickly by converting from our .dwg AutoCAD 2000 files.

We utilize table saws to cut our dimensions. We plan to use the router to machine the features in the furniture components (grooves, dados, pockets, etc... ). In addition, we are cutting round table tops with this router.

One thing about Part Wizard... does it have a feature to view the "finished" part after you create a tool path?

[graphicmetals]

>

Yes, crudely. But one cannot complain too loudly, since the feature was not supposed to be included at all with the ShopBot version of the package.

After you create your toolpath, deselect the vector, reselect the toolpath, right click, then select "simulate toolpath" from the popup menu.

It will then take you to a 3D screen that will allow you to see the "cut". Hope that helps.

-Kevin

[tlempicke]

You are travelling down the right path. It will work very well for you.
Part Wizard was created by a group of guys who think just a bit different than the folks who normally work in auto cad. As a result it can be difficult to do machine work with it. It is really a sign making program.
But what it does do really well is write those tool paths. A couple of hours from now you are not going to bother with the preview because you will have enough confidence in your cut file to just go ahead and cut it.