Cutout multidepth not working

[max xam]

Hi Marius,

I explain my problem and what I want todo:

1-I import attached dxf as Geometry object

2-I selected all and then from Edit panel I move to origin

3-Using Milling procedure with tool 0.125 dia and Grbl Laser postprocessor I generate cnc job with gcode

4-I use laser to drawing on wood the part.

In the file I have inserted the drawing of the perimeter of the piece with the points of the screws for fixing on the wood together with the drawing of the parts to be removed

Next step is to use Cutout of the inner parts (1 rectangle and 3 circles), but I have to consider that the spindle have an offset from laser of +5.9,+3.9 ( x,y).

5-so i move with offset Assem1.DXF -x 5.9 -y 3.9

6-With Edit object I remove the external parts and left 1 rectangle and 3 circles in the center.

7 -After I used cutout but the resul was not correct se below:

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[Marius Stanciu]

Hi Max,
What are you trying to do? The Cutout Plugin is specifically made to cut out a PCB out of the surrounding material.
So what you are doing, I guess is:
- you have a CNC-machine that has mounted on the Z axis both an Laser head for engraving and a Spindle for Milling and one is offset-ed from the other on both the X and Y axis.
- using Milling Plugin you engrave with the laser some pattern on the material
- offset the Geometry so the milling bit will arrive in the right position
- you use the Cutout Plugin to cut the engraved part out of the surrounding material

Am I right?

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[Marius Stanciu]

I just tried to do the same, I edited the file and deleted the extra bits. And then I started by offseting and then using the Cutout Plugin. I get the expected result.
What exactly is the problem you encounter?

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[max xam]

Hi Marius,

I was thinking to have cutout for each geometric figure, 1 rectangle and 3 circles not only 1 total rectangle…..

[Marius Stanciu]

In that case, download the latest sources where I fixed a possible problem.
Try to use the option of Kindas Panel. It is not what is was added for but it works.

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[max xam]

Hi Marius,

very good, tomorrow I will try with the machine.

Thanks a lot.

[max xam]

Hi Marius,

this morning I process the file with the cnc with 2mm. dia drill, but the hole of the parts are 2mm. bigger, for example the drawing of a circle was 12mm., but after it results 14mm., the rectagle was 27x57.5 and results 29x59.5, so using cutout it preserve the inner part ?

Do you have a workaroud or I have to reduce the size of 2 mm. in the drawing ?

[Marius Stanciu]

Hi Max,
As I said, the Cutout Plugin is made to cut out a piece out of the surrounding material therefore the cut for a Gerber object is always outside adding therefore the tool diameter.
But in your case, you use it on a Geometry object and the Geometry will guide the tool path therefore the milling bit tip will follow the Geometry, cutting straight through it.

But the milling bit has a diameter, say 2mm. Therefore half of the tool diameter (1mm) will cut inside and the other half will cut outside.
So you see now, by adding a full tool diameter (2mm, half_tool_dia=1mm on left, half_tool_dia=1mm on the right side) you get why the holes have extra 2mm.

A fix will be to use a Margin parameter value of -(tool_diameter / 2) so in your case margin = -1. Observe the negative value. That should take into account the tool diameter.

As always, use the latest commit on my repo.

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After milling you get this, and you can see that the milling is done inside

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[max xam]

Hi Marius,

thaks a lot you always have a solution

[max xam]

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[max xam]

Hi Marius,

I am doing the same procedure with the new attached dxf file, but after editing the object and trying to generate Geometry for Cutout, nothing happens.

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[max xam]

Hi Marius,

I don’t know if the problem is that the tool database is empty, I try to add new tools but I cannot find the way to enter them inside.

[Marius Stanciu]

Hi Max,
In the current state the Tools Database is completely non-functional.

[max xam]

Hi Marius,

I set the tool dia 3.0 mm and when I push Generate Geometry nothing happens, and no errors in the command line. do you have any idea or I am doing some error ?

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[Marius Stanciu]

Hi Max,
Both enumerated options are possible but it is not the case here. The problem is the Geometry itself, the DXF file. It looks like some of the inner shapes are not continuous (closed) vectors and therefore they can’t be processed.
In the latest commit I’ve made some changes which allows at least for those shapes that work to be isolated. Yet, you need to make sure that the DXF file is generated correctly with closed vectors. They may look closed right now, but they are not.
Best regards,
Marius

[Marius Stanciu]

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As you can see, one of those inner shapes are made actually from separated lines therefore when doing buffer, it buffer each sub-line.
It needs to be one shape, a contiguous vector therefore the problem is on how you are doing the drawing in the CAD editor.

[max xam]

Hi Marius,

I used Solidworks 2006 and generate the dxf directly from the same software.In the meanwhile I found a workaround exporting the drawing in stl file and importing in Aspire for engraving.

I will try to find the problem to fix it.

Thanks a lot.

[Marius Stanciu]

FlatCAM can import STL files too…

[max xam]

Great, what is procedure to import stl ?

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[Marius Stanciu]

Nothing complicated: open the file using the entry in the File Menu → Import

[max xam]

I don’t have Stl …..

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[Marius Stanciu]

Sorry, I really need a vacation…. You are right, no STL (no mesh import).