I’m about to dive into the world of cnc for the first time but the part that worries me most is designing complex designs in cad and producing the cam and g codes.
Does anyone use someone else to do this and is it then a matter of plugging a usb memory stick into the machine and setting the machine up to go?
I should add that I have a degree of brain damage from a head industry and I find it hard to learn new things, hence the desire to make things as simple as possible at my end
You can look at cncfiles.com. You can purchase files and expert training there. You might be able to work with one of their experts to create designs for you.
What type of “complex” designs are you talking about? Are they woodworking projects? Or are you milling machine parts?
Hi Alan, I think you may have the idea that this type of CNC routing / carving (Mill) requires a bunch of programming knowledge and that you are writing your own G code. Don’t get caught up in all that.
When you have an idea for something you want to Mill, you must draw the project. In this world, 2d and 3D are notably different but 3D incorporates 2D. You will need to learn a software that allows you to draw your desired shapes, best practices are either Vectric VCarve Pro or Carveco. I suggest VCARVE Pro because the desktop version will be frustrating if you are doing anything over 24x24 inches.
Vectrics have done a very good job of both education and making a product that just simply works. It is also upgradeable to Aspire which is amazing.
I have no knowledge of Carveco product but I would hope 1F has elected to provide at least a comparable product to Vectrics.
I highly recommend spending several hours watching YouTube videos and the educational videos from either Vectrics or Carveco before pulling the trigger on your cnc purchase.
This subject can be very difficult or it can be very simple. This forum and FB offer a great amount of support from others that have experienced the same questions, problems and frustrations. YouTube has a crazy amount of free information that I highly suggest watching. A few names to consider off the bat are Mark Lindsey, Kyle, IDC woodcraft and many many more. My spelling may be off but search out Beginner CNC carving or Vcarve Tutorials and they will show up.
Start at the beginning and go from there.
This craft is daunting if you read a few books on G code and the like but in truth, it is a very doable and learnable craft.
Tenacity, will be your friend, so will the user groups on FB. Be willing to ask questions but be good about providing videos with sound that show what your question is about.
Lastly, you will never get the satisfaction of taking an idea from your head, drawing it, processing it and then producing it if you don’t do all the steps yourself. This process is the reward. Good luck, hope to see you out there making stuff.
John, thanks for your highly informative and reassuring reply, it’s given me more confidence already. People like you giving up your valuable time to help newbies is are one of the things that are best about these forums
Hi Alan - shameless self promotion – I have a 101 series on YT that might help and other “beginner” videos. As John indicates, you don’t need to program the machine yourself. But you do need to understand the settings and what is ‘safe’ for your machine. That will save you a lot of failed projects and frustration.
-Tom
