For us newbies to the CNC world, what is a Post Processor?
Okay, to explain this, I have to back up a step.
To get from an idea in your head to cutting on a board, you need two types of software, CAD, and CAM.
Most of the time these days, both are in the same package. This is the case with Fusion 360 and the Vetric products. CAD is computer-aided design, and CAM is computer-aided manufacturing. The first you design in the second produces the G-code to tell your machine what to do.
A post-processor is simply a plugin that runs in your CAM software that tells it how to write the G-code for your machine.
Oh! G-code is nothing but a text file that is the instructions for the machine to do its thing. G-code should be all standardized but like most things, it is not so the need for post processors.
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Thanks. I think I get it.
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