hello! Newbie here again asking questions...

General CNC CNC Routers
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hello! Newbie here again asking questions… :slight_smile:

So after trying a bunch of parts in mescam, I decided to listen to my homie @Marc_Schaefermeyer and give mekarcam a shot… So far it seems pretty easy ans staright forwar when generating 2D gcode… but I have one question:

I need to machine a 1/8" slot hole on 1/4" G10, but I want half the slot to go as deep as 1/8" (like the picture shows); is this possible to accomplish in mekercam? would this be consider a 2.5D project? or do I need to go back to Meshcam to machine something like this?

Thanks in advance! @Jeremy_Johnstone

61efe5811dadf109346227ec0fe11ec4.jpeg

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@Kevin_Barry
Thanks for the help! :slight_smile: So what if I already have this file as a 2D SVG? I would I define the two different elevations?

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The target depth is the same of the setting you are looking for.

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Set one to 0.125 and the other operation to .25

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@Jeremy_Johnstone
I’ll give it a shot… do u know how to close a path in makercam? Thanks!

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Makercam also had a feature of not routing things when it thinks it won’t fit. For you .125 slot and doing a profile cut, you need to set your bit diameters to .12

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Actually that I don’t! Just use the make rounded rectangle and line it up?

Rounding is 0.0635
Width is 0.125
And length is slot length

Then drag over your original drawing

Makercam is ok but still inconvenient to use at times.

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@Jeremy_Johnstone

ah! I did had that issue in meshcam, I had to go back to CAD and increment all the parts where they matched the bit size! so… under sizing the bit sizes will do in makercam?

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Yes I think so.

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@Jeremy_Johnstone
I brought a part into makercam, but for some reason it wont read the outline as one peace, I went back to autocad but can’t find any open spots… :frowning:

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I think there is a tolerance setting in both mesh and makercam. It’d probably 0.001

Times two for the profile. The bits need to be 0.002 smaller then 0.125

Last thing to try is a follow path operation.
Makercam will follow the line. I don’t think the bit size matters.

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@Kevin_Barry
yeah! this will make my parts exactly as I design them! :slight_smile: Thanks!

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@Jeremy_Johnstone
I found the spots!! They were so small I couldn’t see em… :slight_smile: Thankd for your help! More likely I’ll b asking again… :slight_smile:

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It’s a shame you didn’t have as much luck with meshcam. I used it a lot during my trial period. I just haven’t decided whether I should purchase it yet.

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@Jeremy_Johnstone
to be honest with u… I like meshcam better then makercam, but man, parts take for ever to cut… after I thought I had figure out the short cut (parallel finish disable), all my holes were undersized!! :frowning: that really disappointed me… it took two hours to cut my arms and when they where done the slot and the bolt holes were too small…

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@Kevin_Barry
hi, since I use autocad to draft and design, I have to go to DWG then SVG, from here to makercam in this case, then GRBL… but in meshcam i went straight from STL to Meshcam then GRBL

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@Kevin_Barry
yeah kevin… I’m gonna try, thank God I have u guys, other wise I would b lost with this project in got into… lol

It’s been an experience! good one so far…

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@Kevin_Barry
Thanks Kevin! I will check em out and post pics of my little projects as I go… :slight_smile:

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@Jeremy_Johnstone @Kevin_Barry @Marc_Schaefermeyer I was wondering if you know how to scale the projects in makercam according to my CAD scaling? I tried to cut a small part, but found out that makercam saved my gcode file huge, and not the appropriate dimension. Thanks in advance!

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@javierymirna ​ Send me the part and I can test it.