Beginner Plasmac Questions

Whelp, inkscape 0.92 that I had installed would crash with gcode tools, inkscape 1.00 has an error that wont "process for plasma", dxf2gcode AND sheetcam crashes before it even opens! ... nothing to do with plasmac of course, I just felt like b*tching

do you have linux or windows as operating system where you want to install dxf2gcode?

I installed it on Linux, the same PC where LinuxCNC is running.
I have to admit it's a bit tricky.
Please follow the installing instruction. Also be sure that you have all the nesessary runtime dependencies for Unix mashines.
sourceforge.net/p/dxf2gcode/wiki/Installation/
File to download:
sourceforge.net/projects/dxf2gcode/files...0191025.zip/download

That is in regard to holes, but what about coming into curves in general? Does the automatic mode only apply to holes?

Slow down can be set for either holes only or for both holes and arcs.

I think if you are doing one offs, Inkscape may work OK. But if you need to cut multiple parts in a nest (thats me), Sheetcam is purpose built and not expensive.
My workflow is. In office: Design part in Fusion360, save to DXF, Upload to Google drive in the absence of a network, Go to Plasma machine, download DXF from Google Drive, Open in Sheetcam, output gcode to Linuxcnc folder, open in Linuxcnc, cut the part(s).

I could just as easily run Sheetcam on my Windows PC and just send the Gcode to the Plasma machine.



But to get going, I would ignore all the automatic modes and just get some gcode created and cut until you start to see the issues then gradually add rules and auto features.

tommylight wrote:

snowgoer540 wrote:

tommylight wrote:

dxf2gcode

Tormach uses this in PathPilot, mostly would be used for engraving on a mill. With their new 1300PL it will get a bunch more use I'm sure. I never knew it was a shareware.. I always thought they wrote it.

I did use it at the time of Ubuntu 10.04 and LinuxCNC 2.5 ( was called EMC2 then) but since gcodetools for Inkscape came out, i never used it again. It does work and it is simple to use.

It did use to be, I can't get it to run now...