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spectraCAD Engraver - Basic CAM Software
spectraCAD Engraver - Basic CAM Software
spectraCAD enables students to easily and quickly create 2D files and generate NC files. In this activity you will begin the design process of your first part. During this and the next two activities, you will draw the part shown below. It includes a material outline, an inner boundary, and three islands. The islands form the letters.
Complete the LMC project.
You will draw the part shown above. It includes a material outline, an inner boundary, and three islands. The islands form the letters L, M, and C.
New Drawing
File>New
Setup
Engraving>Engraving Setup
Stock Size tab. Change to 3" x 2" x 1.5"
Edit>Layer
Add Layer
Name it "Contours"
Change the color to purple.
Draw the Outer Border
Draw>Rectangle
Starting at coordinate 0,0 (Bottom left corner), move to the upper right corner of the material outline and click to create a rectangle.
Draw the Inner Boundary
Select Offset from the Modify Menu.
Select the rectangle as the entity to offset. Once selected, the rectangle appears dashed, and the offset appears. Moving the cursor changes the size of the offset.
Set the offset distance: Click the Type button. The Enter Offset Distance dialog box appears. Enter .25 as the offset value, then click OK or press Enter.
Click the left mouse button to except.
Turn off Grid Snap. Snap>Grid. Click on it until check is removed.
Select Fillet from the Modify Menu.
Set the fillet radius: click the Type button, and the Enter New Fillet Radius dialog box appears. Type .125, then click OK or press Enter.
Select Side 1 as the first fillet entity.
Select Side 2 as the second fillet entity.
Repeat Steps above to fillet the other three corners in the same way. You do not need to set the fillet radius again.
Press Escape to end the Fillet operation. The inner boundary is now complete.
Click the Save button on the toolbar, select Save from the File Menu, or press Ctrl+S. The File Save As dialog box appears.
Navigate to your CNC folder
Type the name, LMC.dxf, into the File Name field.
Click OK or press Enter.
Draw the “L” Island
The L, M, and C are called “islands” because the material surrounding them is machined, but the material inside them is not. They will appear raised on the machined part, just as islands are raised above the ocean's surface. Note that the islands are shaped like letters of the alphabet, but they are not text blocks.
Select Setup from the Snap Menu. The Setup Snaps dialog box appears.
In the Constraints area, click the Grid checkbox so it contains an “✔"
Enter .0625 in the Grid Spacing field.
Click OK or press Enter.
Now change the coordinate type to Relative, so that each point will be measured from the last point you picked. This makes it easy to draw horizontal and vertical lines of specified lengths.
Click the Coordinate Type button until it displays “Rel.”
Relative coordinates are now shown in the Coordinate Display box.
Select Line from the Draw Menu.
Move the cursor until the Coordinate Display box says r(.375, .5625). Click to pick the start point of Line 1.
Move the cursor up to r(0.0, 0.875). Click to pick the end point of Line 1. Line 1 appears.
Move the cursor right to r(0.25, 0.0). Click to pick the end point of Line 2. Line 2 appears.
Move the cursor down to r(0.0, -0.625). Click to pick the end point of Line 3. Line 3 appears.
Move the cursor right to r(0.25, 0.0). Click to pick the end point of Line 4. Line 4 appears.
Move the cursor down to r(0.0, -0.25). Click to pick the end point of Line 5. Line 5 appears.
Move the cursor left to r(-0.5, 0.0). Click to pick the end point of Line 6. Line 6 appears.
Press Escape to end the Line operation. The “L” island is now complete.
Save your work.
Draw the "M"
Select Line from the Draw Menu.
Pick the start point of Line 1 by clicking the Type button.
The Enter Point dialog box appears. Enter 1.5 for X and 0.8125 for Y, then click OK or press Enter.
Move the cursor up and to the left until the Coordinate Display box reads r(-0.25, 0.3125). Click to pick the end point of Line 1. Line 1 appears.
Move the cursor down to r(0.0, -0.5625). Click to pick the end point of Line 2. Line 2 appears.
Move the cursor left to r(-0.25, 0.0). Click to pick the end point of Line 3. Line 3 appears.
Move the cursor up to r(0.0, 0.875). Click to pick the end point of Line 4. Line4 appears.
Move the cursor right to r(0.25, 0.0). Click to pick the end point of Line 5. Line 5 appears.
Move the cursor down and to the right to r(0.25, -0.3125). Click to pick the end point of Line 6. Line 6 appears.
Press Escape to end the Line operation. The left half of the “M” island is complete, and should look similar to the one pictured below.
Click the Mirror button on the Modify Toolbar, or select Mirror from the Modify Menu.
Pick a point above and to the left of the existing half of the “M” island. This is the first corner of a selection box.
Drag the cursor down and to the right, until the existing half of the “M” island is completely inside the selection box, then click to pick the second corner of the selection box. Lines 1 to 6 should be selected. If they are not, or if other entities are also selected, cancel the operation and repeat Steps 10, 11, and 12.
Press Enter to end the selection process.
Click the End Point button on the Snap Toolbar, select End Point from the Snap Menu, or press F2.Click the cursor on the end point of Line 6 to pick the first point of the mirror line. A mirror image of the existing half appears. Moving the cursor moves the image.
Click the End Point button on the Snap Toolbar, select End Point from the Snap Menu, or press F2.
Click the cursor on the start point of Line 1 to pick the second point of the mirror line. The right half of the M, a mirror image of the left half, is drawn, and the M is complete.
Save your work
Drawing the "C"
Click the Line button on the Draw Toolbar, or select Line from the Draw Menu.
Pick the start point of Line 1. Click the Type button. The Enter Point dialog box appears. Enter 2.625 for the X Coordinate value and 1.4375 for the Y Coordinate value, then click OK or press Enter.
Drag the cursor down to r(0.0, -0.25) and click to pick the end point of Line 1. Line 1 appears.
Press Escape to end the Line operation.
Click the Copy button from the Toolbar, or select Copy from the Modify Menu.
Select Line 1, then press Enter to end the selection process.
Click the End Point button on the Snap Toolbar, select End Point from the Snap Menu, or press F2.
Click on the start point of Line 1 to pick the reference point of the copy.
Drag the cursor until the Coordinate Display box reads r(0.0, -0.625), then click to select the new base point of the copy. Line 2 appears directly below Line 1.
Press Escape to end the Copy operation.
Click the Radius Arc button on the Draw Toolbar, or select Radius Arc from the Draw Menu.
Click the End Point button on the Snap Toolbar, select End Point from the Snap Menu, or press F2.
Click the end point of Line 1 to pick the start point of Arc 1.
Click the End Point button on the Snap Toolbar, select End Point from the Snap Menu, or press F2.
Click the start point of Line 2 to select the end point of Arc 1.
Move the cursor to r(-0.25, 0.0625) and click to set the radius of Arc 1.
Press Escape to end the Radius Arc operation. Arc 1 appears, connected to Line 1 and Line 2.
Click the Offset button on the Modify Toolbar, or select Offset from the Modify Menu.
Select Arc 1 as the entity to offset. The offset appears when you move the cursor to the outside of Arc 1.
Click on any point toward the outside (to the left) of Arc 1, to select the offset side. Arc 2 appears. It has the same center point as Arc 1, and a radius 0.25" larger than Arc 1.
Press Escape to end the Offset operation.
Click the Zoom Box button on the Display Toolbar, or select Zoom Box from the View Menu.
Click on a point above and to the left of Line 1 and Arc 2 as the first corner of the zoom box. Drag the mouse to a point below and to the left of Line 1 and Arc and click. This is the second corner of the zoom box. The view becomes a close-up of the area in which you will be working.
Click the Trim/Ext button on the Modify Toolbar, or select Trim/Extend from the Modify Menu.
Select Arc 2 as the boundary.
Select Line 1 as the entity to extend. Line 1 now starts on Arc 2.
Click the Trim/Ext button on the Modify Toolbar, or select Trim/Extend from the Modify Menu.
Select Line 1 as the boundary.
Select the outer portion of Arc 2 (to the right of Line 1) as the entity to trim. The outer portion is deleted. Arc 2 is trimmed to Line 1, and the two entities share an end point. If you pick the inner portion by mistake, select Undo from the Edit Menu and repeat the task.
Click the Zoom Previous button on the Display Toolbar, or select Zoom Previous from the View Menu. The entire drawing is now within the Drawing Area.
Click the Zoom Box button on the Display Toolbar, or select Zoom Box from the View Menu.
Click on a point above and to the left of Line 2 and Arc 2 as the first corner of the zoom box. Drag the mouse to a point below and to the left of Line 1 and Arc 2 and click. This is the second corner of the zoom box. The view becomes a close-up of the area in which you will be working.
Click the Trim/Ext button on the Modify Toolbar, or select Trim/Extend fromthe Modify Menu.
Select Arc 2 as the boundary.
Select Line 2 as the entity to extend. Line 2 now starts on Arc 2.
Click the Trim/Ext button on the Modify Toolbar, or select Trim/Extend from the Modify Menu.
Select Arc 2 as the boundary.
Select Line 2 as the entity to extend. Line 2 now starts on Arc 2.
Click the Zoom All button on the Display Toolbar, or select Zoom All from the View Menu. The entire drawing is now displayed in the Drawing Area.
Save your file
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