AP100 TEXT AND COMPLEX SHAPES WITH A LOT OF SPLINES

[lightl]

Hello everyone. I'm using AP100 for assigning laser (FOM2) and the software does not process text(Alphabets have to be laser cut) files and drawings with too many splines. Sometimes it just wont work. I kindly request you to suggest a method to process these drawings( usually done in Corel Draw/autocad) If there is any trick, I kindly request you to share, I'm facing a lot of heat from my boss for rejecting orders.

 

[jacobsonse]

If the spline is too long it will brake it up to straight lines in dr abe.
We just brake the spline in too shorter sections.
I don't know how to do it in ap100.

 

[evans1089]

Is buying CAD out the question?

 

[jjl1210]

[URL unfurl="true"]https://res.cloudinary.com/engineering-com/raw/upload/v1460740536/tips/etch_dmeacn.docx[/url]
I use AP100 all the time for etching it works great. You have to be in the laser tooling to etch and in the tooling tab you need to select the etch text icon.

 

[lightl]

Please find the attached dwg ..this is the file which I'm not able to process in ap100 ...if there's any solution please let me know.

 

[jjl1210]

What are you looking to do with it? Do you need a DXF of it?

 

[lightl]

@jjl1210... when I open that drawing in ap100.. the software just hangs and cannot convert it to cam-part processing. Are there tricks to get it done?

 

[jjl1210]

I can open it but I can't put cam to it.

 

[Bigums]

I've had this problem with splines and laser cutting for a while now. The code would literally slow the machine down when the splines were converted to too little of a tolerance (aka .001 line extraction making miles worth of code to create a circle or arc).I would extract DXF in CorelDraw and then open in AutoCAD and create arcs and lines to eliminate the splines.

Also, our Laser cam is unheard of (FG-CADCAM) and the training only comes out of one location so I haven't ever been able to use it. So I have had to use GibbsCAM (our milling and lathe cam software) and convert the code manually to run on the laser. I don't know how small tolerance spline extractions effect your CAM software, but GibbsCAM hits every single point and makes years worth of code if I don't draw over the DXF in AutoCAD.

 

[jjl1210]

I've done several things but it all ends up with splines. I can us SigmaNest to fix it but it's quicker to use Ap100 and redraw over the splines. It will take some time because you have a pile of lines but it can be done.

 

[striker12300]

You need to turn them into regular lines before opening in AP100. You can do this in AutoCad. Do you have AutoCad?

 

[jetrep]

AP100 does not handle this stuff well. I didn't open it in AP100 as I think there's a good chance it'll crash. Simplifying to longer lines and simplified arcs is the way to go but even that can be problematic. We've ran into complex programs where we'd have to break up the cutting/etching into two programs due to memory limitations.

 

[jjl1210]

I can redraw them with what you gave me.

 

[lightl]

@striker12300...Ty for your reply... I do have autocad...how do you convert to regular lines in autocad...are you talking about convert to polylines? please enlighten me.
@jjl1210....Thanks for your replies.... can open it in cad and cannot put it to cam...same problem here...redraw as in retrace the splines? ...i did try that after your suggestion .. it works but the accuracy is affected ...besides i cannot do it for bigger programs.

 

[Bigums]

@lightl pretty sure you have to just manually draw over them because all the line and arc converters are wishywashy and don't work very well. Unless there's some other way that I've missed out on these past few years; I've been tracing over them all by hand to shorten the code so the laser actually read each line without slowing down.

 

[jjl1210]

If you get in a bind you can see it these redraws will work for you.

 

[striker12300]

explode - flatten (remove hidden lines N) - explode again.

 

[Bigums]

YOU JUST SAVED MY LIFE @STRIKER12300
I can't tell you how much time I've wasted looking for a solution to this problem and never finding an answer. Only to think I had to trace true lines and arcs over everything I do.

 

[striker12300]

Finally! I was helpful!!

 

[lightl]

I still didn't get it. I did try what @striker12300 said...explode...flatten..explode in autocad 2006 with the drawing that I uploaded...first it showed couldn't explode...when I tried flatten it went into an overdrive....Please tell the exact procedure so that I can try it in this/other versions of of Autocad. Thanks in advance.