The commercial packages with reasonable price tags for a hobbyist are better, but still not great. That isn’t going to stop me from writing about what I have learned so far! I haven’t dug deep into any of the open source packages yet, so I fully expect my opinions to change in a few months. Open-source CAM software is archaic compared to slicers. CAM software converts your 2D or 3D model into gcode that runs on your CNC router. Technically speaking, slicers are CAM software-Computer Aided Manufacturing. It seems to have mostly caught up with everyone’s favorite commercial slicer: Simplify 3D.
Slic3r, specifically the Prusa Edition, has been improving tremendously ever since the Prusa Mk2 started shipping. Open-source slicers for 3D printers are abundant and extremely capable. I’m not helped by the fact that I run Linux on all my machines, but even if I weren’t, the 3D-printing software ecosystem is leaps and bounds ahead of CAM software for CNC routers!
Shapeoko XXL CNC Router Kit at Carbide 3D. I Bought a 3D Printer: I Have No Idea What I’m Doing at. I Bought a CNC Machine: I Have No Idea What I’m Doing at. I’ll write about how the cutting workflow goes after I have some proper successes under my belt! I’m not sure whether I’ve done the right thing yet. I reversed the Z-axis in GRBL, and immediately had a successful cut. They were all going in the wrong direction when retracting the tool. I tried using three different pieces of software to generate the gcode, and they all did the same thing as Carbide 3D’s “Hello, World,” file. My first few attempts at running the machine involved the router slamming into the bed. I’m going to need to drill holes and screw those drag chains down.Īlso, I was under the impression that the Shapeoko’s GRBL firmware is correctly configured from the factory. The drag chains are attached to the rails with VHB tape. You need to shim and bend the drag chain bracket, or else the drag chain catches on the limit switch. There isn’t enough clearance between the X-axis limit switch and the drag chain. I don’t want to go into too much detail here, but I feel that it would be rude to mention my complaints without summarizing them.īoth complaints are in regard to the drag chains. I only had two complaints during the build, and one complaint afterwards. In fact, it was even easier than I expected! I didn’t think it was going to be a difficult build, and it wasn’t. My Shapeoko XXL arrived about a week ago.
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