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Along vector cut

Along vector cut

This is the easiest way to make cut following a cutting path you already drawn or imported.
You can access this feature:

• Clicking the 'Cut Along Vector' button in the  Startup dialog 
• Using the menu 'Cut - Cut along vector' in the Cad section of devFoam.

Before starting this dialog you must select the vector you want to cut along. This can be one of the following Cad types:

• Polyline
• Region (only the external contour will be considered)
• Arc
• Circle
• Spline
• Ellipse
• Elliptic arc
• Smart shape

The following dialog will appear:

The basic idea in this dialog is to create the right  Cutting path and  to send it to your Foam Cutting CNC machine

In the left part of the dialog you can see some parameters required to create the Cutting path :

• Kerf frame - you can select here if you want to apply the  Kerf. The kerf is applied to the right side. If you want to apply it to the other side insert a negative value.  
• Offset of parts to cut frame - you specify how far from the 0, 0 origin the bottom/left corner of the rectangle surroinding the Parts will be placed
• Home position frame - you specify here the X and Y coordinates of the Home of the Cutting path. The Home is the point where the Cutting path start and finish. You can also select not to apply the Home position, in this case just the selected vector will be cut
• Scaling factor - you can rescale the Parts, the default value is 1.0
• Invert - the sense of the cutting path will be inverted

Clicking the Create cut Path button the Path will be created and displayed to the picture

In the right part you can see some buttons, to create, customize and export the cutting Path:

• Create cut Path - this is the main button, as creating the Cutting path is the first operation to do. Click the button and the Cutting path will created automatically. You can then modify the entry/exit points by enabling the Edit mode checkbox and dragging the blue control points
• 3D Preview of the cutting - clicking this button you can see a 3D preview the cutting job. You can customize the preview using the Customize 3D Preview button
• Customize GCode or other Cutting Properties... -  clicking this button you can see a popup menu wher you can:
  • Set the cutting speed 
  • Customize the 2 Axis Gcode 
  • Customize the 4 Axis Gcode
  • Customize the DXF
  • Set the Gcode Strategy
  • Modify Advanced Path setting
• We are making partnership with Companies supplying good controllers and the related Gcode interpreter for Foam cutting.
  You can select one the approved controller/applications then:
  • Press the  'Run the selected app. ->' button to create a special GCode file customized for the selected controller/application and run the application with the right file already loaded
  • Press the  'Create the right Gcode for ->' button to create a special GCode file customized for the selected controller/application
• Create GCode or other Cutting file formats...-  clicking this button you can see a popup menu wher you can:
  • Export Path to 2 Axis Gcode - if you are driving your foam cutting machine as a simple 2 axis, this is the button to create the GCode. You can customize the GCode using the Customize 2 Axis Gcode button
  • Export Path to 4 Axis Gcode - if you are driving your foam cutting machine as a 4 axis, this is the button to create the GCode. You can customize the GCode using the Customize 4 Axis Gcode button
  • Export Path to DXF - DXF files are a standard in Cad applications. You can customize the DXF using the Customize DXF button
  • Export Path to DAT - DAT files are used to describe a single polyline, some CNC driving software likes to import them
  • Export Path to Hpgl/Plt - Hpgl/Plt files are used to describe the plotting of a drawing, some CNC driving softare likes to import them. Only simple command like SP, PU, PD are used here.
  • Export Path to GMFC script .CUT file - if you use GMFC to drive your CNC, you can create a .CUT file and import it in GMFC as a Script file. When you click this button you will be prompted for some parameters in the GMFC .cut file creation dialog
• Fit to screen picture - you can maximize the content of the picture
  Once the Cutting path is right for you you can export it in the format you prefer using the buttons included in the upper/right side of the dialog.
  You can them import/open this file in the application you use to drive your CNC, see also How can I send the work done in devFoam to my Foam Cutting CNC machine?

More info about the picture in this dialog:

• You can Zoom In/Out using the mouse wheel
• If you are not in editing mode, clicking a point inside the dialog you go in 'Distance' mode. When you move the mouse the distance and angle from the clicked point are displayed in the upper/left side. Clicking again a point the Distance mode will exit
• Clicking the right mouse button a contextual menu will be displayed, showing some more features.

I suggest also to take a look at this page, to better understand some important concepts of devFoam: DevFoam FAQ and important concepts