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why are my tool paths always incomplete?
I cut raised letters for other sign shops and one in particular designs in CorelDraw and gives me the file as a dxf. When I come to cut it the toolpaths are always incomplete. There are tiny breaks so therefore are not closed geometries so therefore wont cut. Any thoughts???
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9 Replies
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I’ve seen this with DXF’s before……………can you not accept EPS’s ??
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Hi Mick, not sure i seen you on here before… but welcome.
What CNC you are driving.. I am currently sorting out a Corel Draw to DNC with my AXYZ machine, its a pain but getting better results now. The outputs in DXF from Corel are flawed.
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Thanks for the reply lads, yeah from replies gotten from other forums I’m convinced I will have to try another file sharing type as dxf’s are as you say flawed coming from CorelDraw. They are ok when I draw something in AutoCad and then use them to cut in Alphacam. Dave I use a SCM 48 NST router.
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Are you sure that you close the loops? If you simply draws in autocad the loops aren’t closed. So maybee that’s solving your problem. which version do you use?
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Hi Joris
AutoCad Lt 2004, CorelDraw 11, Alphacam Advanced Router V7
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well normally you can close the loops with a right mouse button. try it or search it in the help file for closing loops.
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Hi,
Can you not use the join tool in alphacam, or if the lines overlap there is a trim function you can use then join them. I find dwg files are best but im not sure if you can create them from programs other than autocad. Finally have you tried opening the dxf exported from corel in autocad and re-saving it as dxf or dwg. Hope this helps.
Cheers
Phil
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I get the same problem with ai exports from Corel to Engravelab. A solid object in Corel is broken into separate paths on export and I then have to use the close path command and reduce the error margin to ‘0’. By closing the path you then have a complete object that will cut in 1 pass without the tool lifting.
For example a circle is broken into 4 arcs on an open path, however remains as a single object. It will not accept a fill until the path is closed and sometimes cuts as a continuous circle or now and again the tool lifts on completion of each of the arcs. Easiest way to check is to un-group and see it the object breaks into component parts.
Of the vectored formats I have found ai the best one for exporting line art from Corel but I am aware of the limitations and potential problems.
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Phil that was one solution to the problem i.e. opening in AutoCad and saving to desktop as a dwg. then importing into Alphacam. This solved the problem a lot of the time but I had to get the site survey from the client because all the letters turned out to be tiny about 2.5mm. This I could live with as I just scaled them up to the size required. If you pull a box round everything to select them and click on join, nothing happens. Also to go to every break and use trim and extend to clean up the lines would take months.
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