Front Panel CNC / CAD software suggestions

[leonerd]

I've been making front panels for projects lately, that are CNC milled out of acrylic sheets and screwed onto the fronts of extruded aluiminum cases (primarily the Hammond 1455 series). I'm beginning to feel that starting from SVG in Inkscape is not the best way to design these, because the process flow does have a number of shortcomings. Does anyone have any better suggestions for software?

I'm imagining my ideal program would be something similar to KiCad etc... work for PCBs design. It would operate on a number of layers (through-cut, front/back pocketing, engraving, edge bevelling), to which components are added from a standard library of connector cutouts, engraving symbols, text, and other such definitions. Perhaps too a standard library of common case sizes to perform the overall panel cutout and drill holes. As with PCB design software, each component added to the design can contribute to multiple layers simultaneously (e.g. a mounting hole could be both a through-cut and an edge bevel for its screwhead countersink).

The software would emit a set of GCode files, corresponding to each layer, for hobbiest use (because I suspect most home-use CNC machines don't have autochangers), though I imagine a combined file with instructions for a tool turret or similar could also be an option.

Does such software, or something close to it, exist at all? Or am I going to have to contemplate writing it?

[leonerd]

As an example, here's my latest piece of work done this way:

https://twitter.com/cpan_pevans/status/1041082885753786368

This was done in four stages on the CNC mill:

• Drill 4x corner holes for the main mounting screws then cut outline from stock sheet using 2mm cutter. Use these drillholes to mount the now-cut out panel on milling fixture for remaining stages
• Cut full-depth holes using 2mm cutter
• Cut edge bevels around button and display holes using 90degree cutter
• Engrave text areas using engraving bit

As this involves four stages on the mill, with tooling or fixture changes, I'd therefore ideally like the design software to be able to emit four GCode files, corresponding to each stage, so I can run them in sequence between these changes.

[mrpackethead]

Fusion 360.    It even has a complete CAM processor in the back end.  ANd its free.

[Smallsmt]

Fusion 360.    It even has a complete CAM processor in the back end.  ANd its free.

And hopefully still available in 3 years

I use Corel Draw to do my front panels and Alibre Design for the mechanical things.

And for fast jobs i use dual layer plastic sheets and my laser engraver to engrave and cut.

[Mr. Scram]

And hopefully still available in 3 years

I use Corel Draw to do my front panels and Alibre Design for the mechanical things.

Don't hold your breath. Autodesk has shown a willingness to change their mind on a whim. Your IP is in there? Tough luck.

[leonerd]

I use Corel Draw to do my front panels and Alibre Design for the mechanical things.

And for fast jobs i use dual layer plastic sheets and my laser engraver to engrave and cut.

I imagine Corel Draw is roughly equivalent to Inkscape here yes, in that it's just drawing SVG shapes. How do you turn that into the end-result for milling?

If you just laser cut, then that's just a single set of 2D paths, or maybe two for engraving. CNC milling has a depth element to it - cutting out pockets to a given depth, or engraving bevelled edges, or other details. Starting from SVG doesn't lend itself easily to that set of tools without a lot of additional processing steps to turn the 2D shapes of SVG into something with depth information.

[Kean]

I use a similar process to cut acrylic, polycarbonate, and delrin parts on a 6040 CNC router.  I have been doing it for a number of years using CamBam, and still find that a very good tool for quick jobs.

For newer and more complex jobs where I am modelling multiple parts that go together, I now use Fusion 360.  I find it more time consuming to set up the CAM operations than in CamBam, but it is also way more powerful.

[Kean]

Link: www.cambam.info - It isn't free, but for the use I have gotten out of it over the years it paid for itself many times over.
If this is non-profit/hobby work then Fusion 360 may be cheaper (free if you don't count time or downloads).  I pay for licenses as I use them for generating income.

[leonerd]

I use a similar process to cut acrylic, polycarbonate, and delrin parts on a 6040 CNC router.  I have been doing it for a number of years using CamBam, and still find that a very good tool for quick jobs.

It says:

Reading from and writing to 2D DXF files.

So you'd need to start with a DXF file. If I had a DXF file I'd already be using jscut or dxf2gcode or any of hundreds of other 2D DXF-to-gcode conversion tools. But I don't have a DXF yet.

Where do you originate that DXF shape definition from, in your process?

[Kean]

I use a similar process to cut acrylic, polycarbonate, and delrin parts on a 6040 CNC router.  I have been doing it for a number of years using CamBam, and still find that a very good tool for quick jobs.

It says:

Reading from and writing to 2D DXF files.

So you'd need to start with a DXF file. If I had a DXF file I'd already be using jscut or dxf2gcode or any of hundreds of other 2D DXF-to-gcode conversion tools. But I don't have a DXF yet.

Where do you originate that DXF shape definition from, in your process?

I have exported DXF from other CAD software, but usually I just draw simple things like front panels straight in CamBam itself.  It has a pretty decent 2D drawing mode and editing functions - including coordinate data entry.  Then I manually add each of the 2.5D CAM operations I want using my predefined set of tools.  You can have multiple "Parts" under the machining section, which allows exporting each to separate g-code files to handle the multi-step process you mention.  I've used that plenty of times myself.

[leonerd]

I have exported DXF from other CAD software, but usually I just draw simple things like front panels straight in CamBam itself.  It has a pretty decent 2D drawing mode and editing functions - including coordinate data entry.  Then I manually add each of the 2.5D CAM operations I want using my predefined set of tools.  You can have multiple "Parts" under the machining section, which allows exporting each to separate g-code files to handle the multi-step process you mention.  I've used that plenty of times myself.

Yes, I've just been looking over its docs and tutorials. It doesn't look too bad. A couple of points of concern though:

It's a Windows .NET program - so unsure how well that'd run on Linux. But they do have a "Linux support page" of sorts, being http://www.cambam.info/ref/ref.linux so it may be better than average.

Also, I don't see any options for edge-bevelling. There's "Side Profile" which can be used to have a regular endmill cutter make a particular profiled shape, but the operation I'm looking for involves putting a "45degree" (the industry calls them 90degree but I think that's an odd name) cutter in the spindle, and making a secondary pass around certain edges, to cut a smooth bevel onto them. This is typically done by making another toolpath around the surface level of those edges, possibly at some inside offset to account for the cutter's shape. While this could be done with separate manual operations, it'd be nice to have it supported natively, so you wouldn't have to edit the bevel curve yourself manually if you change the main shape.

Plus I still didn't see any ability to output multiple gcode files in one convenient step. Again lots of manual effort needed here.

[Kean]

I haven't tried it on Linux as I run a bit of *everything* here [1] although mostly Windows, but that page you linked does seem to list downloads specifically for running under Linux/Mono.

Not sure if there is a specific feature for edge bevelling, but it certainly supports V-cutters and a bevel can be acheived with an offset path and specific CAM settings.  I've done it this way, but it isn't "automatic" unless you use the (slow) 3D profiles feature.  Maybe search the forums [2] for "bevel" and see if others discuss how they do it.

If you create multiple "parts" under machining operations section [3] from the same drawing, a bit like layers in the drawing, and each "part" can be right clicked to generate individual g-code files.  Or it can generate one massive g-code file for all (with tool changes if configured).

And there are a lot of additional features I haven't begin to explore as I like to keep sane.  Fusion 360 handles more complex geometry and machining, but I tend to switch to 3D printing or outsourcing the machining for those parts.

[1] Win, Mac, Ubuntu, RedHat, VMware, HPUX, AIX, etc - but I avoid perl if can help it
[2] http://www.cambam.co.uk/forum
[3] http://www.cambam.info/doc/plus/cam/CAMPart.htm

[H.O]

It's not exactly what you're looking for but have you seen Front Panel Designer from Schaeffer?

It's really a software meant for use with their manufacturing service where you get instant pricing and can order the panel directly from within the software but it's capable of importing and exporting .dxf and .stp files (among other formats) so with a CAM program to create the G-code file(s) you're good to go.

Like I said, it's not exactly that single piece of software you're looking for but as far as "drawing" front panels Front Panel Designer looks pretty sweet.

[leonerd]

It's not exactly what you're looking for but have you seen Front Panel Designer from Schaeffer?

Yup - I've already been using it before for panels I order from them, which is actually why I'm looking more into building my own now. It does work well as a DXF exporter, but then I'd still have quite a lot of manual steps involved in turning those DXFs into GCode for driving the mill. Lots of the process requires me to "Just know" which elements need exporting into which GCode files for which tools. I'd prefer something that had that already embedded in the information.

[leonerd]

Fusion 360.    It even has a complete CAM processor in the back end.  ANd its free.

No luck so far I'm afraid. They don't even let you download the free trial version, from Linux. And even if I could get hold of the actual installer/executable, my chances of actually running it on Linux via WINE seem not that great -

https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=36468

[mrpackethead]

No linux version.. but there is a browser verison which is not too bad...  But it does all your cam processing.. :-)

[wilhe_jo]

Freecad and librecad work fine for designing front panels. I also did some in inkscape... But that's really not the best option...

For cam I use estlcam... Runs fine under wine and ist pretty simple to use.

73