Can QCAD/CAM control my machine?
Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:04 pm
From a QCAD/CAM user:
Can QCAD/CAM control my CNC machine?
QCAD/CAM produces a G-Code file (or similar) from a CAD drawing. This G-Code is a text file containing commands for the machine (movements along the X, Y or Z axis, switching tools, setting the spindle speed, setting the feedrate, etc.).
QCAD/CAM does NOT directly interact with a machine. It cannot be used to directly hook up to your machine and control it. For this, you will need an additional software: the machine controller software (for example WinPC-NC, UCCNC, LinuxCNC or Mach3). This machine control software will load the G-Code from QCAD/CAM and then directly control your machine over a USB or parallel port cable.
The interface between QCAD/CAM and your machine controller software is usually G-Code. QCAD/CAM can be configured to produce different dialects of G-Code and if a machine controller software supports G-Code, QCAD/CAM can usually be configured to support it. If you send us an example file that is known to work with your machine controller software, we can assess how much effort it would be to create a postprocessor for your machine controller software.