Pocketing with QCAD/CAM

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andrew
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Pocketing with QCAD/CAM

Post by andrew » Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:10 pm

Although QCAD/CAM does not have a built in tool to create pockets (yet), you can easily create complex pockets using the polyline offset tool.

First, create all outer and inner contours (left). This can consist of polylines, loose lines, arcs, circles, ellipses or splines:
Screen Shot 2018-02-07 at 10.52.47.png
Screen Shot 2018-02-07 at 10.52.47.png (41.2 KiB) Viewed 14287 times
Select all outer contours and inner contours (island) of the pocket:
Screen Shot 2018-02-07 at 10.54.27.png
Screen Shot 2018-02-07 at 10.54.27.png (20.38 KiB) Viewed 14287 times
Start Modify > Offset with a distance of the tool radius. Set the number to something large enough to create all possible offsets (or larger, e.g. 50). Click one of the selected polyline on the side where you want to create the offsets (orange):
Screen Shot 2018-02-07 at 11.08.03.png
Screen Shot 2018-02-07 at 11.08.03.png (65.36 KiB) Viewed 14287 times
You can now use the created offsets as basis of a new profile toolpath. Make sure to set the side to "On" to make sure that the tool center follows the offset curves without any tool radius compensation (the tool radius is already compensated in the offsets).

CVH
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Re: Pocketing with QCAD/CAM

Post by CVH » Sun May 13, 2018 5:08 pm

That would be true if the offset function would flawless make offsets of complex paths and holes.
I know, I have to document this.
Beside that my driver software does not like self intersecting lines or null lines and is pretty demanding about the closed nature of polylines.

Kind regards.

Edit
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Errors while poly offset.dxf
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davorin
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Re: Pocketing with QCAD/CAM

Post by davorin » Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:36 am

Hello Andrew

When you're saying that pocket tool is not yet available...is it already in the pipeline to be available in a near future?

I want to switch over to QCAD/CAM Linux and away from Windows...but in the old CAM software I have the pocketing tool (which most CAM tools have anyway I believe ;o)

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andrew
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Re: Pocketing with QCAD/CAM

Post by andrew » Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:40 am

davorin wrote:
Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:36 am
is it already in the pipeline to be available in a near future?
No, you'd have to use the approach described above for the time being.

CVH
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Re: Pocketing with QCAD/CAM

Post by CVH » Thu Jul 09, 2020 8:47 am


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