File Type?

[tomy]

With our minibot we wanted to put it on a cnc machine. we have it all put together in pro enginering. what file type do we save it as to use it on a cnc machine?

[dtengineering]

You should probably talk to the person responsible for the operation of the CNC machine.

Typically our team's process would be to export a 2-D drawing from Inventor of the surface we wanted to machine in to a .dxf format, and load that file in to MasterCam, where we would generate the toolpath. Once we had proofed the toolpath in MasterCam, we would generate the .nc file (the g code that would run our CNC router) and transfer that file to the computer that ran the CNC machine.

But you need to make sure that you have the correct post processor for your machine, and have selected the correct tooling, feed rates, and tool speeds for your material and machine.

You also need to plan for how you are going to hold your material in place while your are cutting it, so you'd best talk to someone with hands on experience using the machine that is going to do the cutting.

Jason

[Rob Colatutto]

You can also take your files direct from Pro/E into MasterCAM as 3d data, either in Pro/E native or .stp/.step. This is how our team gets the data to our CNC.

[skotmorris]

Awesome, great to hear you were able to model your minibot in Creo Elements/Pro. Please consider sharing it with PTC when it's complete so we can showcase it with other FIRST team's robots.

You should find out what software will be used to create the CNC machining program with. Most CNC programming applications can read native Creo Elements/Pro files, or you can create a standard export format like STEP using the Save A Copy command.

You can also create an NC model in your Student Edition of Creo Elements/Pro. You can setup the machining environment, create the required machining operations and export an NCL file which can be converted for use on any machine using a Post Processor.

[team1512]

We are struggling to open up the .stp.15 adn .asm.15 files in Pro. Any advice?

[skotmorris]

Can you give me the full name of the files you are attempting to open and when you got them from? It is not clear from your question, exactly which file you are opening.

[arose839]

In my experience, if we wanted to use the CNC, we used .igs files. We used .igs files this year to make side plates for our drive train.