Using a Spreadsheet to make G-codes

A long time ago I bought a CNC machine, and didn't have CAM software. I was able to create 3D shapes on it using a spreadsheet program. There's no visual when you program this way, so you have to do all the visualization in your head.

You can do cutter compensation and everything in the spreadsheet. You just make formulas for everything you need to do. As long as the shape you want to make isn't to complex, you can do it.

You create the program line by line. Put the formulas on one tab page, and on another tab page put the lines of G-code. Then copy the lines of G-code and paste them into a text editor, and you got your program.

Just thought I'd mention that, so people who don't have CAM software can make their own programs to test things or whatever.

Tony

Would you post/attach a copy of such a spreadsheet? Sounds like something that could be used. Especially for someone that is $$$ limited!

I haven't do it in a very long time, so I've long since lost any programs I made.

Tony

ahhhh....
Since you brought it up, would you start a simple example?

The key to this would be to run columns that tallied the results of previous x,y and z locations in their own columns as a simple cell relative position macro, and then tidy it up a bit by using things like an icon lookup table to represent g-code types. Excell can run VB macros, and I think openoffice runs python macros ?

It wouldn't be too hard to run a CNC simulator off the same g-code output to plot the results of the latest spreadsheet save.

However, so long as the current projects SW remains open source, the point is moot, there is already free software that does a better job.

Ok, here's a pic of a spreadsheet.

Notice the highlighted area. That gets copied over and over again. The stuff in columbs G and H are formulas, which don't get included in the G-code.

Tony

So, as you see, no macros needed.

Tony

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2009 09:26AM by Ant.

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