Newbie need some help - Downloading DXF

[okslammer]

ok dont know where to start, we have a hypertherm cnc plasma all it has is the factory software that came with it believe it is phionex or something like that, question is i would like to download a few of the dxf files, what do i need so i could load a file on a jump drive and take it to work and cut it out, i know it probally isnt that easy maybe it is any help just remember im kinda an idiot when it comes to this but any help would be great thanks Robert

[jimcolt]

First off....you need to supply more information. Hypertherm has built quite a few models of CNC controls for industrial machines.....it could be an Edge, and Edge Pro, a Voyager, Voyager ll or lll, a MicroEdge......or one of a half dozen more models. Also...the approx age or manufacture date....or even the software revision level. The Phoenix software is the internal motion control software that drives the machine. Some of the newer versions (last two or three years) can accept a .dxf drwing file and "post process" (add lead ins, lead outs, adjust for kerf width, do simple nesting and develop machine code), while earlier units require that the .dxf file is post processed before downloading to the cnc control.

Usually to run an industrial machine like this you need some CAD software to draw the part...then save it as a .dxf, then a post processor (CAM) software that modifies the drawings with lea ins, lea outs, kerf compensation, nesting and applies the start and stop signals in the form of M and G (machine codes)...the the output file from this software gets loaded directly into the control....often as a .cnc file.

If you let me know who is the manufacturer of the cutting machine, what model, what model Hypertherm cnc, what kind of height control and plasma...I can steer you in the right direction.


Jim Colt Hypertherm

ok dont know where to start, we have a hypertherm cnc plasma all it has is the factory software that came with it believe it is phionex or something like that, question is i would like to download a few of the dxf files, what do i need so i could load a file on a jump drive and take it to work and cut it out, i know it probally isnt that easy maybe it is any help just remember im kinda an idiot when it comes to this but any help would be great thanks Robert

[okslammer]

we had a engineer design a part in auto cad and we couldnt get it to run, the company rep said he should have saved it to a dxf file and it would have cut it, our machine i believe is a 130 it is suppost to have a converter already programmed in it if this is no help i will have to wait til monday to get the info you requested machine is less than 3 yrs old