Need help cutting 4'x4' sheet into 2'x4' rectangles - male tool path or online?

[Dan Spec]

Thanks for all the info, and files everyone has posted in this forum. I am very grateful.

I am using the Torchmate EDU-s software, and have uploaded a file I am working on. I used 4" horizontal rectangles and 2" rectangles vertically in an attempt to create blanks that students can practice welding on while our shear is getting fixed or replaced. The edu software apparently cant export a dxf file. So I have uploaded the edu format file I am working on.

My question is, how should I set up the tool paths to cut this. Use the online or male paths? And is there a tool that will make just lines so I wont be wasting cut time on the outer edges?

Just 4" by 48" pieces would get us by since our small cut shear is still working. Attached is an image of me trying to do that this morning.

Advice is welcomed and much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Dan Spec

 

[Dan Spec]

Well, I used the line tool to create single lines across the sheet. Then created online tool paths that was used to fix the river at 22:22 in this video.

(there is audio lag so what is being said is a minute or so before this point in the video).

Wish me luck - going to try it out next week. If this wont work, please let me know.

Thanks

Dan

 

[Arkansas Metal Art]

Squaring your material on the table and getting a good edge start on every single line will be critical. Considering the PITA this will probably be, I would cut the full rectangles. IMO. Someone else might have a better idea. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Dan Spec]

Thanks Jason, yes getting the material straight on the table was important. Thanks for that tip. What I ended up doing was to make a single cut on a 4'x8' sheet from the Accumove point tab as described in the Tips thread listed at the top of this forum, to get two 48"x48" plates. Then in the Torchmate cad software I drew 11 online (online paths) cuts across the x and two paths at the end of all of these across the y. This left us with 12 pieces that the student could cut in the small shear to 2"x4" plates to practice on. I was thinking of making all the 2" y cuts in sequence from the far x+ to x- side of the table. But it would be a pain to dig all the little plates out of the water, and gives more value to the plates when a student has to shear cut them. Which in turn will save material.

I have attached an image from the student software and the gcode made with the Master software with the dongle in case someone else might benefit from my time spent on this. It runs at 120 ipm (which might not be right but works) and the stock settings that our table came with - with the exception of the material thickness being changed to match the metal being cut.

ps: yes there are 4 cuts with an oxy torch that need to be made to finish this off the table. And two 1"x40" small plates that can be practiced on also. Plus be sure to set the 48x48 plate squared and centered exactly 2" and 3/4's of an inch from the y- front of the table and set program zero at the exact x- and y- corner of the plate or the job wont run right, or will error out.