Hi Tony: Many engraving machines now accept PDFs. In fact, if you research them online, they seem to be the file format preference of choice. Have you asked them if they can use PDFs? Mac shouldn't be a problem. What PDF writing print program do you use?
I have Adobe Illustrator too and the DXFs it makes never come out as good as the PDFs. (If you make a PDF of your sundial drawing for the machine, be sure to set your paper size large enough to accommodate a full size drawing and set your print region to 1.00) John John L. Carmichael Jr. Sundial Sculptures 925 E. Foothills Dr. Tucson Arizona 85718 USA Tel: 520-696-1709 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: <http://www.sundialsculptures.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Moss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Sundial Mail List" <sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de> Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2002 3:43 AM Subject: Query > Fellow Shadow Watchers, > I've recently been using a combination of Adobe > Illustrator 9.0 and a local waterjet cutting company to profile large > dial components in stainless steel. The first, a 4ft diameter indented > plate, proceeded flawlessly and so lulled me into a false sense of > security which was brought to an abrupt halt yesterday. > > The components for a large meantime dial in 16mm thick stainless steel > consist mainly of blended flowing curves which Illustrator handles > perfectly. These were 'exported' as 'DXF' files which most CNC machines > can use to cut any complex profile. When my waterjet contractor imported > these into AutoCad on his PC they behaved perfectly and appeared on > screen just as I had designed them BUT, when placed in his toolpath > controlling software, small flat and wiggles appeared at widely-spaced > intervals. These can probably be 'tweaked' out by hand but suddenly a > beautiful process has become an unreliable niggling worry. > > Various 'fixes' were applied such as exporting the 'perfect' AutoCad > files in native form and re-importing them but the same blemishes > sprouted at the critical stage. One additional puzzle is that a > component with a central slot will have the slot displaced sideways. > > I would be delighted to receive any comments or suggestions from any > cognoscenti in these matters. One fly-in-the-ointment might be that I am > using Mac.OS9.2 on a G4. In that connection I would also be pleased to > learn of any appropriate CAD software for the MAC as I might have to > approach this with directly generated DXF files. Especially welcome > would be a specimen file which would put this MAC (not PC) software to > the test on my contractor's system with a DXF. I can send a PDF of the > sort of thing I need help with if anyone can assist. > > Hoping!!!!..... > > Tony Moss. > - > -
