mstrens/hot_wire

python scripts to manage a hot wire

Hot_wire

This application runs on a PC and allows to control a CNC 4 axis hot wire in order to cut e.g. wings in foam.

This application is writen in Python 3 (and uses some Python packages). So, it is supposed to run on Windows, Linux and Mac. It uses a graphical user interface and is quite easy to use.

The CNC has to run a 4 axis version of GRBL version 1.1 if you want to control the CNC (home, move, ...) within the application. Otherwise, you can also use the application to generate the Gcode and run it from another CNC controller.

The easiest/cheapest solution for running GRBL 1.1 is to use an arduino mega combined with a RAMP 1.x board. A GRBL version running on this hardware is in this github site. It is a fork from a GRBL made by fra589 (https://github.com/fra589/grbl-Mega-5X/tree/edge/grbl)

An alternative could be to use a version of GRBL running a STM32F103 (blue pill). This can be connected to a RAMP 1.x or directly to drivers like TB6600. Such a GRBL version is available on this Github site too as a separate project.

In this python application you can

• define the characteristics of your table (dimension, speed, com port, baudrate, ...)
• define the characteristics of some material (high/low speeds, radiances, normal cutting speed)
• upload ".dat" files for root and tip profiles
• transform the profiles (chords, thickness, incidence, inverse, skin, smoothing, reducing points, ...)
• define the dimensions and the position of the bloc on the table
• directly control the CNC hot wire (connect to Grbl, unlock GRBL, Home, Move the 4 axis, make vertical/horizontal.inclined cuts, apply heat,...)
• generate and save the gcode for cutting the profiles in the foam
• send the generated gcode to GRBL
• save and reload previous projects, tables, materials

For Windows 10 64 bits, a full compiled version is available as an .exe on github in the "dist" forlder. This version can be run without installing other packages. It could be that it run on oldier version of Windows too (not tested)

In order to run the application on other operating system, you have to install:

• python 3 latest version ( I tested it with version 3.7)
• tkinter (normally already included in python)
• mathplotlib
• numpy
• configparser
• shapely
• scipy
• pyserial
• time (normally already included in python)
• threading (normally already included in python)
• atexit (normally already included in python)
• queue (normally already included in python)

Here some screen shots (perhaps not the latest version but it gives a good idea of the functionalities)

hot_wire's Issues

Tip and Root entry

Bonjour,
tout d'abord félicitations pour ce soft qui fonctionne à merveille.
J'ai trouvé néanmoins quelques pistes d’améliorations (malheureusement je ne connais pas du tout Python, j'ai essayé mais ...)
et surtout un petit bug si on rentre 0 pour les points d’entrée tip et root il y a plantage.
Si au lieu de 0 on saisi 0.0001 dans chacun des champs c'est OK.
Apparemment division par 0 quelque part.
C'est pratique quand on veut vraiment guider l'entrée du fil du fil dans le bloc et donc commencer le dat à 0 comme entrée de bloc.
Une solution potentielle : Pourquoi ne pas forcer à par exemple 0.00001 si l'utilisateur entre 0 dans un de ces 2 champs?

gui locks up when changing material high speed

If I load an existing project fil_chaud_2.ini and then try to alter the high speed in the materials tab the gui locks up and must be restarted.

Unable to connect to grbl

Un able to connect to GRBL (previous version was ok)
Console displays the following text
Exception in thread Thread-1: Traceback (most recent call last): File "threading.py", line 926, in _bootstrap_inner File "threading.py", line 870, in run File "fil_chaud.py", line 87, in execCmd File "fil_chaud_grbl.py", line 23, in connectToGrbl File "gerbil.py", line 412, in cnect File "gerbil_interface.py", line 65, in start ValueError: Unknown format code 'd' for object of type 'str'

Profile has negative values, won't sit on block

Hi,

Testing out the software, I loaded up a clark Y from the UIUC database. I've set up blocks, and the table, etc. to fit my situation, and it works great.

The airfoil won't sit in the block, though. And looking at the "transforms" screen, it looks like it's got the numbers along the wing chord going negative instead of positive.