June 2020
Shark SD110/SD120 | 14
Workflow Overview
It is important to recognize that unlike other wood working and machining tools, you just don’t
walk up to the Shark SD110/SD120 with your material, hit the power button, and start carving
or engraving your project. It is easiest to think of the workflow in two distinct components:
1.
Create the design and toolpath (also called TAP file) - using VCarve.
2.
Machining the part - using the Shark SD110/SD120 Control Panel, you will set your
“Home Location” then load the toolpath file
and run the project (create your carving).
Create the Design and Toolpath(s)
VCarve is used to create the design of the part you want. It is a powerful user friendly program,
if
you haven’t yet gone to
and watched their instructional tutorials on
designing
you must do this first
.
The VCarve projects are saved
with the file extension ‘.crv’. This is not
however the file you will
load onto the Shark SD110/SD120 to carve your design as VCarve does not directly control or
operate the Shark SD110/SD120. This is commonly referred to as yo
ur ‘project file’
and can be
opened and edited at any time by using the VCarve software.
Once your design is ready, you will use VCarve to generate one or multiple toolpaths depending
on what you are trying to do to your project, profiles, drilling, carving etc. All require separate
toolpaths. (Complete directions on this are available at www.vectric.com) You select the design
component, the cutting tool you want to use and then generate the toolpath. A great feature is
that you can preview the outcome of that toolpath in VCarve and make changes before ever
cutting or wasting your material. Then use VCarve to save that toolpath using Post Processor
called
Next Wave CNC (*tap
). You will find it in the Post Processor dropdown list. The Post
Processor automatically creates the g-code needed by converting into a .TAP file. (G-code is the
common name for the computer numerical control (CNC) language used by the Shark
SD110/SD120.) Save the .TAP file onto a USB thumb drive and directly load this into the Shark
SD110/SD120 via the USB slot on the right side of the pendant. The tap file contains the G-code
instructions that will tell the Shark SD110/SD120 where to move in X, Y, Z to make the
appropriate cuts using the cutter tool selected.
