TRAK Machine Tools
Southwestern Industries, Inc.
The ProtoTRAK DXF Converter Operating Manual
34
FIGURE 5.8 Break the circle into arcs to machine the interior as a
Pocket or Profile.
Islands
There is not an islands selection in this version of the DXF Converter. A simple trick enables you
to get the same result easily with the convenience of the Pocket programming of the DXF
Converter: divide the island into two pockets by adding a line. See Figure 5.9 below.
FIG
URE 5.9 Two simple lines divide the island into two pockets.
5.2 Tips for Lathe DXF
Limit Connective Geometry to One Plane
Geometry on one layer cannot be connected to geometry on a different layer. When drawings
contain geometry in multiple layers, a 2D view can make it look like the geometries are
connected when they are not because they are in different layers. You may not be aware of it
until you try to connect two lines or arcs and receive an error message.
To Resolve Problems Hiding Layers
There are intermittent instances where files saved as .DWG will have layering problems when
brought into the DXF converter. If your file experiences layering problems, simply have your CAD
programmer open it with AutoCAD and save it as .DXF or an earlier version of AutoCAD (i.e.
AutoCAD 2000 to Version 14).
Reducing File Loading Wait Time
The amount of time you have to wait for the CAD drawing to load is a function of the number of
entities found in your drawing. To lessen wait time, try eliminating un-needed geometry from
your drawing. This will be most beneficial when using the Chaining feature.
Layer to Isolate Geometry
Organize drawing layers so that information that is not needed for the conversion process can be
hidden. You want to be able to isolate the geometry to be programmed from the other things like
page borders that appear in a drawing file.
Avoid Complicated Graphics in Your Title Block
Graphics like company logos may involve a large number of geometric entities. If this is not on a
layer that is hidden, the converter will process this as geometry that you wish to machine. This
may result in a longer waiting time while your drawing is being processed. (In our beta test, we
encountered one graphic that caused the DXF Converter ten minutes of processing time on one
of our slower computers!).
