DeskProto V8 Multi-Axis Edition Hobby License Key

V-Carving has been high on our wish-list for some time, and we are delighted that this tool now is available. It is an important tool as it offers CNC newbies the option to create good-looking signs without much training. And when you just have bought a CNC machine you of course want to create some nice parts as soon as possible. At that point V-Carving is the ideal tool to use. That being said: V-Carving is a great tool for experienced CNC users as well.

The video above shows how it works: each character is created using one single toolpath through the center of the groove. When the depth of the cut changes, for the V-shaped cutter the width of the groove changes as well. The toolpath that DeskProto calculates makes sure that the outside of the groove exactly matches the curves in the CAD data. The Tutorial book explains how this works, in Lesson 4, a video tutorial will follow soon.

V-Carving also makes it easy to create wood inlays. The photos above show the two parts that are needed: in the base the design is V-Carved as cavity, in the second the same design is V-Carved as plug that exactly fits in this cavity. In order to make these two parts fit some extra settigns are needed: the Help file explains this in detail. Here as well a video tutorial will follow.

It is not always easy to see on your screen what will happen on the machine. For complex toolpaths the screen may become one large mass of tangled red lines. Toolpath animation will solve this problem: this new feature shows the cutter while moving along the toolpath. The video shows this for the V-carved 'William' sign.

You can set the speed, and as an alternative you can use the slider to quickly reach any position on the toolpath. Drawing the cutter on its true size may obscure what you want to see, so this true size is optional.

In previous DeskProto versions the geometry support tab option did not always offer sufficient funtionality. Only four tabs were possible (front, back, left and right), always parallel to the main axes, treated like all other geometry. In Version 8 the Support tabs have been improved: you now can set any number of tabs, in any position and (in top view) any orientation.

The supports now also are a seperate class, shown in a different color and not belonging to the geometry. So an area set to 'All geometry' will not include them, and when skipping all area around the geometry the supports will not be cut loose from the rest of the block.

Many modern CNC machines have a laser option built in or available as optional extra. For instance machines made by Makera, SainSmart, Snapmaker, ...). So users have asked us to add laser support to DeskProto: in version 8 we have done so!

Laser engraving is now possible for Vector operations. You can simply select the laser as one of your cutters (your machine definition and postprocessor must have been set to support laser). This means that some exciting options are now available for the laser: you can not only engrave (or cut) a flat sheet of material, you can also laser engrave a part on a rotation axis, and you can project the laser toolpaths on any curved surface that you have machined.

For advanced users DeskProto offers a number of special cutters. 'Normal' cutters will have a shape that (vaguely) resembles a vertical cylinder and will rotate round the axis of that cylinder. The special cutters are different: The Circular saw offers a high material removal rate, which makes it an efficient cutter for roughing. At least for geometries without cavities that are too small for the saw-blade. The video shows this on a machine with a horizonal Z-axis: in DeskProto the saw-blade will move up dan down. As you can see a special machine is needed. The Chainsaw is used in the same way as the circular saw. The Rounded disk cutter can be seen as a circular saw with a very thick saw blade that is rounded. In the Help file you can find an image. The Horizonal cutter has the shape of a 'normal' cutter, however it is oriented horizontally and travels over the part following a 2D path.

The last two special cutters are of a different type, as they do not remove chips: The Laser cutter has been described in the previous section. The Hot wire cutter is meant for cutting polystyrene (EPS): the hot wire will melt a path through the block. The wire is a straight line, and in DeskProto both ends make the same 2D movement. Intended use is roughing, especially for rotary parts.

A highly appreciated feature in DeskProto V7 is its ability to create rotation axis toolpaths. Not just by wrapping a flat design around a cylinder, but real rotary toolpaths that follow the 3D geometry. This is a great tool for any user of a CNC machine with a fourth axis.

So far, DeskProto has always used a cylinder-shaped block for all rotary projects, and many users have requested support for rectangular blocks for rotary machining. We are very happy to announce that Version 7.1 now supports rectangular blocks.

The screenshot above shows the Venus geometry in a rectangular block (the orange lines indicate the block). On the right side, 4th axis toolpaths are present (for three roughing layers). For a cylindrical block, these toolpaths would have been full circles, cutting air when the block was rectangular. This cutting air is no longer needed.

A second feature request that has been made many times was simulation for rotation axis toolpaths. Calculating such simulation is much more difficult than for 3-axis machining, so it has taken us considerable time to add this feature. It involved implementing a completely new simulation algorithm based on voxels.

The resolution of the simulation can be set in the Part parameters. As you can see in the screenshots above, the new algorithm works effectively.

A postprocessor is the part of a CAM program that converts the toolpath data to a format suited for a specific machine or controller. DeskProto features a configurable postprocessor: any user can add and edit postprocessors using a graphical interface. This is unique, as many CAM programs require purchasing each new postprocessor, which can be more expensive than the complete DeskProto license.

In DeskProto V7.1, new functionality has been added to this configurable postprocessor: it is now possible to add information about the current project to the NC file using placeholders: code words enclosed in curly brackets {}. In the screenshot above, eight placeholders are present. When writing the NC file, each placeholder is replaced by the actual value it represents. The "Show example" button allows you to preview the result. For instance, {TOOLNAME} is replaced by the cutter's name: "Ball nose, radius 2 = diameter 4 mm."

Placeholders are available for several values that can be useful in the NC file. Check the Help file for a complete list. Placeholders can be used in most edit fields in the postprocessor dialog and in the Operation's Start/End commands.