I can help with that. I have software which can read most type of files and the CNC machine to cut out the job. Can Hullform & freeship export an IGES file?
Troy
Freeship can. when i want to do a high quality rendering i usually export to iges and then render using rhino, becase rhino has a better rendering engine IMHO.
Then I can read them in. So if anyone wants to give this a try let me know. Infact if anyone wants to supply a footy design, and stump up the cash for materials & postage I’ll cut the raw plug for them free of charge.
>>…Infact if anyone wants to supply a footy design, and stump up the cash for materials & postage I’ll cut the raw plug for them free of charge.
Now that is a very generous offer! Wish I felt I had something ready to take advantage of it. I’m sure someone will soon step in to accept it, however.
Is it likely that you might make a business out of this? We send you the IGES file and a check, and you send back a hull form? When I mentioned $200 for such a service in an earlier post, that was about where I thought there might be a crossing of supply and demand. I might spend as much as $250 to include shipping, but beyond that I’d have to think my design was better than I expect any of my designs to be anytime soon. (And that would be for something like a One Meter, not a Footy. Right now I wouldn’t spend $100 on any of my Footy designs.)
I first saw numerically controlled machine tools about thirty years ago, an OmniMill and an OmniLathe. Both were massive, extremely expensive, and there wasn’t any way anyone would use either for anything connected with our little sailboats. I knew folks had been working on software for the later models of such machines, but if I understand correctly, all that is now necessary for such a machine is an IGES file? No one has to program the machine to make individual cuts, for instance?
Mike Biggs
Not exactly, but kind of… The IGES file is just a nice format to translate surfaces from one program to another. Once the file is imported into the cutter software we tell the program what kind of tool we will be using to cut the job, what the speed and feed rates are and how we want to cut the surface eg do we cut in a series of contours, or parallel cuts or whatever.
It then calculates all the paths and profiles automatically and can cut the job.
Troy
Troy -
I think I will get killed with freight from down there to up here - but if interested, do you want to send me a price to do a main hull and a float set of MDF plugs? Size - as you know - will be 1.2 meters length. Beam/height will vary. 1 Main hull and one float. I would make both symetrical - but I have a fear that the cost will be in freight versus manufacturing and supplies. Drawings/plans are DXF or DWG if that makes any difference. I am just curious. I have considered using the plugs for a set of vaccuum formed styrene hulls which I can get a local sign shop to “pull” for me - but I can’t afford their plug costs since I don’t have a line-up of potential buyers. Freight to Australia for that size of finshed hulls was close to $500 - but possibly due to one-piece mast length.
Email me off line if questions or to discuss further.
Troy,
I have sent you a PM regarding a project:)
Dan,
I need to catch up with you on MSN to discuss this project further as well.
Thanks guys.