I've been making front panels for projects lately, that are CNC milled out of acrylic sheets and screwed onto the fronts of extruded aluiminum cases (primarily the Hammond 1455 series). I'm beginning to feel that starting from SVG in Inkscape is not the best way to design these, because the process flow does have a number of shortcomings. Does anyone have any better suggestions for software?
I'm imagining my ideal program would be something similar to KiCad etc... work for PCBs design. It would operate on a number of layers (through-cut, front/back pocketing, engraving, edge bevelling), to which components are added from a standard library of connector cutouts, engraving symbols, text, and other such definitions. Perhaps too a standard library of common case sizes to perform the overall panel cutout and drill holes. As with PCB design software, each component added to the design can contribute to multiple layers simultaneously (e.g. a mounting hole could be both a through-cut and an edge bevel for its screwhead countersink).
The software would emit a set of GCode files, corresponding to each layer, for hobbiest use (because I suspect most home-use CNC machines don't have autochangers), though I imagine a combined file with instructions for a tool turret or similar could also be an option.
Does such software, or something close to it, exist at all? Or am I going to have to contemplate writing it?
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A****min
Sep 27.2019, 18:09:11
Fusion 360. It even has a complete CAM processor in the back end. ANd its free.