File Format
2D files are the quickest way to turn around a job. We also accept 3D to help us better understand your project.
Technical Drawings
Supporting documents like technical drawings are not required, but they are always welcome. Often an annotated hand sketch is the most helpful drawing we receive.
Hand Sketch
Not a CAD person? Simple jobs can be submitted with a hand sketch. Just send us a photo of your sketch and try to include all the relevant details.
i.e. material type, material thickness
Layers
Use layer names to communicate the details of your job.
For example, put all 3mm diameter drill holes on a layer named “Drill - 3mm Diameter Through”,
&
The details of your material on a layer named “18mm Birch Ply 2440 x 1220”.
Common CAD Issues
Faceting - Some drawing software communicates circles and arcs as a series of lines not ‘smooth’ vectors. These faceted shapes are not very CNC friendly. Sketchup is a fantastic drawing tool, but is not suitable for CNC machining for this reason.
Open Loops - Curves/loops need to be ‘closed’ for the CAM software to read the drawing correctly. Common culprits are duplicate lines, intersecting vectors, and small hard-to-see gaps between lines.
Scale - Some software (looking at you Illustrator) will export your drawing at a funny scale if you’re not careful. Check the export settings and don’t hesitate to consult Google to get it right.
Nesting
As a general rule it’s best to nest your parts 20mm from each other, and to leave a 20mm border gap around your work piece.
Internal Corners
Consider using dog-bone or T-bone fillets on internal corners where the radius of the router bit might cause problems. A 4mm radius is a safe bet - OR we’re happy to do it for you.