After surfing the web I came across a cool CNC routed photograph that I really wanted to make. At first I was suggested to use Photo VCarve, a vectric software, to convert the photo to a component and then mill it out. That was WAY to difficult and I knew there had to be a simpler way to create this file. So after some more web surfing I came across a “Hack A Day” post that used an application that converted images much easier. So I took a picture of a baby’s face and opened it in the application. Once you are in the application you are able to edit the quality of the circles that will make up your .DXF file. I chose the option to “optimize” the amount of circles and that gave me my desired look. Then I exported as a .DXF . I was fortunate enough to be able to use the Handibot from Shopbot that today so the settings will be a little different depending on your machine.
After I created my .DXF file, I opened it in Asipre (Vectric Software) to create my part file. When you open the halftone file in a software package it just looks like a bunch of circles. DO NOT FEAR! once you select them all and group them, you can then use a V-Carve bit to mill them out. I used a 90 degree 1/2″ v-carve and it took 40.02 minutes at a feed and plunge rate at 3″ /sec . This came out great it was designed for a 6″ x 8″ piece of wood that will later be sealed, sanded, and stained. So check for an update later!
Direct Link to the halftone converter: http://www.students.tut.fi/~syvajar3/DXF_Halftone_15.zip
Cleveland Metropolitan School District Fab Lab 