From Part to G-code in One Chat
Priya is the mechanical lead at a company that makes industrial sensor units. Each unit has a main board, an enclosure, and an aluminum bracket that holds the unit on a machine frame. In Flux, the board, the enclosure, and the bracket took a few hours.
Without Flux, machining the bracket took another week. Somebody exported a STEP file, opened it in a separate CAM tool, and set up the stock, the tools, and the operations again by hand. Then the bracket changed by 2 mm, and that whole setup had to be done again.
Ask Flux for the G-code
Priya tells Flux the machine, the stock, and the workholding in the first prompt:
"Make 3-axis toolpaths for the bracket in this project. Stock is a 6061 block in a 6 in vise on 4 mm parallels. Tabs are fine for the final profile. Pick the cutters yourself and give me the G-code file and a toolpath preview."
Flux then:
- Reads the part. It finds the outline, the four M4 holes, and the 20 mm center slot.
- Plans the operations. These are facing, the holes, the slot, and the profile. Flux picks a cutter for each operation and sets the speeds and feeds for aluminum.
- Writes the G-code for your mill, with the work zero and the tool numbers.
- Shows each operation in a toolpath preview, so you can see every cut before you go to the machine.
- Writes a setup sheet to the project files. It lists the stock, the tools, the work zero, and the workholding.
Open it anywhere
The G-code is a standard .nc file. Open it in your machine controller or in any G-code viewer.
One project, from the board to the machine shop
The bracket, the enclosure, and the board are in the same project. When the board grows by 4 mm, Priya asks:
"Make the enclosure 4 mm longer for the new board, move the bracket holes to match, and give me new G-code for the bracket."
Flux changes the board fit, the enclosure, and the bracket, and it makes the new G-code in the same turn. No file goes to a separate CAM tool, and no setup is done twice.
More prompts
"Make the facing, drilling, and pocket toolpaths for this enclosure lid in 6061. Use a 6 mm flat end mill and a 3 mm drill. Give me the G-code and the setup sheet."
"Make 3-axis toolpaths for the motor mount. My mill has a Fanuc controller. Stock is a 100 x 60 x 12 mm block in a 6 in vise."
"Design a heat sink for the regulator on this board, then make the toolpaths to mill it from a 6061 plate."
Before and with Flux
| Before | With Flux | |
|---|---|---|
| CAD to CAM | Export STEP, import it in a CAM tool | Same project |
| Setup | Stock, tools and operations set up again by hand | Told once in the prompt |
| A design change | Redo the CAM setup | One prompt changes the part and the G-code |
| Shop handoff | Screenshots and notes | G-code, preview and setup sheet in the project files |
| Time | Days | Hours |
Try it: open a project with a mechanical part and ask Flux to make the toolpaths. See Make mechanical parts in the docs.
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