Multiple identity account 2 Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Hi,Since I am modelling Indian trains I need a whole lot of grilles, radiators, fans, small details etc. for the various locomotives. I need to make custom etches. It will be a costly affair to have a professional design so many etches for each loco. So can someone suggest an easy software where I can design my own etches and then have them laser cut on 0.5mm brass sheets.I prefer an easy to use software but I am up for a challenge also so any software will do Thanks in advance.J Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
backofanenvelope Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Inkscape Free and multi-platform Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffalo Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Different packages work on different platforms. Are you Windoze, Lynux or Apple? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiple identity account 2 Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Different packages work on different platforms. Are you Windoze, Lynux or Apple? Windows Different packages work on different platforms. Are you Windoze, Lynux or Apple? Thanks... Just downloaded it. Gonna give it a go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
backofanenvelope Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Different packages work on different platforms. Are you Windoze, Lynux or Apple? Which is why Inkscape is good as it works on most common platforms (other platforms maybe be available but not supported) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 If you're laser cutting I'd use 2D CAD software rather than a vector drawing package like Inkscape. At work I use AutoCAD and it is probably the best and certainly the most widely used 2D drafting software, the downside is it's not free. The best free package I can recommend is Draftsight: http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight/overview/ Draftsight for your purposes will be as good as AutoCAD. Draftsight will also give you far fewer issues when exporting and sending the information for laser cutting than Inkscape will. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etched Pixels Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Hi, Since I am modelling Indian trains I need a whole lot of grilles, radiators, fans, small details etc. for the various locomotives. I need to make custom etches. It will be a costly affair to have a professional design so many etches for each loco. So can someone suggest an easy software where I can design my own etches and then have them laser cut on 0.5mm brass sheets. 0.5mm brass is going to be very thick and I doubt most people can laser cut it. You'd normally use much thinner metal and acid etch it. I use commercial outfits in the UK for etching but it is possible to do your own acid etching using a laser printer and other components, the same way as you make printed circuit boards. Quite an icky business but doable in a shed. Are there any good sources of drawings for Indian rolling stock btw ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Bigcheeseplant Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I use AutoCAD at work but a good and free alternative is http://www.progesoft.com/en/products/progecad-smart/. Some free software is it not possible to open the drawings in DXF format for the laser cutting software I had this problem with DoublCAD A laser cutter won't be able to cut brass or other metals so you would need to design artwork for an etch, in the latest MRJ there is a good article on producing artwork for etching. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiple identity account 2 Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Are there any good sources of drawings for Indian rolling stock btw ? Yup there are many sources and since I am closely associated with IR I end up with a whole load of detailed scale drawings. Locos and rolling stock that are not available I draw up detailed sketches by myself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiple identity account 2 Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 0.5mm brass is going to be very thick and I doubt most people can laser cut it. You'd normally use much thinner metal and acid etch it. I use commercial outfits in the UK for etching Ummm at the moment I am not too sure actually what will be used. I was actually hoping to just do the CAD work myself and have some commercial outfit etched for me. Can you suggest anyone who will do custom etches? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etched Pixels Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 In the UK I use PPD (www.ppdltd.com) and generally do fine grilles on 0.15mm brass. They are probably the best for flexibility, speed and for small jobs. There are other companies who can offer higher precision (eg Chempix) but they are much much pricier. No idea who does it in Bangalore but given the number of little brass signs I saw when I was in Bangalore someone must be etching things ! Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiple identity account 2 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 In the UK I use PPD (www.ppdltd.com) and generally do fine grilles on 0.15mm brass. They are probably the best for flexibility, speed and for small jobs. There are other companies who can offer higher precision (eg Chempix) but they are much much pricier. No idea who does it in Bangalore but given the number of little brass signs I saw when I was in Bangalore someone must be etching things ! Alan Thanks I will check out PPD Things in Indian are too expensive and quality is nil. It will be better if I use a British firm for my etches Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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