Mecode

GCode for all

Mecode is designed to simplify GCode generation. It is not a slicer, thus it can not convert CAD models to 3D printer ready code. It simply provides a convenient, human-readable layer just above GCode. If you often find yourself manually writing your own GCode, then mecode is for you.

Basic Use

To use, simply instantiate the G object and use its methods to trace your desired tool path.

from mecode import G
g = G()
g.move(10, 10)  # move 10mm in x and 10mm in y
g.arc(x=10, y=5, radius=20, direction='CCW')  # counterclockwise arc with a radius of 5
g.meander(5, 10, spacing=1)  # trace a rectangle meander with 1mm spacing between passes
g.abs_move(x=1, y=1)  # move the tool head to position (1, 1)
g.home()  # move the tool head to the origin (0, 0)

By default mecode simply prints the generated GCode to stdout. If instead you want to generate a file, you can pass a filename and turn off the printing when instantiating the G object.

g = G(outfile='path/to/file.gcode', print_lines=False)

NOTE: g.teardown() must be called after all commands are executed if you are writing to a file. This can be accomplished automatically by using G as a context manager like so:

with G(outfile='file.gcode') as g:
    g.move(10)

When the with block is exited, g.teardown() will be automatically called.

The resulting toolpath can be visualized in 3D using the mayavi package with the view() method:

g = G()
g.meander(10, 10, 1)
g.view()

Installation

$ git clone https://github.com/jminardi/mecode.git
$ cd mecode
$ python setup.py install

Optional Dependencies

The following dependencies are optional, and are only needed for interpolation and visualization. An easy way to install them is to use Canopy or conda.

• numpy
  • numpy is needed for interpolation and visualization
• scipy
  • scipy is used for interpolation
• mayavi
  • mayavi is used for visualization

TODO

• add pressure box comport to __init__() method
• build out multi-nozzle support
  • include multi-nozzle support in view method.
• factor out aerotech specific methods into their own class

Credits

This software was developed by the Lewis Lab at Harvard University.