[TheForge] optical trace cutting machine

[Andrew Vida]

terry l. ridder wrote:
> hello;
> 
> i have been trying to google to find information on optical trace
> sutting machines. these are not the typical cnc plasma cutting machines.
> there are basically a 1:1 pantograph that follows a line drawing to cut
> the part. just a photoelectric eye keeps the cutting machine following
> the line drawing.

	I have one of these.  Correction... HAD one...  it had an eye an also 
straight tracks for doing straight cutting.

> i have talked with several theforge e-mail list members and i have to
> agree with them that i keep falling into the 'i have to do it all
> myself' trap. i do not have to build the plasma cutting machine. i do
> not even need to have a state-of-the-art cnc plasma cutting machine.
> what i need to an optical trace cutting machine. a machine that will
> follow a black line drawn on tabloid size paper to cut out the item
> required. this is much faster than draw it in a cad program , reduce to
> g-code, feed to the cnc machine.

	Stuff like this you don't build yourself unless you have entirely too 
much time on your hands to debug what is an inherently complex affair. 
Buy or rent someone else's.