Thread: Converting Paper templates to DXF Files

Does anyone have a program or know an easy way to scan paper templates into a computer and covert it to a dxf files? I have a bunch of templates made and need to make the files and have them cut out. Thanks

The place that will be cutting your parts should be able to scan them and convert.

Yeah but lots of places charge more if they have to do that. I'll make some calls and see how much more it would be. Also I might be having a local guy do it and they can't scan them only go off a drawing or files and drawing is a lot more money.

do you have CAD or any programs?

Or a band saw? Unless you're making 100 of the same piece i don't see a problem with using a bandsaw.

Originally Posted by oorracing

Or a band saw? Unless you're making 100 of the same piece i don't see a problem with using a bandsaw.

what if you're making 30 different pieces?


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exactly beams, swingers, pivots, radius arms they all are not that easy on a bandsaw. I have a plasmacam program and i have solidworks but cant get it to work

I made my beam overlays, radius arm plates, and working on the steering swingers right now, all on our bandsaw. Takes some time and a steady hand, but it works. But if you don't mind let me know the final price when you get them converted/cut. I'd like to know what my time "cost" me. lol

you can get a bunch of stuff scanned in for cheap. laser innovation has a laser scanner, you just punch a hole wherey ou want the hole. elite has a big drawing tablet that you tape the drawing to, and scan it in with a mouse. both of them dont charge much, 20-60$ depending on how many and how much time you want to spend cleaning it up, unless you clean it up yourself.

I kinda want to send them in and get a file back ready to cut with just pilot holes so I can drill them all out. I'll give them a call today

Originally Posted by 85yota

exactly beams, swingers, pivots, radius arms they all are not that easy on a bandsaw. I have a plasmacam program and i have solidworks but cant get it to work

you can do it with plasmacam. scan the part, save it, then IMPORT it using plasmacam and save as .dxf

you will probably have to redraw or trace the part since scanning screws up the lines. easy though. used to do TONS of parts this way.

Yeah there is no way to just scan a hand-drawn sketch & convert it into a file that can be used for plasma/laser cutting.

You need to scan the image, then import that image into AutoCAD, then scale it and trace it.

OK figured it out using plasma cam, just a pain when it imports it it is not to scale, it will stretch it to 3x as big or so. But i figured out a formula to scale the entire thing down to size. Thanks.

That may be a setting in there. When I was doing it with plamsacam it was 1:1......

I have plasmacam. I've tried a few different settings i'll keep trying to get the scale back to the same.