Convert DWG file to a STEP file

Why doesn’t Batchforce online cnc service accept .DWG, DXF or other file formats and why is only a .STEP file accepted? 

A STEP file is a widely used file format to exchange a product or design between different 3D programs.
The name is an abbreviation of “STandard for the Exchange of Product model data” .
But the main reason why we prefer to work with .STEP files is the fact that the structure of the STEP file is defined in ISO 10303-21.
This way we know for sure that the file meets strict requirements and we avoid nasty surprises.

Many manufacturers and suppliers who make their articles available in a 3D file choose STEP files.

The most commonly used technical drawing programs can export 3D models to a STEP (.stp or .step) file.
They can also import a .stp or .step file and convert this file to their own desired file format.

Programs that can create and view a STEP file:

• Autodesk Inventor from Autodesk

• CATIA from Dassault Systèmes

• Cobalt from Ashlar-Vellum

• CoCreate from Parametric Technology Corporation

• FreeCAD from Juergen Riegel

• Form•Z from AutoDesSys, Inc

• HiCAD from ISD Group

• MicroStation from Bentley Systems

• NX from Siemens PLM Software

• Pro/ENGINEER from Parametric Technology Corporation

• SALOME

• S.FEM from HPESoft

• Solid Edge from Siemens PLMSoftware

• SolidWorks from SolidWorks Corp.

• SpaceClaim Engineer from SpaceClaim Corp.

• Tekla Structures from Tekla

• TopSolid from Missler Software

• TransMagic

• VariCAD from VariCAD

• VisualARQ from Asuni CAD S.A.

So you can open a DWG or other 3d file in one of the above 3D design Softwares and then you can easily convert your existing design to a .STEP file.
Converting the file is basically just opening your existing file and exporting it to your desired .STEP file in one of the 3D design software packages.

How do you convert a dwg to step file if you don’t have the softwares from the list above on your PC?
In general, this is an easy conversion if you have the software.
If you do not have any of the software packages then you can always try a trial version that you buy on trial.
You can then convert your files and cancel your account before the payment period starts.

Convert file from DWG to STEP file

If you really find all this too difficult or just don’t feel like it, then outsourcing this task is the best option.
There are lots of freelancer sites where engineers can convert your file to your desired format for a pinch.
Below are a few freelancer sites where you can have your files converted from DWG to .STEP format.

• Freelancer.com
• fiverr.com
• upwork.com

3D design and Engineering Forums

• CNCZone.nl (here you will find a lot of 3D Designers who would like to convert a file for you)

Find the right freelancer

Finding the right freelancer for your .DWG to .STEP file conversion is actually not that difficult at all.
All the above mentioned freelancer sites have a rating system by which all freelancers are rated.
So it is easy to find the right freelancer by searching for:

• someone with a lot of experience
• someone with good reviews
• someone who speaks your language or English
• Someone with the right training

If you want to know more about .step files and what the advantages are, check out the engineersrule.com website for a complete article.

What is milling and where is it applied?

What is milling and where is it applied?
Machining refers to the processing of material by machines or people. During machining, chips are removed from the basic product, hence the word machining.
By machining a material, the product becomes smaller and often takes on a different shape.  Because material is removed, the mass and weight of the basic product decreases. Because there are different forms of machining, we have described a number of examples of machining below. We also explain the applications of the different types of chipping..

Examples of machining?

The best example of chipping is a carpenter who uses a planer to scrape chips from a door in order to make it a perfect fit for the frame.
Because chips are scraped off the door during this process, the door not only becomes smaller but also lighter.
Due to the machining by the carpenter, the shape of the door will also change.
Because the material is removed or scraped off by the carpenter can no longer be replaced, it is important that the carpenter pays close attention to how much material he collects from the door.  The curls created during this process are called chips and form the waste that will be disposed of after chipping.

Machining techniques

Nowadays a number of machining operations are possible.
Depending on the purpose to be achieved, a machining technique is selected.
If it is desirable to drill holes in the material, this can be done by means of a column drill.
This drilling is also a machining technique.
The other techniques that can be used to make a material to measure are for example sawing, but also planing and filing.
Of course it is also possible to sharpen metal, for example, but also turning, milling, boring, honing, sticking, tapping and gouging (of wood) are part of the machining operations so that any material can be made to measure.

Turning and milling

Turning and milling are the more special forms of machining operations.
Turning a material is done on a lathe and milling a material is done on a milling machine.
These 2 types of machining operations make it possible to change the shape of a raw material to a large extent.
Turning and milling are not only used in mechanical engineering, but also in the woodworking industry.
Because nowadays milling and turning can be done by man or machine, we speak of conventional turning and milling if the milling process is carried out manually by people.
The computer-controlled form of milling or turning is called CNC (Computer Numerical Control) and means that these machines are computer-controlled..

Application of chipping in technology

Within the technique, machining is applied quite widely.
It is used to process wood, metals and plastics because these materials can generally be chipped well.
Within the wood processing industry, for example, machining is used for the furniture industry. Think of making stairs and for woodcarvings that have been applied as a finish for the ornamental purpose.  Of course, the wood industry also drills many holes and saws boards to size.

In mechanical engineering, it is the machine factories where machining is used for turning shafts or for making machine parts that can be made to measure by milling.
Parts are also machined in the oil and petrochemical sector.

Machining safety

Safety is an important aspect of the machining process as it involves the use of saws, drills and chisels.
The tools used are sharp and must be handled properly to avoid damage or injury.
For example, rotating tools can grip garments and quickly tighten or even tear them apart.
You can imagine that serious accidents can also occur if safety is not taken into account.
In addition, the metal shavings and wood shavings are often razor-sharp and must be disposed of anyway.
It is therefore important that the chips do not come close to the eyes of the chipper or other personnel.
Wearing safety goggles is therefore certainly not an unnecessary luxury and in many cases mandatory.

As standard, many turning and milling machines have a special safety cover with which the machine can be closed. This allows the operator to stand safely behind a transparent screen so that he or she still has a clear view of the process.

Machining Outsourcing

You can see that machining materials is a task for the real craftsmen.

For example, a machine tool does not only need to keep its knowledge up to date because more and more different CNC machines are being used.
It is important that a machine tool can not only provide the machines with new materials that need to be machined, but a good machine tool can also program a CNC machine independently so that the machine performs the correct operation for the product..

Before a machine tool can become an independent CNC programmer, he or she must have built up the necessary experience and a great deal of material knowledge..

What does cnc milling cost?

How much does cnc milling cost? The costs of CNC milling depend on several factors.
For example, the cost of CNC milling depends first and foremost on the size of the product to be produced, and the way in which the design is supplied, the degree of difficulty and the quantity of milling work all determine the price of the machining operation..

Door deze verschillende factoren is het dus ook niet mogelijk om direct vaste prijzen te geven voor cnc draai en freeswerk.
Ieder project is immers anders en hierdoor variëren de kosten ook per project.

Milling single pieces or small series cnc?

The cost of producing a few pieces of a prototype is generally proportionately more expensive than having a small series of products milled.
Because no product is identical for a few pieces, the machine has to be adjusted every time and this leads to higher costs.
When milling a small series of products or a large series of products, the costs of setting up the machine can be one-off and a series of products can be made relatively quickly and easily in succession.

Treated or untreated cnc milling

When calculating the costs of cnc milling of parts, the after-treatment also plays an important role.
You can choose to have your milled products delivered without further processing. In this case, the parts will be delivered directly to your home without any further processing.
This type of untreated milling parts will be delivered to you “As machined”.

However, it is often desirable to have a part finished neatly, as these finished parts will still be treated.
For example, you can choose from certain post-treatments such as anodising and deburring.
The finished CNC milling parts are better and more beautifully finished.

Digital 3D drawing delivery for cnc milling

If you are in possession of digital files in which the exact desired dimensions and operations are stated, the cnc milling of parts is often a lot cheaper than if you are not in possession of this digital 3D drawing..

Request a free quote

Request a free quote

If you want to know exactly what the costs are for the production and processing of your design?
Batchforce.com will be happy to give you a free quote for all your milling and turning work.
By using this non-committal cnc quotation service from batchforce, you not only save hours / days of work requesting and comparing quotations, but you are also assured that all your produced parts meet the high quality requirements that batchforce imposes on their suppliers within the batchforce network.

What is Batchforce?

Batchforce is a network of European and global metal machining workshops that makes outsourcing of metal parts fast & easy.

Does Batchforce manufacture my parts?

No. We don’t possess any CNC machines. Instead, we have the largest CNC machining provider network in Europe. It gives our customers access to hundreds of CNC machines in qualified and audited workshops with free capacity all over Europe.

Where will my parts be manufactured?

We find the optimal provider or several providers for each given order and given time. Our aim is to find optimal machinery and free capacity right now for your order. Our network of CNC workshops is developing, and all our providers are located in the European Union.

Our ambition is bringing manufacturing orders back to Europe.

What industries do you serve?

We supply all industries where metal parts are required. Predominantly, it is machine building of all sorts; automotive, including trucks and commercial vehicles; railroad equipment; aerospace; energy and oil & gas; power generation etc.

If you have any questions about whether we can be of use in your particular application – please contact us and we will try to help you.

How much does it cost to use Batchforce?

We don’t charge any fees for our service. All customer pays is the part price itself.

How does Batchforce achieve attractive prices for CNC machining?

Batchforce relies on CNC machining workshops all across the European Union with a long tradition of contract manufacturing, highly educated workers and the most modern machines.

Untapping this pool of CNC workshops and catching their unused capacity enables us to secure lasting economic advantage to our customers.

Try us by getting the offer!

What about the delivery costs?

Unless specified otherwise, we offer the parts on the basis of EXW Goessnitz, Germany. Please specify your transport requirements in the enquiry – we are able to accommodate most delivery options within the EU.

How can I pay?

We accept payments via bank transfer. If you prefer other payment methods, please contact us to clarify first.

In what materials can you make parts?

Batchforce can manufacture parts in all typical sorts and alloys of metals, for example, stainless steels 1.4404, 1.4301, duplex and super duplex grades and carbon grades, such as 1.2436. Cast iron is also possible. Find more information in the capabilities section.

We also provide parts in aluminium, bronze, copper and other metals.

What CNC-processing can you provide?

Our network of partners provides virtually all type of CNC-operations and technology to manufacture the parts according to your specifications. The most typical are milling, boring, grinding, polishing. In addition, our partners perform the required technological and preparatory operations, such as cutting, hardening, chrome plating and so on.

In case of larger and more specific requirements, parts are first produced as castings by a foundry with parts-specific moulds fabricated for this particular order. Then the castings are CNC machined at a workshop.

We are expanding the portfolio of offered processes and operations to 3D printing, sheet metal and non-metal parts machining.

What kind of drawings do you need to make an offer?

We are happy to accept drawings or 3D models in the most popular standards of the industry. But even if all you currently have is a sketch or picture of the part you want and no drawing yet – that is not a problem, we will be able to have a look at it and provide a price estimate.

Can you design the part according to my specifications?

No. We work based on customer’s designs. However, if we discover a problem with manufacturability of your design, we come back to you with an advice how to fix it.

Do you control the quality of the parts?

Yes, we do have internal quality control procedures at the sites of our partners and in our logistics hub. If you require quality control reports – please specify the control procedures you need in your enquiry. Typically, the control procedures could be supported by material certificates, conformity certificates, reports of inspections. Please make sure to specify the quality control procedures before placing the order – introducing them once the production has been started is very difficult.

How long will I have to wait to get an offer?

We aim to provide offers for CNC machined parts within 24 hrs. When we work on an offer, we analyze the manufacturability of the design, the required properties of a material, the surface and the part body and other technological factors. We also take into account the desired delivery term and the quantity required. Some technological requirements demand further clarification with the customer – in such cases an offer might take longer to issue.

How can Batchforce offer a better lead time than my neighbour machine workshop?

Batchforce’s network monitors the free machine time of the network members. For every order, we select relevant machine workshops with free capacity right now.

How does Batchforce protect customers’ intellectual property?

We take it very seriously. Every drawing, sketch or picture you upload to our system is kept completely secure. We use state-of-the-art security algorithms. Traffic at our website is secured by the SHA-256 algorithm with RSA encryption.

Once your order is placed, only the provider that actually manufactures your part has access to the part drawing. All CNC workshops in our network are under contract to protect your IP. If you require a special non-disclosure agreement, please send your request to [email protected]

I do not represent a company, I am a private person, can I also order parts from you?

It is also possible to make use of our services as a private individual.
Batchforce makes no distinction between working for larger customers or individuals.
So if you have a hobby project or if you are a private individual looking for the production of the first parts, Batchforce will be happy to help you.
Request a quote for the production of your parts immediately.

Do you have technical limits of what you can manufacture?

We are constrained by the limitations of our cooperation partners only, but we have not faced these limits yet. Typically, parts of up to 1 ton in weight are possible to manufacture without any restrictions.