Bantam Tools Software Updates: What’s New in 2.2.20

In our February 2021 (2.2.20) Bantam Tools Milling Machine Software release, we’ve added a game-changing feature to our advanced SVG support: single-line milling. This new feature empowers you to prototype your designs even faster and create more intricate designs with less effort.

Note: To familiarize yourself with the SVG support in the Bantam Tools software, check out our Classic & Advanced SVG Workflows guide. 

 
 

Walkthrough Overview

  • About advanced SVG color-coding (0:15)

  • What is single-line milling (1:00)

  • Pocket machinist rule example (2:15)

  • New default tools and updates to the Custom Tool option in the Tool Library (3:28)

  • Bantam Tools machine detection and display update (5:00)

Single-Line Milling

*For Software Subscribers*

The basic version of our Bantam Tools software interprets fills as engravings and strokes as cutouts in SVG files. With advanced SVG support, our software can interpret the fills and strokes based on how you color-code your design, making it easier to machine more complex engravings and parts using your Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machine.

 
 

Red = Internal Cutout

Green = External Cutout

Blue = Engraving

Magenta = Single-Line Milling

 

Our software’s built-in SVG support allows you to start machining quickly, and if you’re new to CNC machining and still getting comfortable with CAD/CAM software, it makes getting started much easier. But until now, the Bantam Tools software interpreted your SVG files based entirely on the fills and strokes you’d designed in your vector graphics editor  (Illustrator, Inkscape, etc.). The Desktop CNC Milling Machine would engrave the fills completely and mill the full width of the strokes in your design. This means that you’d have to be meticulous in setting up your fills and strokes to optimize your machining time. 

Single-line milling allows you to bypass the width of the strokes in your SVG design and instead generate the width of the strokes based on the tooling you select in the Bantam Tools software’s Initial Setup tab. Using this feature will help you cut down on your machining time because the Desktop CNC Milling Machine will only machine a single line, rather than machine multiple passes to cut the full width of a stroke. 

Note: The single-line milling feature will use the smallest tool you select when setting up your SVG file and it will use the engraving depth you’ve specified in the File dropdown menu. 

Let’s take a closer look at how single-line milling interprets your SVG file.

 
 

This is an SVG file we color-coded for single-line milling.

Here’s how the classic SVG support in the Bantam Tools software would interpret this SVG file. Notice how the widths of the strokes vary just like they do in the design file.

Here’s how the advanced SVG support with single-line milling interprets the SVG file. No matter the stroke width you’ve formatted in your design, the Bantam Tools software generates a single line that follows the centerline for each shape.

When time is of the essence, single-line milling gives you the ability to iterate and dial in your designs even faster because you won’t have to spend so much time formatting them in your vector graphics editor. But this new feature also empowers you to create even more elaborate custom engravings or 2D and 2.5D parts.

Note: To learn more about machining engravings using the Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machine, see our Engraving Overview guide. 

Let us know what features you'd like to see integrated into the Bantam Tools software by sending us feedback at resources@bantamtools.com!

SoftwareDevin CooperBantam Tools Software, Software Updates