Generate G-Code & Mill an Acrylic LED Sign | Complete FreeCAD CAM + CNC Tutorial (Part 2)
In this second part of the Acrylic LED Sign Project, we’ll take the 3D model created in FreeCAD and go through the complete CNC milling workflow — from generating G-code to cutting the acrylic sheet with precision.
You’ll learn how to set up toolbits, define stock, and split large jobs into smaller sections when the material is bigger than your CNC table.
This video is ideal for beginners and makers who want a professional, step-by-step FreeCAD CAM workflow for acrylic cutting.
What You’ll Learn:
How to create pocket, profile, and helix operations in FreeCAD CAM
CAM tricks for cutting around tight areas
How to split G-code files for large parts and precise repositioning
In Part 1, we design the entire LED sign from scratch, preparing the SVG in Inkscape and modeling the acrylic sheet in FreeCAD. Watch it first to understand how the design was created before generating the G-code and milling it in this video!
-Design & Model an Acrylic LED Sign for CNC | Complete FreeCAD + Inkscape Tutorial: • Design & Model an Acrylic LED Sign for CNC...
In this project, when creating the pocket operation for the letters, I had to manually select every face at the same height, a slow and repetitive task. Since then, I’ve developed a FreeCAD macro that automates this step by instantly selecting all faces at the same Z-level:
Download select faces at the same height macro: https://ko-fi.com/s/58b108303e
You can see this time-saving tool in action (along with 4 other useful macros) in this must-watch video if you want to speed up your FreeCAD CAM workflow!:
5 Time-Saving FreeCAD Macros I Always Needed (Free Download): • 5 Time-Saving FreeCAD Macros I Always Need...
If you want to go deeper into pocketing operations and toolpath strategies, check out my video:
CNC Pockets – Cut Holes & Cavities in FreeCAD 1.0 CAM | Pocket, Helix & Adaptive Toolpaths Tutorial. It explains in detail how to create precise pocket and helix operations, choose the right cutting strategies, and improve toolpath efficiency — perfect if you’re working on projects like this acrylic LED sign: • CNC Pockets – Cut Holes & Cavities in Free...
In this project, we used profile operations to cut the acrylic LED sign’s outline and finish the part edges. To understand the profiling process in more depth watch this complete guide to mastering contour and outline toolpaths in FreeCAD:
CNC Profiling Tutorial: Cut Shapes & Outlines | FreeCAD 1.0 CAM G-Code Workflow (Full Guide): • CNC Profiling Tutorial: Cut Shapes & Outli...
00:00 Intro: from G-code generation to CNC milling
02:00 Creating the CNC job, rotating the part, and setting stock/origin
03:05 Adding toolbits and setting feeds and speeds
03:27 Adjusting job defaults and post-processor settings
04:00 Creating a helix operation for drilling holes
05:01 Creating a pocket operation for the engraved letters
06:16 Issue: toolbit can’t reach areas around the holes
07:06 CAM trick to cut unreachable areas around holes
09:05 Creating a profile operation for the LED sign outline
09:34 Adding reference points for splitting the large part
13:04 Tip to recompute faster when editing operations
14:06 Creating a pocket operation for reference points
14:46 Using boundary dress-up to limit toolpath areas
16:17 Limiting the profile operation by reference points
17:40 Limiting pocket operations to separate sections
18:20 Exporting G-codes for each section separately
19:30 Repositioning the workpiece for the second cut
20:15 Workflow explained: order of cuts using reference points
21:05 Repositioning for the third cut section
22:03 Re-enabling the helix operation
23:39 Trick to limit the helix operation
26:12 Final thoughts and results
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/ opensourcecnc
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