Contours

Complex curved surfaces

Although the eMachineShop CAD software can create complex 3D shapes it does not yet offer arbitrary 3D contours such as a computer mouse or a cell phone enclosure.

However, you can approximate such shapes using a stair-case approach as in a topographic map. The Line | Contour command can be helpful.

You can also use Comments to Machinist to indicate:

• "Hand sand to remove steps"
• "Contour mill to remove steps" - this can be useful for small quantities or to create tooling for injection molding, casting, etc. Contour milling will increase price substantially (typically by two to five times or more).