I am a complete noob and I have run into a snag that is driving me crazy. I want to flatten a board and reduce its thickness from 0.3195" to 0.250". I entered the thickness in the work size proper location with z zero at the surface. I’m using a Pocket toolpath with a 1/4" down cut bit, A start depth of zero and a cut depth of 0.0695". The result is the spindle plunges into the board and gauges out a trench that is 0.2805" deep very nearly cutting through the material. I tried rehoming and re zeroing my work space in the x, y and z dimensions. Can anyone help? I thought this would be an extremely easy task and yet here I am after a day of working on it and no results. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
What software are you using to create the toolpaths - Vectric, Fusion, etc?
Is it possible you are setting Z zero to something other than the stock surface in your software?
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I’m using Vcarve Pro v12. I’m positive I’m zeroing on the top surface of the stock I’m working with. Is there a built in offset on Masso between LASER and spindle? The spindle is definitely receiving Gcode.
Another interesting aspect is the simulation in Vcarve looks absolutely fine, so I’m wondering if it is a setting in Masso.
From my experience, the software and hardware do exactly what you tell them to do.
The challenge is finding the cause when the outcome is not what we want or expect.
You are using the same G5xx WCS for both - in the CAM and on the Masso?
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Is your machine set up in the post processor for Vcarve correctly?
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Good question, but yes. I have carved on the machine before with no apparent issues. Another interesting piece of information is the amount it is cutting deep is the same as the max cut depth for the tool, but when I click in edit passes, it says one pass at the proper depth.
Well I have no idea what was wrong, but I remade the file from scratch and it works exactly the way you would expect. I can’t see any difference between the two files, but I’m not going to question it. I have had an issue with technology my whole life. The most common statement by IT people is, “I never saw that before”.
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You need a different post processor for carving and laser.
Hey man
I think I know the solution to your issue: Do you use a toolsetter and z-probe?
I ran into the same issue and it was when I had not loaded the program-specified bit in my spindle when homing the machine. The last step of homing is probing your currently loaded bit on the tool setter.
If you then establish the z-work offset with the xyz-probe, with the tool that was loaded in the spindle at homing and only change bits, when the program is asking for the specified tool, just before starting your program, it will again probe the new bit on the tool setter and give a wrong offset (I have not measured it but I think its the height difference between toolsetter and touch probe), which leads to a way too deep cut. Had the same happening to me when V-carving.
My workflow now is:
- start machine and home
- do a manual tool change: in the MDI insert Txy M06 e.g. T04 M6, then hit run
- load first tool that is used in the program
- hit cycle start (machine will probe tool on tool setter)
- run your xyz program to establish work coordinates
- run program
I hope this helps
Sebastian
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Sounds like to me that you have your work Z in the software set to bottom of work and your setting Z on the machine to top of work. This would cause the machine to dive right away thinking it needs to go a lot farther down than it needs too.