Hello, after loosing 3 jobs and a quite pricey bit my confidence in the Easy Z tool setter is waining.
I am struggling to get it to constantly work correctly. Can anyone help me figure out what I am doing incorrectly.
My steps are-
In Vectric - I save both 3D toolpaths to the same file. Using Tool numbers above zero and making sure that the tool numbers aren’t the same.
Home the machine with what ever bit was in there last. This home also travels to the tool setter
Change the bit
Home the machine again by presseing the emergency stop to trigger home. Second home also travels to the tool setter.
Use to Touch plate to zero my XYZ
Load combined toolset
Run the machine
The results vary.
Sometimes it works fine.
Sometimes it starts and prompts me to change the bit straight away and press cycle start. Then goes to the tool setter and the on to the work start point with varying actions. sometimes crashing into the project, sometimes starting but cutting too deep. One time even not starting theVFD spindle but begining to cut.
Don’t home the machine after changing the bit. Masso doesn’t know that you changed the bit. Zero the bit as you did and then start the job. It should go to the bit change position. Have you input the bits you use in the Masso?
Mitchells Woodwork on YouTube has an excellent video explaining how to set this up. He doesn’t use the EZ Toolsetter, but all the points he goes through are still valid.
If you watch his video you should be able to get a greater understanding on how it works.
Not sure if this is pertaining directly to your issue, but to answer maybe your other quesiton, after loading your g-code you MUST click Rewind before Cycle start…
Yes indeed I actually took my initial guidance from this video. But it still operates somewhat unpredictably. I’ve already lost a £60 bit and a few planks so it’s about getting a more consistent result.
Thanks for that I will definitely try rewind rather than jump to line 1. As I somehow feel that this is perhaps the cause of some of instances of failure. The order of set up is perhaps the other so I will pay particular attention there too.
All great advice. So far so good. I’ve also realised that you should never break the routine. On a few occasions I had inadvertently attempted to zero the second bit, but even that action causes miscalculation of the next steps in the routine. The touch plate does take some getting used to.
Gotta say … I’ve ruined the tool setter button, replaced it and this week ran a 1/32 bit into the new one. Had to fill the hole with epoxy. I am always deathly afraid at the start of a job. My losses because of this scenario have been material, the setter itself and time … ruining a piece after lots of milling.
Best case - you experience air milling. Worst case, it zeros on the setter, rises up, turns on the spindle and then crashes down into the tool setter. Alternatively, I’ve had it move over to the material and then crash. Don’t know why the different scenarios in where it crashes.
I have NOT entered my tools into MASSO. It seems to use the corresponding numbered slot to record tool setter activity automatically. I have all my bits numbered, and I have many bits.
While I know you’re not supposed to change the bit w/o MASSO knowing about it and I suspect that there are edge cases that could be explained, but are difficult to expect.
you don’t need to enter the tools in Masso tool library but it does help to know what tool needs to be inserted at the tool change, you do not want to change tools without Masso asking for it, you can invoke a tool change anytime you want using the MDI of course.
My routine is follows:
Turn machine on and home, this also measures what ever tool is in the spindle at the time, I then set my X Y and Z for the material I am cutting, I then load the program, hit rewind, then cycle start, most of the time I am prompted for a tool change as the one in the spindle is not the one the program starts with, then I get prompted for tool changes as the program works through the tools.
Hope this helps some.
Pat
I’m in the same boat, still really confused about how to actually use it because there’s so much conflicting info. I’ve watched the videos and ended up with more confusion. I’ve already crashed my neighbors tool setter before I got my machine and now I have a shiny new one of my own…that sits in the box. I’ve been a cnc machinist over 30 years and worked with more machines than I can count so the concept of tool lengths and offsets is not news to me. But this stupid little single function button has me stumped to the point that I’m actually afraid to use it. There’s plenty of content where somebody would rather insult you for not understanding it, but so far no clear instructions.
I am having the same startup issues with the toolsetter. Broke a few $$ bits with the spindle dropping to some unknown depth. The only consistent thing is that it will fail in the Z on startup- occasionally raising to the top and causing an error but usually diving into my project. On the second try it gets the Z correct and any additional bit changes are also correct. I have read and watched every video I can find on this topic and cannot find a combination that gets consistent or predictable results. I’m starting to think its not something I’m doing wrong.
This is what works for me. Found it somewhere and edited to suit.
Sorry lots of formatting errors,
Masso Toolsetter
After your tools are numbered the same in both your programming
software and your Masso, you can save your gcode with multiple
tools in one file.
Upon power up, and homing Masso will proceed to the tool setter
and touch off.
Important: A tool must be in the spindle.
Important: Masso will remember the last tool number even if
powered down.
Be sure the tool shown on the Masso display matches the tool
in the spindle.
Load your gcode. Use the touch probe plate to get XYZ zero
with the current bit installed, even if it's not the first one you
intend on using.
Hit cycle start. Since Masso remembers the last tool number
one of two things will happen.
1. If Masso sees that there is a different tool in the gcode (M6)
than what is loaded it will proceed to your tool change location,
and query to change bits, then after hitting cycle start or the
green button on Masso Touch, it will go over to the tool setter
location. Touch off. Then proceed to the loaded gcode.
2. If Masso sees that the same tool was loaded (remembered)
as is in the gcode Masso will skip the toolsetter completely and
proceed to the loaded gcode.
NEVER CHANGE THE TOOL UNLESS MASSO ASKS TO!
If you want to change tools manually goto MDI and type TxM6
(x = the tool you want in the spindle) then enter. Masso will
goto the tool change position and prompt to change the tool then
touch off the tool.
For me the BIg issue is keeping a tool in the spindle all the time.
After I am done I always remove my bit and the next time I power on I just let the
spindle touch off without a bit. I just do not like the idea of keeping a bit in the spindle
when I am not using the OF, I think a lot of others are on the same page.
Oops! I did it again. This one ruined the button. Jammed the brass sleeve up into the cap. Nightmare. Touched off. Raised up. Spun up. Plunged down into setter.
Any idea why MASSO would prompt me to change the bit and proceed to get confused about the Z height after zeroing it manually with the tool setter option DISABLED? Not only that, but the tool # in question doesn’t even have offsets recorded. So, why would it override my Z height by over 4 inches after I just homed it???
