Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: avirostick on August 05, 2009, 09:41:50 PM
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Hi fellas. Just wanted to say thank you to all for the great help and advice you've given. My cnc router has been buzzin away with no problems for over a month!
I haven't yet learned how to cycle start other than in the beginning of the program. If I want to start somewhere say in the middle of the program, what must I do?
So far, I have had to run the program all the way from the beginning if I want to get to a certain tool change or M00 command and it wastes a lot of time.
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Basically you go to the line you want to start from (you can observe the tool path window while looking for the desired line) and click the Run From Here button followed by the Cycle Start button. There will appear a pop up window notifying you of the preparation move Mach has to do first. In this window you will see the position coordinates the machine will go to after the preparation move.
If you have safe Z moves enabled, then check the safe Z is defined ok and the tool won't hit anything. If you don't have a safe Z, you can set a rapid height in the preparation move window. Also, you may need to tick the Start Spindle checkbox.
Daniel
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Oh... and after the preparation move takes place you have to click the Cycle Start button again to start running the program from that place.
Daniel
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Also worth mentioning is Run from Here is disabled if you are just using the Demo version of Mach.
Hood
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Didn't know that.
Daniel
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Ok, thanks a lot fellas. Your help is golden!
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Hi,
I click the set next line button then the run from here....
What is the set next line button for?
Cheers
Derek
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I do not know if I am lame, or there is a bug somewhere...
MACH+SS
I select a line, click run from here.... then if offers some coordinates for preparation move, but then the the machine does some weird movements... what can be the reason? It is e.g. at Z 2... prep move is for Z 3 *and some x y movements are involved* but then it lowers the Z first DOWN... WHY? I have broken quite some tools already and damaged a few fixtures thinking logically, but seems I miss a point or... ?
Oh, not to mention, if I want a run from here option with a program with subroutines, (G52 shift before each sub call) then things become even more strange...
hm, if I go on a line and click run from here what is mach supposed to do?
I think it should run from beginning to figure out where it has to be, and the selected line is the one to be executed, so it should move to the position of the end of the previous line... no? or something similar at least....
Please give advice.
Thanks
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Do you have safeZ set up? If so what do you have for it?
Hood
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Never messed with it... My guess is no, but I will check it to be sure.
btw. what should it do with safe Z?
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Normally if you have a safe Z set it will move the Z to that first then X and Y then Z back down.
If however you had a safe Z set wrong it may go down in Z first.
Hood
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I'll check it... However, It would be wise to program this into mach, that if current Z is higher than SAFE z, then do not go to that level...
(E.g. in my case "before" level was +3, target level was +2, and it went down to something lower than +2)
TOmorrow I do some air-tests...
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If the safe Z is set to machine coords and it is there already or higher it will not move but I dont know about other options, would think however they to would do that.
Hood
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For me it definetly went lower then target :(
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Are there any tool length offsets in the code? maybe they are getting applied wrongly?
Hood
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No tool length comp. at all, that is sure.
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I seem to recall Art saying the difference between Run From Here and Set Next Line. I always use Run From Here but I think really you are only meant to use that if stopping in the middle of code and the Set Next Line is really meant for if you are starting fresh.
Can't remember the difference but might be worth you trying it.
Hood
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Ook, With fresh head tomorrow I`ll check it. I cannot recall any command button called set next line :)
Thanks anyways!
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right above the Run From Here button on the standard screenset.
Hood
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:)
RC
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If the safe Z is set to machine coords and it is there already or higher it will not move but I dont know about other options, would think however they to would do that.
Hood
My safe Z is defined in work coordinates and the Z would go down if the safe Z calls for it.
Daniel
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Well there you go, RC, has proved again that RTFM is something I should really do ;D
Also thanks for the info Daniel, I have only ever used safe Z as machine coords so was unsure how it would behave in work or incremental.
Hood
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Hood,
Other than the most RARE of occasions, you are TFM ! :D
RC
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If I have done something I can usually recall, if I have heard someone do something I can usually recall, the sad (or really good) thing is Mach can do so much so there are bound to be things I have not done or not seen others do ;D
Hood
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sorry if I missed the answer here but when I had first time ever cause to use "run from here" yesterday it didn't behave as I expected.
2.5D job. zeroed Z on top surface. max cutting depth of job = -8mm. I'm at 3rd out of 4 passes at Z= -6mm. Bit brakes. I hit feedhold and change bit. I set next line to just before where the bit broke. I hit run from here and I get the prep moves diialog. X and Y cool. But Z set to -8 !!! - I don't think so. I edit the file removing all lines that have been done and just run it as a new program - works a treat.
Why would it set the prep Z to -8mm i.e. the max depth of the final pass when currently it's only at -6mm?
Cheers
Ian
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It is messy for me, too.
And when I run a program with subroutines, I can forget the run from here option, even when I press feedhold, and want to press cycle start again, it will not do a thing :(
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The Run From Here was not designed to be used with subroutines as Mach has no way of knowing the iteration you want it to start from. I think you should be able to use the Run From Here from the main program though and when Mach will get to a subroutine it will execute it as the main program calls.
Ian, while most of the time the Run From Here works fine for me, sometimes it has its quirks and I end up using various workarounds like you did. I have no idea why it would request a preparation move to that location. I also have these requests every now and then and can't figure it.
Daniel
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I do not know if I am lame, or there is a bug somewhere...
MACH+SS
I select a line, click run from here.... then if offers some coordinates for preparation move, but then the the machine does some weird movements... what can be the reason? It is e.g. at Z 2... prep move is for Z 3 *and some x y movements are involved* but then it lowers the Z first DOWN... WHY? I have broken quite some tools already and damaged a few fixtures thinking logically, but seems I miss a point or... ?
Oh, not to mention, if I want a run from here option with a program with subroutines, (G52 shift before each sub call) then things become even more strange...
hm, if I go on a line and click run from here what is mach supposed to do?
I think it should run from beginning to figure out where it has to be, and the selected line is the one to be executed, so it should move to the position of the end of the previous line... no? or something similar at least....
Please give advice.
Thanks
I have learned too many times, from painful experience, that if Mach3 wants to make a preparatory move, you should be afraid. Be very afraid. It seems, more often than not, it will make some nonsensical move that quite often causes damage. It often doesn't even go where the dialog says it's going to go, so there's no predicting what move it will actually make. And, I've had it try to make prep moves with the tool buried in the part! I always just stop the program, and use SetNextLine to re-start it. The odd thing is, it'll often want to make prep moves when it's already where it needs to be!
Regards,
Ray L.
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Hi,
Same experience :(
So SET NEXT LINE is better (and works) i.s.o. Run from here? (did not dare testing it in live)
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Hi,
Same experience :(
So SET NEXT LINE is better (and works) i.s.o. Run from here? (did not dare testing it in live)
SetNextLine works fine. But YOU are responsible for making sure you start at a reasonable point in the program, and any required setup is done (fixture selection, mode settings, spindle/coolant on, etc.). Mach will simply start executing from the specified line without so much as looking at the preceding code, so it neither knows nor cares whether the machine is in a suitable state to restart from that point. You must ensure that.
Regards,
Ray L.
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Just keep in mind that the Set Next Line doesn't load any modal functions that were supposed to be executed prior to the selected line. I got to be very careful with this.
Daniel
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Oh, it's also smart to hit Stop before doing SetNextLine. If you do it mid-program, without doing a Stop, Mach3 will still sometimes try to do some goofy prep move, which almost invariably involves jamming your tool at full speed into the side of a clamp or vise. (I wonder how it always knows where they are??).
Regards,
Ray L.
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Oh, it's also smart to hit Stop before doing SetNextLine. If you do it mid-program, without doing a Stop, Mach3 will still sometimes try to do some goofy prep move, which almost invariably involves jamming your tool at full speed into the side of a clamp or vise. (I wonder how it always knows where they are??).
:D