Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / need help

« on: December 31, 2013, 11:56:25 AM »

I got through about 98% of a job, and then the Y axis went askew, probably due to static electricity...I need to know how to pick up where the router left off so I can finish the job.
I know the line it left off at, so could someone give me the proper steps to run the "Next LIne" command or "Start Here" command...not sure what the proper steps are?  Thanks!  Happy New Year
to everyone here.

2

General Mach Discussion / got 75% through a project and then the router went haywire! I need help ASAP!

« on: August 14, 2013, 10:15:26 PM »

Today it started to vibrate, shake and wouldn't move in any direction, and before that the roughing pass started to repeat what it had already done and then started to move off of the board etc.
just crazy stuff that it had never done ever before.  I noticed that the X and Z location settings were accurate on the screen, but the Y axis reading of it's location on the table was not correct.


I had an Art code error late last week that prevented any of the motors from moving due to a communication problem with the profile file in the Mach3 software.  I got that fixed last night
with the person who sold me the machine.  While we were in the process of correcting the issue, he had me go into the config file related to the motor settings (steps, velocity and acceleration).

he set the X,Y and Z all to the same settings:  4000 steps, 100.02 velocity and 20 acceleration

Are these the correct settings for my machine? or should they be set differently given the following specs of my machine:


CNC Router Table Specs
- X travel 36 inches
- Y (gantry) travel 24 inches
- Z (vertical) travel 5.5 inches (minus spoil board thickness)
- Rack and pinion for X
- 5 start ACME drive for Y
- 5 start ACME drive for Z
- Repeatability to +/-0.002" or better, accuracy to +/-0.005" or better
- 355oz High Torque Nema 23 stepper motors: Rapids up to 600 IPM+, cutting feed-rates 200 IPM+
- Accuracy of +/-0.005"
- Controller Gecko G540 3 axis stepper motor driver

3

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / IMHO the best cnc 3D modeler I've seen so far is Todd Bailey at this address:

« on: August 14, 2013, 09:58:15 PM »

www.4m3D.com

He uses ArtCam Pro and has created incredibly detailed 3D models for me (wildlife (elk and deer), flowers, bell tower etc. that have been selling for $1000 or more.
I can't say enough about him...an extremely nice guy and a joy to work with.  I spent over 2 months searching for the best, and I think I've found him.  Tell him Gary
sent you and I'm sure he will treat you right.

If someone would tell me how to post some pictures of some of my recent carvings on here I will.

4

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / art code error

« on: August 12, 2013, 09:55:14 AM »

came up after I had just carved a piece and went to shut  down Mach3, before I actually turned the switch off on the controller.  The Art error showed up and asked
me if I want ed to try to recover...I clicked yes, but nothing happened.  I finally shut computer down and then rebooted computer and Mach3.  Mach3 came up but this
time but before it would come to the regular screen it talked about the warnings of working with a cnc machine and click Yes if I agreed and No if I wanted to stop now
type of message.  I had never seen that before, but of course agreed to continue.  It took me to the normal Mach3 screen but after I turned on the controller box and hit
the Reset button, nothing moved when I tried to operate the router X, Y or Z movements!  I have a big job to do for a customer and need help ASAP!  Thanks!  Will reloading Mach3
fix this possibly?

5

General Mach Discussion / Does Mach3 remember the Z location if I shut the program down for the day?

« on: June 03, 2013, 04:22:56 PM »

I have divided a project up into 2 programs...roughing and finish.  Once the roughing was done, the machine jogged back to the center point of project and stopped the z axis at .25 above the 0,0,0 location.  Will Mach3 remember where to start the "finish" program from? (center of project is where Ref All Home was set at 0,0,0)...In other words, in a couple of days, can I just reboot Mach3 and turn controller on and then load the "finish" g-dcode program in and hit "start"...or do I have to reset the 0,0,0 point?
Thanks for the help!!  need advice asap

6

General Mach Discussion / I would like to break up finish pass into 2 separate files, or is there another

« on: May 16, 2013, 10:47:47 AM »

way to tell Mach3 to just do half the job and go back to the center line (zero point) and then finish the job the next day.  I have 2 files now. One is for the roughing pass, and one is for the finish pass.  What is the best way to break up the finish pass into 2 days.? I have a large piece to 3D carve that takes almost 13 hours to run, and would like to do half one day and half the next.
Any suggestions as to the simplest way to do it using Mach3?  Thanks in advance.

7

General Mach Discussion / Are there any step by step instructions for 3-axis relief carving using Mach3?

« on: May 09, 2013, 08:48:57 AM »

I am a desperate newbie.  lol  5 months ago I bought a new, very nicely made CNC router built by an industrial engineer that came with Mach3 and Cut2D.  The engineer ran a quick, simple test with me over the phone using the Cut@D software and the machine worked perfectly but I could not possibly remember all of the steps that he put the Mach3 through.  I subsequently bought ArtCam Express for the tool path software and luckily found an extremely talented 3D ArtCam modeler that created a beautiful deer scene that I want to carve.  IMHO it's the best 3D model I've seen anywhere on the internet.  He was very helpful and showed me in his own video the step by step operations I needed to perform in ArtCam Express to create the tool path and post processor, but I do not have a clue as to the steps I need to follow in Mach3 to carve my model, especially since i need to change the tooling (bits).  I have looked at many of the Mach3 tutorial videos but unless I'm missing something,  none of them seem to show the basic steps I need to know.  Why doesn't someone sell a video for the normal use of Mach3 for relief work projects such as mine?  That would seem like a no-brainer.  I want to use a 1/4" ball-nose for the roughing pass and a 1/16" bit for the final pass.  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!  Thanks!