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« on: May 29, 2008, 01:53:02 PM »
Mach 3 is under continual developement, and at any time there are several versions available.
If you go to Downloads, you can see what is available. Tou can download an old version, download the latest lockdown version, or download the latest version under development.
If you are wanting a serious version for serious work, there is one rule - If it not broke, don't fix it - so if the versionof Mach 3 that you have does all that you want, stick with that.
If you want the latest version that is "guaranteed" as far as possible, then use the latest "Lockdown Version". This will not change - and if anything goes wrong, you can download it again and get the same program.
If you want to be up there with the boys you can have a version that is still under developement - but if you download it again, it may have changed.
I personally use the latest "Lockdown " version.
You should be able to download the latest "lockdown version" and retain all your XML file and settings. In your case you do not say whether the version you downloaded was a "lockdown" or one under developement - so I cannot comments of the ShopCAM guys remarks.
As far a CV is concerned, this is an old problem and you should understand the difference between Cv and absolute stop.
If you are to cut a "square corner" the your axis(s) must travel to point A and then, instantaneously travel to point B, leaving (apart from problems with the diameter of the tool) a sharp corner. The only way the machine can do this is to come to an absolute stop in the direction it is travelling, then having put on any backlash required, set off in the new direction.
On my machine, with relatively slow travel, it might not be noticable (except for backlash which is terrible), but the faster your machine is, the more noticable it becomes, since the cutting head (or the table) has to accelerate to speed, then decelerate to a stop, then accelerate to speed and so on.
If you use CV, then as the machine decelerates to a stop in one direction, it also calculates and implements accerleration in the other direction - and never comes to a complete stop - but it must, by definition, leave rounded corners on your work (as well as any for the tool).
You cannot get square corners with CV - you must use absolute stop and put up with it, I'm afraid. You can alter the acceleration and deceleration parameters for CV to end up with as square a shape as possible - but you will never get to the "square corner"