OMG I'm about to snap!!!! Learning Mach3.... I've figured everything else out by trial and error but for the life of me I can't seem to find a simple answer to a simple question: How do I set the Z depth for a particular thickness of material on a cnc router?

I have a wooden substrate on the cnc table to protect the aluminum table. I have 3mm G10 to cut on top of that.

If I set the Z stop to zero at the surface of my material then:

How do I set the plunge depth to go to the bottom of the material and cut it but not all the way to the table?

If I have 2mm material, how do I change the cut depth? If I want to cut a pocket half way through a 4mm material... HOW DO I SET THE CUT DEPTH???

Thank You in advance to whomever can save me from myself in this conundrum....

Scratch the 2mm bit... I just need to know how to adjust the depth of my plunge for different heights above the table...

Currently the gcode shows a movement between 1.0 and 0...

You manualy program Gcode for what you want to machine or use a program that generates the code .
Programming Handbook by Smid covers most everything you need to know and will be a valuable resource
for learning and use in the future.

RICH

How are you creating your g-code? If using a CAM program, you set it there. If hand coding, you add a Z move to plungeto the depth you want.
If Z zero is the top of your part, then to cut 2mm deep, you'd do something like:

G1 Z-2

Basic proramme this is what your deths should look like in xilog


XG0 X=395 Y=-20 Z=-10 s=0 T=127 F=1 C=1
XL2P Y=135
XAR X=445 Y=185 r=-50 G=2#
XL2P X=1100

Z sets the depth of your cuts g1 z-1 will cut 1mm if your machine is set to mm g1 z-2 =2mm g1 z-3 =3mm ect...  to lift g0 z1.5 would lift 1.5 mm above you work


when you drop your z depth down using keyboard leave you bit loose then once close, pull bit onto work surface and tighten