I'm new to CNC machining and have been unable to establish digital(no switches) home reference position  on my new Taig DSLS 3000AB Micro MILL using Mach3. I have been unable to find a tutorial that explains the process in a way that I, as a complete newcomer to CNC can understand how it is accomplished. I am making progress in operating the mill otherwise(program/work zero, etc.). Even the instructions from a tech. at Taig didn't work. Using his instructions I was able to set a Machine Zero(?), but when I set a program/work zero I lost the original machine home, as the work zero was now machine home. I hoping someone can help me with this issue. Thanks in advance

You don't actually need a machine home ref position.  My Novamill has home switches and I laboriously set the machine coord home when I first got it going, but almost never subsequently use it.  In actual practice, one normally references the program coordinate zero to the workpiece,  using for example a setting probe. Typically you clamp something to the table, jog the spindle to the desired position of x=0 y=0 and then zero the x and y DROs.

Thank you John. I realize that establishing a home reference position is not necessary in a home hobby CNC machine, but I want to learn how to do it anyway. I didn't realize it would be this difficult to find information on how to accomplish such a basic procedure. As I mentioned in my post, even a tech from Taig Machine Tools gave me incorrect instruction on how to do it.

Hi,

You don't actually need a machine home ref position.

I'm not sure I agree with this statement. It is certainly true that you don't have to reference your machine, as John does go to the work zero coordinate of the part you
are working on, zero the DRO's and away you go.

What happens if you have an over-travel event? Well how about soft limits you say? But soft limits ONLY work or make any sense if the machine has been referenced.
Soft limits work a bit like setting boundaries. The Northern boundary is 15m from here, the Southern boundary is 5m from here, the East boundary is 30m form here
and the West boundary is 1m from here. This works fine if you know where 'here' is. If you don't know where 'here' is or it changes then your data describing the boundaries is useless.

When I first started I had no home or limit switches, and used to do as John suggested. After a while I put Home switches on my machine, just the three switches, not Limit switches,
but now I could reference the machine, ie I know where 'here' is and now Soft Limits works the wat they should. I had three crashes in seven years thereafter whereas I had about three a month
prior to. Putting Home switches on my machine was the single best addition I ever made. I was always going to put Limit switches on it, but never got around to it.

I've built a new machine, and its way bigger, much faster and hugely more powerful, so not only do I have Home switches but Limit switches also. I always engage Soft Limits after
referencing (homing) the machine and I haven't hit a limit switch in operation in 18 months of daily use. Home switches and Referencing are extremely useful.

Craig