G28 will send it to your home position but it will not reference (Home) your machine. What I mean is you will have to do a reference first then any time after that if you do a G28 it will go to that position. The reference (homing) procedure actually moves the machine and looks for the switches, it will trip them then reverse and wait until they are shut again then set that position as your machine coordinates zero position.
Hood

How do I do the reference procedure?

Press the Ref All Home button.
Hood

Thanks you very much, again. I hope this is the end of my stupid questions...............

Inivator

The only stupid question is the one thats never asked

Hood

How do I set the distance off the limits switches that I want 0,0,0?

Inivator

Hi, Inivator

Use the pop-out pendant, (Tab key ON, Tab key OFF), Jog with it, Then zero your axises as needed.

Use the MDI line move G00 x# Y# Z#, Then zero your axises as needed.

Use Work Offsets, Saved in G55, G56,..........

There are several other ways also, Put it in your Reff  ALL button, G52 moves....

Hope this Helps, Chip

Innovator -

It is more than likely that the position that you machine stands at 0.0.0 is useless for normal macining.
There are two positions for a machine - one is machine co-ordinates - the other is program co-ordinates.

Machine Co-ordinates - This shows on the DRO's when your Machine Co-ordinayes button is lit. It is the position that the machine knows it is at. When you "Ref All Home" the machine moves to the switches in turn, each zero, and then the DRO's all change to zero in turn. You cannot change these DRO's. This position is probably usless for any general purpose machining.

If you than move the machine to where you wish to begin a program, the DRO's will move. If you then note that position, then this is an offset. It can be entered into a table using codes G54 to 58 then G59p7 to G59p255 so there are planty to go at.

If you then press the Machine C0-ordinate button, the light goes out - and the DRO's are now displaying Program Co-ordinates These are the co-ordinates that you use to run your program - and these you can set to zero.

Let us say you wish to use G56 in your program., so enter these co-ordinates in the table.

You "Ref All Home" - this sets your Machine Co-ordinates to zero - You then enter your offset - G56. If you now check your Program Co-ordinates by pressing the Machine Co-ordinates button, the numbers will not be 0.0.0 but will be your program co-ordinates. If you then do G0X0Y0Z0 your axis will automatically move to the place to start your program.

I hope that is clear - if not come back.

Well, it sounds complicated, but I will try it. It would be nice if there were boxes to inter values for the machine to move, once the limits have been reached, then the Dro's and the machine co-ordinates are set to 0, or what ever value you need. I have never set up the offset tables, so that is something else to do.

Thanks for the comeback, and the info....

Inivator

Its not really that hard and to be honest the majority of the time you probably dont need to enter any offsets into the table. I dont think I have ever done so, most of my work is placed on the table, I find my start point by jogging the axis via my MPG  then just zero each axis and thats all there is to it. If you have fixtures that can be placed accurately on the table (doweled etc) then often its good to have offsets in the table as you can place your fixture and call those offsets.

Hood