Sheetcam z question

[Little Leonard]

I'm new to the cnc stuff but I'm trying to set up sheetcam to my table and try some test cuts out and I can't set the z up, there no place to set it I've looked at videos and forums and everyone has the z setting. In my Gcode it tells the z to move down 60" making the torch hit the metal any help would be great.

[JJsCustomDesigns]

Click on Create New Plasma icon. To the right of the "Tool" drop down youll see "Edit". Click Edit. Your z plunge rate, pierce height, --- heres a screen shot.

Dont mind my settings. Its on my home laptop. Ive never set it up.

typical pierce for Hypertherm is .125 and cut height is .0625

Im thinking you might have forgot a " . " point in the Cut Height setting. Example: 60" instead of .060
If this was the problem. Make sure when your done to click Update Processes. It should update all your tools with the new setting.... if i remember right.

[Little Leonard]

It's not set at 60 and the blue line where the touch come in the cut is always at the top really long the simulation takes long time before it Even get the the part. For the z everything I've seen you need to set it up but I don't have the settings

[beefy]

What system are you using. I have no idea what you mean when you say "Everyone has the z setting". What z setting are you referring to.

How are you sensing top of material before each cut, or do you not have any means of sensing top of material before each cut. Is your z axis just a simple one where all the motor does is make the z go up and down (no extra floating z axis with touch off switch, no top of material sensors, etc).

Sheetcam has a loads of post processors and you have to select the right one for your machine. The wrong post processor will give some weird gcode output.

Need a bit more info before being able to help. What exactly is it that needs setting up.

Keith.

[Little Leonard]

I'm running candcnc blade run aio it has THC and I'm running a floating hand touch on the table with mach3, I'm using MP1000-THC post processor.. I've got the table moving and been running dry runs with touch off. I'm new to all this and learning more every day thanks for you guys help.

[sodfarmer]

Have you entered in your z axis switch offset in the MP1000-THC post processor? Also check your rapid clearance height in Sheetcam.

[beefy]

Have you measured your switch offset.

Have you entered it in the post processor

Send a screenshot of your Sheetcam tool settings (Edit Plasma Cutter), and make sure you selected this tool in the cut operation.

Create a simple file and send a screenshot of the gcode produced.

That should help a lot to figure out what is happening.

Keith.

[Little Leonard]

My switch offset is .0345 and I have put it into the post processer, I'll get you a Gcode tomorrow. One thing that's getting me is setting up the rapid clearance,plunge and height of bottom of material above table.

[beefy]

Hi Leonard,

for the rapid clearence do you mean you don't know where to enter the value, or is there some other problem. It's entered in the OPTIONS menu / JOB OPTIONS / MATERIAL tab / RAPID CLEARENCE.

A lot of beginners get confused about the PLUNGE RATE setting, I was too. Now all I do is set it to a pretty fast speed. All this setting does is command the feedrate that the torch travels at from pierce height to cut height. My main interest is having enough pierce delay setting to make sure the pierce is completed while the torch is at pierce height. After that is done the torch can travel down to cut height at warp speed for all I care, I can't see any need for it to travel slowly to cut height. So basically blast a hole at pierce height and get down to cut height ASAP and start cutting.

The setting about height of bottom of material above table, I've never understood why it's there for plasma cutting. I've alway set it at zero because the bottom of plate is resting on the table slats. The torch always touches off in any case of the top of the material and zeros at that point so all cutting is done referenced to top of material whatever height the material is.

Keith.

[Little Leonard]

Thanks for all the help guys I was taking to a guy at work today about our router and found out that I had my z + and - wrong that's y it would move down at the end of the cut problem fixed and now it leads me to my z home and touch up lights stay on any help on this, I just hope this is my last problem so I can start playing with some cuts can't wait.