Shut down

[cncdarrell]

Good day,
I just set up my new AR6 PRO V5 this afternoon and she’s ready to go. This is my third Cnc machine (Shapeoko, Professor 2.3) in the last four years and I still feel like a little kid getting his new toy😁
I have a question regarding turning off my machine. Ok ok it’s probably there somewhere and someone will say just READ the manual. But is there a procedure to shutting down the system before just turning it off ?

thanks
Darrell 

[gerry]

Since you don't want to read the manual.... you'll miss a lot of the features.

[cncdarrell]

You miss understood, but thanks for your sarcasm fellow Cnc,er

[stevem]

Once you're finished for the day or just want to stop and go do something else, just turn it off. You can leave the usb stick in the controller, but I usually take mine out as I will probably start a different project on a different stick.

Reading the manual will assist you in figuring out how this machine works. It wasn't sarcasm, it was info you should know!

[cncdarrell]

Thank you, thank you. This being my third Cnc I understand the complexity and do read the manual. This kind of investment requires so. My last one required at shutdown and thought I missed it somewhere. Not all manuals are created equal.
Thanks again for jumping in and clarifying.

[joeblow]

Nov 7, 2020 16:49:23 GMT -5 cncdarrell said:

I have a question regarding turning off my machine. Ok ok it’s probably there somewhere and someone will say just READ the manual. But is there a procedure to shutting down the system before just turning it off ?

thanks
Darrell 

That's actually a good question as nowhere in the AR6 manual does it specify a shut down procedure.  Perhaps because it is just a matter of turning it off.  My AR6 is the 1st cnc I have owned and I looked up the same thing a few years ago

[bentley]

Hey Darrell. I have a question for you about your professor 2.3. What were your reasons for going Axiom? I have the professor HDX with the spindle and the AR6 basic as my backup machine. I use the professor HDX for long jobs and the AR6 for shorter runs. I’m busy enough to need 2 machines as I can’t afford to be down. Let me know your reasons if you don’t mind. As far as proper shut down procedures even on the professor I just push the stop button. Cole at CWI said you don’t have to do it according to the manual.
Bentley

[bones]

A far as the manual is concerned, I've read it until I have it almost memorized and I my humble option it is the must useless manual I've ever seen, it tells you to do something but doesn't tell you how [page 27 c. iii] 'select clear z' how and where? The subjects jump from place to place I found myself going back and forth. I have had my machine over a month and today I sat down and made me a start sheet by going back and forth and writing things down in a logical pattern finally was able to do a project it didn't turn out very well but at least it cut something. I was cutting out the project in 1/4 material, set to cut through the material .oo5" I used the touch off puck and it failed to cut through the material about .004" [spoil board had been flattened]. I hope no one else is having these problems all I know is I have a 5000.00$ machine i can't figure out how to use

[gerry]

Feb 4, 2021 18:32:27 GMT -5 bones said:

A far as the manual is concerned, I've read it until I have it almost memorized and I my humble option it is the must useless manual I've ever seen, it tells you to do something but doesn't tell you how [page 27 c. iii] 'select clear z' how and where? The subjects jump from place to place I found myself going back and forth. I have had my machine over a month and today I sat down and made me a start sheet by going back and forth and writing things down in a logical pattern finally was able to do a project it didn't turn out very well but at least it cut something. I was cutting out the project in 1/4 material, set to cut through the material .oo5" I used the touch off puck and it failed to cut through the material about .004" [spoil board had been flattened]. I hope no one else is having these problems all I know is I have a 5000.00$ machine i can't figure out how to use

The thickness of your puck may not match your actual setting. It's worth the few minutes to get it absolutely correct. Measure your puck with calipers. After using the SET button, you should just touch the spoil board at exactly 0.0 (in mm). You should not dimple the spoil board and not be able to slide a piece of paper under  the bit. You can search on CAD Thickness Setting. To start look at CAD Thickness setting. Also is your material EXACTLY 0.25? If not, pick a spot, and measure the thickness. Use that spot for Z-zero of all your bits with THAT BOARD. Wood moves, your Z may change.

[aluomala]

Your question (re shutting down at end of the day) is actually a good one, IMO.

You CAN just power off the machine, and then start it up the next day, BUT you should run a Home All, either before you shut it down, or after you power it up the next time. Usually, you are prompted to do a Home ALL, but it's possible to skip that (bad idea). The machine SHOULD retain it's z position overnight, but the weight of the spindle on a powered down machine can drop the z-axis, so the machine will have lost it's position, and if you just started it up (without homing... assuming your Z position is retained) you can be in for some trouble (the bit will dig deeper than it should).

Another thing to practice is resuming a job (due to shutting it down, mid-toolpath because you have to leave, or go to bed, or if there is a power outage/surge (the machine will do an auto-save) you need to be able to start in EXACTLY the same position (I do mostly 3D carvings, so this is critical). Practice stopping your job (when you hit Stop, you will be prompted to save where the toolpath was running (breakpoint), and then after you power up and run a Home All (critical) function, to resume at the breakpoint, you select the RUN button and one of the number buttons (1-6) at the same time (so RUN + 1 at the same time), you can select the toolpath in the list (scroll through and then hit OK). It will load up the file and show you the info for the last line that was run, and then if you're happy, select OK, and it will resume the toolpath at exactly the location you stopped it. It is one of the best features of the machine, in my opinion, and the first couple times I used it, I was very apprehensive because I didn't want to ruin a project that I had invested so much time in, so practicing it a number of times on shorter simple projects will give you the confidence.

In the beginning, because I wasn't used to the breakpoint feature, so I would pause the toolpath and spindle (overnight) and then re-start in the morning, but due to the issue I mentioned above (weight of the spindle + gravity and/or static electrical interference, the z-axis could be off by a millimetre or so, and for some things that is acceptable, but not on high resolution 3D carvings (a distinct line will show up from where the carving paused to where it re-started.

Another thing to practice (that I still bring out the manual, to make sure I do it right) is to adjust the XYZ position in mid-project (maybe you want to get a closer look at where the machine is currently carving), so you can pause the toolpath, raise the z-axis (and or move it in the X and/or Y axes) to get a better look see, and then resume it exactly where it left off, OR let it run from where the spindle currently is.... This is the "dangerous" part, since if you do this after moving the axes a large distance, it will resume it's cutting there (not where you paused it), but it is helpful if you need to adjust the z height slightly (let's say 1 or 2 mm) because it's easier to do this than to re-start the whole toolpath.

This might all seem Greek to you, but do yourself the favour and read the manual (it's pretty weak, but better than a poke in the eye) and try to familiarize yourself with the controller functions. Some of them are hidden, or not particularly user-friendly (be VERY careful about NOT hitting the XY > 0 button once you have everything set up, or you will reset your X and Y axes to zero, and that is your new origin (NOT good). As well, the whole loading a file into the control is way more difficult than it needs to be: you have to select Menu > scroll down to File Operation > then select Copy from USB (I'm going by memory here, not the manual) and then select each file individually and save them. And then (In the interest of keeping a clean internal storage area) you have to go through the same process to delete..... Also, it's a VERY good idea to move files from USB to internal storage (even though it's a pain) so they aren't being run from the USB stick... Short toolpaths aren't an issue, but there always seems to be a forum post about someone having their toolpath go astray, and it can sometimes be traced back to running it directly from USB (not the internal storage).

Deep inside the Advanced Features is Calc Work time, which allows you to determine how long your toolpath(s) will actually take, and this will help you with determining the total machining time scale factor in Vectric products (there is a factor that you can adjust to help you determine realistic times for toolpaths).

There IS a lot to learn, and much of it can't be done until you have the machine in your possession, so I would highly recommend playing around with the controller and getting used to it before diving into a 12 hour carving.

One point I almost forgot about is the Mill Plane feature in the Advanced Processing menu: DO NOT use this (particularly with a large (>1" fly cutter for example) bit until you have practiced it without a bit AND not to put it directly onto the workpiece until you have tried it. Multiple times. It starts the process IMMEDIATELY and if you have a large fly cutter (to level spoilboard, which is pretty much everyone's first job with a CNC) it can dig in (after scaring the bejesus out of you) and stall the spindle, and then continue on it's merry way until to you panic stop it. Don't ask me how I know..... The manual, somewhat cavalierly says this ("Operation should begin immediately. Be sure that the Z axis height and RPM are properly set before using this operation." but, to their credit, Axiom did put this in bold text "*It is suggested that a test run be performed with the Z axis elevated above the material*" (same as what I mentioned) but it doesn't really emphasize the potential for disaster.

Anyway, hope this helps and assists you with getting your machine up and running safely and efficiently.

Allan

[zaxis4]

Nov 7, 2020 18:05:26 GMT -5 gerry said:

Since you don't want to read the manual.... you'll miss a lot of the features.

Wow....who are you? The CNC police. Did he say he didn't want to read the manual? Good grief!!!