dmiat
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by dmiat on May 8, 2018 23:08:26 GMT -5
Hello All,
I am brand new to Axiom, I am trying to learn how to run an Elite AR8 but have been having quite a few problems.
1- When I load the fly cutter tool the Z travel soft limits before the tool even gets close to the MDF. I am trying to machine the MDF flat as the machine I'm working on is brand new.
2- When i load a program onto the machine, Im not sure how to set the origin for the X and Y axis. I understand setting the Z axis with the puck, or at least I think I do. But I could be doing something totally wrong.
3- The machine has the newer controller on it as well, which does not have much literature to help. I tried running a program that would machine the MDF (I just wanted to see if it would "run" even though the bit is way to high for to actually cut.) I selected the program, hit Run from SD. It did some movements an then a light flashed and I hit the left arrow and it began to move the spindle as well as spinup. Not too long after tho it had a soft travel limit error.
As you can probably tell, I have a heavy lack of understanding in regards to how the machine really runs, I have watched many YouTube videos, but I can't quite find one that covers loading a file onto the machine. Or even how to save a toolpath properly. They either show how to use Aspire or running the CNC. I don't quite understand the transition from programming to running.
If you've managed to read this far, do you have any advice? I feel like the questions I have, people just take for granted you already have the knowledge when it comes to machining. Thank you very much in advance for any help. I greatly appreciate anything you can tell me or help guide me with.
Dale
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ronm
New Member
Posts: 23
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Post by ronm on May 9, 2018 13:26:55 GMT -5
Sign up for the training seminars at your earliest convenience. The cost is a drop in the bucket in comparison to the knowledge, confidence, and questions you will have answered.
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Post by traindriver on May 10, 2018 21:06:33 GMT -5
1. Every time you turn the machine on, the FIRST thing you should do is home the machine. (There should be a button that says "HOME" on your controller) When the machine goes through its homing routine, it moves to the upper limit of Z, and as far as it can go to one corner of the table for X and Y. There are proximity switches on each axis on my older AR8 Pro, they are yellow, and when the machine is at it's limit, it will light up with a red light. You CAN jog the machine (maybe even run it, I haven't tried in so long, I forget) before you home it, but if you do, it MAY hit soft (software) limits that are well within it's reach because it thinks that the HOME position is somewhere other than where it should be. The home position is the reference the machine uses to know where the spindle is on the bed.
Not sure the what the buttons look like on your controller, but on mine, there is one all the way to the right that says "XY->0". (this might be a yellow button near the top on your controller) You move the center of the tool to the point where you you want your ORIGIN to be, and then press that button. Setting the origin is what synchs your machine with your cutting file. In the software you are using, you will define where the origin of your work is. In Vectric Vcarve Pro, you push a button in the "FIle Operations" section that looks like a square with crosshairs and extra corners on it. That opens up a window with different sections. In the section titled "XY Datum Position", you choose where you want the origin of your work to be: dead center, bottom left or right, upper left or right. I always choose bottom left unless I'm doing something on a circle, then I choose center. Since I choose bottom left, this means that when I put my piece of wood on the router, I want to set the "XY->0" at the bottom left corner of my piece of wood. Bottom left is determined by standing at the side of the machine opposite where the cables plug in and look down at the bed, thus "bottom left" is the left corner closest to you on that side.
In the same window in VCarve Pro where you set the XY Datum Position, you also set where the zero position is for the Z axis. This is done in the "Z Zero Position" section. I always set my Z Zero position to be the "Material Surface" unless I am doing something that requires a tool change after I machine off the top surface, such as 3d relief carving, in which I set the "Z Zero Position" to be the table surface (since the material surface won't be there after the first tool runs it's course). When I first got my machine, I would forget which way I had set the Z Zero Position in Vcarve, and if I had set it to be the material surface in the software, then physically set it to be the table surface, I would quickly discover my mistake because the machine would drive the spindle through the wood in order to start machining the MDF spoil board. My advice is don't do that. :-) Make yourself a note as to where you set the origin in the software until you figure out how you like to have it set up, and it's a habit. You don't have to have your origin set the way I do, from what I've read on this forum, other people like to reference the table top all the time. I don't simply because I don't always plane/sand my wood to the same thickness.
Your third issue sounds like the same problem as number one, which, again, sounds like you need to home the machine.
Hope this helps. You've got an awesome machine. I've had mine for almost 3 years, and I still find new things to do with it!
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Post by Axiom Tool Group on May 11, 2018 12:28:18 GMT -5
dmiat, there is much to cover concerning the operation of an Elite machine.
While the manual, covers the steps of HOME operations, setting ORIGINS and starting that first job....there are settings and features that we can cover with you to make this easier.
Essentially the information in the software must match what is setup at the machine, including the origins and machine size.
Many customers will run into problems from a simple size irregularity when they design that first surfacing tool-path.
Please give us a call so we can walk you through everything over the phone.
Thank you,
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Post by wateague on May 16, 2018 11:17:00 GMT -5
Hello All, I am brand new to Axiom, I am trying to learn how to run an Elite AR8 but have been having quite a few problems. 1- When I load the fly cutter tool the Z travel soft limits before the tool even gets close to the MDF. I am trying to machine the MDF flat as the machine I'm working on is brand new. 2- When i load a program onto the machine, Im not sure how to set the origin for the X and Y axis. I understand setting the Z axis with the puck, or at least I think I do. But I could be doing something totally wrong. 3- The machine has the newer controller on it as well, which does not have much literature to help. I tried running a program that would machine the MDF (I just wanted to see if it would "run" even though the bit is way to high for to actually cut.) I selected the program, hit Run from SD. It did some movements an then a light flashed and I hit the left arrow and it began to move the spindle as well as spinup. Not too long after tho it had a soft travel limit error. As you can probably tell, I have a heavy lack of understanding in regards to how the machine really runs, I have watched many YouTube videos, but I can't quite find one that covers loading a file onto the machine. Or even how to save a toolpath properly. They either show how to use Aspire or running the CNC. I don't quite understand the transition from programming to running. If you've managed to read this far, do you have any advice? I feel like the questions I have, people just take for granted you already have the knowledge when it comes to machining. Thank you very much in advance for any help. I greatly appreciate anything you can tell me or help guide me with. Dale Sign up for the training seminars at your earliest convenience. The cost is a drop in the bucket in comparison to the knowledge, confidence, and questions you will have answered.
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Post by wateague on May 16, 2018 11:42:28 GMT -5
I didn’t have the correct Post Processor on my Aspire. You need one that has Axiom Elite, not just Axiom. The people at Axiom in Ohio are very helpful. Wait on getting a Laser, until the manual is updated. Two of my yellow limit switches were turned, I straightened them up and retightened Good luck
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Post by wateague on May 30, 2018 21:35:51 GMT -5
Cell phone dropped connection. select your.run/pause/delete button. go to internal rather than U disk or sd. You should have a fly cut program preinstalled on your HHC.
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Post by wateague on May 30, 2018 21:37:36 GMT -5
My AR8 Elite did not have a fly cut program and it has a HUST controller
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Post by wateague on May 30, 2018 21:39:32 GMT -5
Hello All, I am brand new to Axiom, I am trying to learn how to run an Elite AR8 but have been having quite a few problems. 1- When I load the fly cutter tool the Z travel soft limits before the tool even gets close to the MDF. I am trying to machine the MDF flat as the machine I'm working on is brand new. 2- When i load a program onto the machine, Im not sure how to set the origin for the X and Y axis. I understand setting the Z axis with the puck, or at least I think I do. But I could be doing something totally wrong. 3- The machine has the newer controller on it as well, which does not have much literature to help. I tried running a program that would machine the MDF (I just wanted to see if it would "run" even though the bit is way to high for to actually cut.) I selected the program, hit Run from SD. It did some movements an then a light flashed and I hit the left arrow and it began to move the spindle as well as spinup. Not too long after tho it had a soft travel limit error. As you can probably tell, I have a heavy lack of understanding in regards to how the machine really runs, I have watched many YouTube videos, but I can't quite find one that covers loading a file onto the machine. Or even how to save a toolpath properly. They either show how to use Aspire or running the CNC. I don't quite understand the transition from programming to running. If you've managed to read this far, do you have any advice? I feel like the questions I have, people just take for granted you already have the knowledge when it comes to machining. Thank you very much in advance for any help. I greatly appreciate anything you can tell me or help guide me with. Dale
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Post by wateague on May 30, 2018 21:53:00 GMT -5
Had my AR8 Elite a few weeks. I used the machine zero settings to set the Origins for fly cutting the spoil board. One of my yellow limit switches was crooked. I had to make my own fly cut tool path to remove 0.040". It took me several tries because my cutting area was smaller than I expected. The profile around the edge keep running into the soft stop. I actually ran the X and Y slowly to out of to get the exact distance that I could go. Had to clean about 1/8" at rear with a file. I used a 1 1/4" with carbide inserts to mill down the top.
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Post by traindriver on Jun 3, 2018 12:26:22 GMT -5
If your tool profile shows the tool to be 1 1/4" in diameter, I think the software takes this into account and causes a software overtravel error when you try to run the file with the origin at the home position because it knows the cutter edge is outside the machine's range. I think you can trick it by setting up a 1/2" end mill in the surfacing file and edit the step over to a larger value, then put the fly cutter in the collet and run the program.
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