Hi All! Sami here with CNC Router Parts. Today we are zeroing in on zero with our
Auto Z and corner finder touch plate. This is a tool that allows for quick and
precise settings of your tool height and workpiece corner edge location. It is
dual sided for Z only or X Y Z finding. It has a spring-loaded brass plate
safety feature, quick connecting magnet and corner finding wall.
First of all, let's review zeroing. When opening Mach, we should ref-all-home to
ensure our gantry and each of our axes are aligned to establish a relatable
fixed relationship between the Machine coordinates and the table. If our G54
work offsets are zero, then the Machine origin shown in red and the g54 work
coordinates shown in green would be the same. In most programs this would be the
front and leftmost extremes from the machine work envelope, though it is not
the most convenient location for most material setup. Instead we want to have
offset values that move the program origin so we can locate our project in a
more convenient location. Stick around till the end and I'll show you how to
install the HTML script in Mach 3.
Now that we have a grasp on what zeroing is we need to determine which z-axis
surface we will be using. We can zero off the material surface or the machine bed
by placing the flat side of the touch plate down we must be sure that our
machine setup and our file setup align you can reference off of any corner of
the material for your X&Y though it is common to use the front left corner of
the material. Again, it is very important to make sure that our file setup is
correct in relation to the machine setup. Stay to the end for a review on how to
set up your zeroing point in your VCarve file. Let's talk about how the Auto Z and
corner finding touch plate works and see it in action! For finding x y and z place
the touch plate with the corner finding edge on the origin corner of the
material then drive the spindle with a router bit centered about an inch above
the brass plate. We'll attach the magnet to the collet or bit, in Mach we can now
click "Auto Tool Zero" which will open a dialog box. You can select which axes you
like to zero, I'll do X, Y and Z. Enter in the diameter of the bit and select which
corner you are zeroing off of. I'll use the Left Front, I also like to opt for
pausing between axes so that we can make sure our flutes are properly aligned.
Click OK, the bit will lower down and contact the brass plate. This will
complete the circuit and allow the program to calculate the distance the bit
is from the material surface. A dialog box will prompt us to align the widest
edge of the flute to hit the X wall and again Mach will have us rotate the bit
90 degrees to contact the Y wall.
Now let's talk a little bit about router bit selection in relation to the touch
plate. Starting with an end mill you can Zero X, Y & Z though we should be conscious of
the location of the flutes in regards to the walls of the touch plate. Our goal is
for the widest point or the cutting edge of the flute to contact the X&Y walls.
Alternatively you can use the metal dowel to find X&Y, this will give us an
accurate reading of the X Y home though you will have to Zero the z-axis when you
switch in your router bit. Now there are a few router bits that we can only use
the z-axis side of the touch plate. Due to the angle and profile of a V bit we
can't get the reading of X&Y though you can use a z-axis only side of
the touch plate. Let's switch out our down spiral for a V bit. If there is any
variation in the height of your material we can zero to the specific spot where
that portion of your design is located.
Also, we can slide the touch plate to the spindle rather than having to drive the
spindle to the touch plate.
Once again click Auto Tool Zero, this time only selecting the z axis and press ok. The
diameter of the bit isn't relevant in this operation. Let's talk a little bit
about the design of the touch plate, at first it may seem counterintuitive that
the router bit contacts the inner walls when the corner is closer to the outer
edges. Though you can see it stays snug on the corner and if the bit were to
contact the exterior walls it could knock the touch plate off the material.
The HTML script that we copy into the editor and mock will determine all of
the measurements of the touch plate and will also take into account the diameter
of the router bit. That's the basics in our Auto Z and corner finding touch
plate. Stick around for walkthrough on sitting up your zero in your Vectric
file and how to install the HTML script in Mach 3. Thanks y'all for joining me.
I'll walk this through a review on how to set up your zeroing point in your
vectric file. Open a new file enter your material dimensions. First, select your
z-axis reference the material surface or the machine bed.
Then select your XY datum position any of the four corners will work. If
selected uncheck "use offset." Then click OK to open your file. Any tool path you
generate will use this corner as an origin point. We must configure Mach in
order to use the touch plate. In the description below you will find a link
to our website navigate to pro cnc accessories and locate the auto Z and
corner finding touch plate image. Scroll to the bottom and find the instructions.
On this page you will find written instructions on how to use the touch
plate. There's a lot to take in on this page but since we have a plug in play
controller, a pre-configured machine XML file, really
all we need is the script itself. I'll scroll down to the code window, select
all the code and ctrl C to copy it. Now I'll switch back to Mach 3 go to
"Operator" and "edit button script" in the toolbar
click on the "Auto Z Zero" button. In the code box I'll replace the not implemented
message with the code I copied from the instructions page using ctrl P for paste.
Exit and save the script. Restart Mach and it should be ready to run. For your
first time keep your hand near the e-stop just in case the script wasn't
implemented. The spring-loaded brass plate will give us a moment to react, hit
stop and then make any adjustments necessary.