FireControl Software Bug (Pause & Stop Buttons)

CrossFire ® PRO
1

So, to preface, i’m not really sure if this is an actual bug, or just a poorly named feature. also I’m trying to type this with my phone and it’s not cooperating, so please excuse any errors and I’ll go back and correct them when I make it to a desktop.

I loaded up a 4x3 sheet with more than a dozen parts to cut and nested as tightly as possible, and since my air compressor is only a 20 gallon running 4.1SCFM at 90 psi, I knew there was a chance I could begin to run low on air.

when the time came to pause the cut, I hit the pause button and the machine stopped instead. and by stop, I mean the machine immediately stopped cutting and just sat there. a pause feature should allow the machine to finish its current cut and then pause after lifting. that way when you resume it will just go to the next touch-off point and begin the next cut.

essentially what I’m seeing is the pause button is more like an emergency pause button, where it’ll stop the machine no matter what and then allow you to resume.

then the stop button also does not seem to function correctly. when you hit the stop button the machine should stop immediately but still allow you to resume. however this is not the case as the stop button functions like a cancel button.

essentially:
when you hit pause, the machine stops.
when you hit stop, the machine cancels.

I’m honestly hoping that this is just a bug and is already in the works to be corrected?

if this is a feature, then I’d like to ask for it to be changed.

there should be four buttons:
start/resume
pause
stop
cancel

for example if you hit stop, the machine should make a note if it was in the middle of a cut or not, then when you hit resume, it should be smart enough to come back down, start the torch, and begin the cut again. (if you hit pause, it should finish the cut first)

I almost lost a $30 piece of steel because of the confusing and inconsistent naming of the pause button. no other machine I’ve ever used (I work as a Quality Engineer in the Auto industry), has ever stopped in the middle of a cut, just because you hit the pause button. luckily, I was able to use Fusion to draw a new cut path and have the machine go back and recut that one specific failure.

if anybody has a workaround for this pause feature, essentially letting me press pause and then the machine will finish the cut and then pause, I would love to know the workaround, because I can’t cut a full sheet without running out of air. what I ended up doing to make it through the rest of the day, was to smack the pause button when the machine was in between cuts, to stop it before it starts the next cut. although this is very hectic and requires a lot of attention, so I can’t keep doing this everyday.

p.s. no, I’m not buying a better air compressor, or a reserve tank, etc, I am way over budget already

PXL_20210112_003452190-picsay
PXL_20210112_003452190-picsay1024×768 170 KB

PXL_20210112_043033686-picsay
PXL_20210112_043033686-picsay768×1024 205 KB

2

you can add pauses in between cuts so it’ll pause after a cut is complete for a certain amount of time that you input. Not sure if you can do that in fusion somewhere during the post processing (haven’t used it after a few months of messing with it) but you can edit the gcode and do it manually. Sheetcam also has that function.

The pause and stop do what they are suppose to do in firecontrol.

1 Like
3

thanks for the tip! do you know what the gcode “command” is for pausing the cut? it’s not always the same between machines, so I don’t want to pull a pause code from my 3D printer and have it crash the crossfire, lol.

I would argue that the pause and stop buttons in firecontrol need to be improved. the pause button doesn’t properly pause, it stops the cut. for example, when I press pause on my 3D printer, it finishes its path, then moves the nozzle away from the object and awaits instructions. and this is a cheap little 3D printer that was less than 1/10 the cost of the CrossFire. I don’t understand why pressing pause would stop the torch completely, right there in the middle of the cut. it just doesn’t make sense, especially when you can’t restart the cut, and continue cutting. if you pressed pause, and it stopped the cut, and then it restarted the cut when you hit resume, then I wouldn’t have any reason to complain. does that make sense? just saying that in my experience, the pause feature is severely lacking, compared to all of the other machines I’ve used at home and in the industry.

4

Langmuir is constantly working on making corrections and changes to a very versatile machine.
I expect they will see this and hear of your concerns and do some changes in the future…that is why they have the forum.I

the next bit is not a criticism…and please do not get your back up against a wall.

I understand the budget and running a business very well I have built several small businesses…each one had severe budget constraints for start-up…but I could not imagine trying to go into any type of production without the proper basic infrastructure in place to support the equipment I would depend on.

It is just like buying the right torch…buy the bigger torch for more duty cycle…buy the full program or the right program so that you are not limited in design limitations…buy the bigger table for more cutting time…making sure you have enough air to run everything…

I too have a 20 gallon compressor…but I knew going in I would need more air…basic research into plasma cutting even by hand had already shown that air is a major issue…so I scavenged a reserve tank for peanuts to allow me to have the reserve I might need…in anticipation of a bigger compressor later.
Now I have the option of saving money on cut time…down time…wasted material…to buy the larger compressor to replace the smaller one.

but no understanding the limitations and function of the buttons of pause and stop…I do hope you do have less problems.

5

i’m not running a business, this is personal use only. lol. if i was making money, i’d have a 60gal 220v big-@$$ compressor. thanks anyway, for the tips!

6

Or a difference of opinion as to what something should do.

My CNC mill acts like the Crossfire. One of my 3D printers acts like you’re suggesting, the other like the Crossfire. My laser acts like the Crossfire. I’m not sure there’s necessarily a consensus in the industry.

I like your approach because it’ll stop the torch from continuing to burn a big divot until it loses the arc vs “finish cut, turn off the torch & then wait”. Definitely would support Langmuir changing the behavior.

I’m tagging @langmuir-daniel so he doesn’t miss this thread.

1 Like
7

i’m a Quality Engineer, so it is my job to have a difference of opinion. hahahahha. don’t take my complaint as mean or angry or disrespectful or anything. i’m actually a nice person in real life. lol. :slight_smile:

1 Like
8

good to hear…

So this comes with the territory and james pointed out…no industry standard in what a pause or stop should do…I learned something today…and I am a grumpy old man in life…hahahahaha

I am paranoid of running out of air…even with my 60 gallon buffer tank…so I still pause long cuts to give my compressor a break…

now I am not suitting at my table…but if I am not mistaken does FC not have a “start from here”…feature…so even if you stop it…pause it…youi can click on the g-code till you find where you want to start from and it will …

9

MotoRider42HC, jamesdhatch is exactly right, different platforms do completely different and opposite things. Just the industry i guess. But here is my 2cents on the issue. I cut a lot of small parts at times and for me, the pause button does exactly what i need it to do. The biggest problem with any plasma, laser, water cutting machines are tip up. This system has no break away torch, so having a tip up in the middle of a cut and inline with the next jog/pierce can be a real pain at times. Having the ability to pause right in the middle of the cut, remove the tip up, and then continue the cut is huge or things would get real ugly when the torch hits the tip up and ruins the cut and wont allow you to come back and resume from there because the machine is all out of wack from its original starting point.(Got to catch my breath LOL) If you indexed the work first you might recover from it, but that is a lot of work. I just like the ability to be able to pause and then continue right where i left off. Now, could @Langmuir add some more functionality to the program to give more options, of course they could. Opinions and good right ups like this allows the manufacture to look at new ideas and move forward with bigger and better things, which in turn, helps us all out. Good right up and thanks for thinking outside the box.

1 Like
10

All i want is:
Pause
Stop
Cancel
Resume

Right now we have:
Pause=Stop
Stop=Cancel
Resume

but yes you are correct, half the industry is one way and half the industry is the other way. tons of fun and super excellent for wasting pieces of steel and time and money. haha. :slight_smile:

1 Like
11

I’ll chime in here with my opinion on the pause feature. I do agree that it would be more intuitive if the pause feature actually finished its current cut path and then paused. That would be cool and convenient. However, I simply wait until the torch turns off and then I immediately hit pause. It’s always picked back up where it needed to on resume from there and I am thankful enough for that. Thats just me though and I stay close to the computer for any other failures that may occur. Misfires are plenty at times.

4 Likes